Early in the Trump presidency, I listened to a podcast with two veterans of the United States military. They debated a point about the chain of command. One was convinced that if the president issued an unlawful order, all his military would disobey. The other was sure Trump would simply fire any defiant officer and work down the chain of command until he found a lowly private who would do as ordered. The order in question? A nuclear strike on a peaceful ally.
And now there are Little Green Men in tactical gear with no identification or even insignia in Washington. Nobody knows who they are. They say they serve the Department of Justice. That’s not an actual police force. Does William Barr have his own SS now? Sure looks like it.
I’ve been called Mr. Cynical many times. Watching the violent reaction of police to peaceful protesters tells me I was not sufficiently so. Has anyone seen police arrest any actual looters? I’ve been watching very carefully and the authorities seem very motivated to assault peaceful protesters exercising their First Amendment rights.
Note to the Media: Don’t lose sight of why the protests are happening in favor of endless shots of the same fires and broken windows.
Also, don’t tell us some rioters were “roughed up” by police. They’re protesters, not rioters. It’s assault or maybe attempted murder. Too often, it becomes murder, remember? If I beat you, you wouldn’t say you got “roughed up.” You’d say you were attacked.
The few looters serve the false narrative that the protesters are the problem. I have seen several instances where protesters have deterred the looters. No credit for that, of course. I won’t even get into the actions of agent provocateurs and propaganda put out by a system we’re told to trust and respect.
I know several people who seem to think police can do no wrong. I don’t know how they can maintain that delusion in the face of so many sadistic videos of militarized police attacking people who are no threat who are merely asking for accountability. They’re asking for police to live up to the reputation they want pre-schoolers to believe.
Don’t tell me it’s a tough job. Being a minority is tougher and you can’t retire from being a visible minority.
Don’t tell me they’re “just following orders.” That’s some Nuremberg shit and you know it.
Don’t tell me I can’t criticize police actions because I’m not a cop. (Yup, I’ve heard that before.) Nobody has to be an expert to see that so much of what’s going on is wrong.
Don’t tell me being a cop is dangerous. First, nobody gets drafted into becoming a police officer. Second, there are quite a few jobs that are more dangerous. Being a taxi driver is more dangerous but we don’t put them above the law. You know who else is in more danger of dying of a gunshot wound in the United States than police? School children.
Accountability is a moral necessity. De-escalation, not escalation. Prosecution not persecution. Equitable sentences, not sentences based on race. Decriminalize poverty by funding social programs and provide true equal opportunity, educationally and economically. Stop turning wellness checks into death sentences. Prosecute people who make false reports to police on P.O.C. for the crime of being P.O.C.
But, Rob, it’s more complicated than that. No, not really. Systemic change could happen. These policies aren’t set by aliens on a distant planet. We did this, so we could change this. Police could be escorting peaceful protesters, join their marches, quit or leave them alone. At the very least, the authorities could be targeting looters instead of innocent citizens who dare to ask not to be killed.
But don’t take it from me.
Instead, listen to 8 Can’t Wait.
I posted the following on Facebook this morning. I’m posting it again here so I can look back and, I hope, call myself too cynical.
Reverend Al Sharpton delivered a powerful and inspiring eulogy for George Floyd. His words reminded me of the church I used to belong to. He ended with asking the gathering to stand in silence for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. To George Floyd, those 8 minutes and 46 seconds must have felt like hours.
Rev. Sharpton congratulated George Floyd on changing the world. His little daughter has said her father has changed the world. I shed tears over that. The world is not changed yet. I know, I know, early days. I want to believe things will change. I really do. But the racists aren’t ready to give an inch yet.
That’s always been their fallback position: They tell the oppressed to be patient. They say they want justice and change, but not yet.
*Never* yet.