We Americans are now amid a
national crime wave which comes upon us every two decades or so. Usually, we
suffer though until our local, state, and national leaders finally get their
acts together and the crime wave is blunted. Then we return to “normal” not
realizing we and our leaders did not learn one thing about the ebb and flow of
crime.
The following are lessons we need
to learn about crime in no particular order:
1.
Crime will always be with us. Criminals are
human and all humans are flawed, some more than others, but nevertheless
flawed. Because of our flawed natures, each of us have at least a bit of criminal
in our hearts and minds. The key here is whether we activate our natures into
criminal actions.
2.
Police can be corrupt and/or incompetent, and
thus, a danger to our public health. Policemen may be blue, but they are human,
too. The big difference is that they have government sanction to use deadly
force. A mentally challenged young man is shot dead in Kansas while fleeing the
police in a vehicle. In Missouri, a young woman is shot dead by a deputy
sheriff at a traffic stop while she was driving to work, The deputy said she had
a gun; no gun was found. In Minnesota, a young man is killed by a policewoman when
she mistakenly shot him with her weapon instead of using her taser. In
Washington, DC an unarmed protestor trespassing in the Capitol building is shot
dead by a capitol policeman.
3.
Not all police are corrupt and/or incompetent
but too many are. And the police administrators, the police unions, and their
fellow police officers know who they are. Bottom line- get rid of them!
Immediately!
4.
Regarding police reform, go first to Sir Robert
Peele’s police standards set down two centuries ago.
5.
Crime is done by criminals, and they must be appropriately
sentenced. No three years in prison for murder or twenty years for
stealing snacks from a gas station. Judges do need sentencing guidelines and
they also need a degree of flexibility in applying their guidelines.
6.
High crimes are done by politicians, prosecutors,
defense attorneys, and the like who say or do stupid things to help to create a
negative climate for criminality. “Defund the Police” is a stupid slogan spoken
by…well, people who say stupid. And the reasons for the crimes like “They need
baby formula” or “The child tax credit has ended” are so asinine that they are
unworthy of serious debate.
7.
Criminal justice reform must begin with city
councils, state legislatures, and Congress. Those bodies makes the laws,
executives enforce the laws, and courts interpret the laws. Executives- mayors,
governors, and presidents- and judges are not in the law-making business.
8.
Some criminal justice reforms work and some do
not. If certain reforms are not effective, stop doing them- immediately!
9.
Civility on our streets and in our communities
will only occur when neighbors respect one another and when people trust their community
institutions.
10.
Application of the “broken windows theory” applicable
to each community is a good first step in fighting crime.
I so agree that "Defund the Police" is a very stupid slogan, but the users continue to use it to express outrage of wanton cruel killings of civilians. I doubt that is really the goal. What I think the goal is, is to provide on the ground guidance to the police when non-lethal force must be used or no force at all. Just like in Canada with the protesting truckers force could have been applied with results that would have been horrific, yet here in the US we do horrific things to stop protests by some groups. And some more authoritarian countries don't care about citizens health and safety at all, killing many stifling all protests e.g. protests in Malaysia and many others. I want good police, smart caring police that yes can stop a criminal intent on harming others. Happily most police do operate here in the US with care and control. The news is very happy to tell us about the police that don't. On the other hand I want safeguards for citizens as long as protests are for a righteous reason and to me "Black Lives Matter" is a righteous reason. America needs and should welcome protesting for righteous reasons.
ReplyDeleteOkay i will shut up now.
Statistics show that police shootings of unarmed civilians have remain steady over the last decade. Each year about 10-12 unarmed Black men are shot and about 22-25 unarmed Whitw men. And I hazard to guess that the police departments of the involved officers are not surprised. Most of these officers have had records of civilian complaints throughout the years and yet are actively protected by their unions. This must stop. Police departments are employment agencies of people who just want to shoot the bad guys.
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