um
“those” bad people
Did I ever tell you about the time that I corrected a cop in front of the 6-year-old? The officer was telling the kid what his job is, and he said “we catch bad guys.” And I said, “oh, he knows that bad guys aren’t real. You arrest people who may have done bad things.”
cop: well sometimes they’re bad guys
me: any of us can choose to do bad things or choose to do good things. who we are isn’t static, and mistakes only define us when we refuse to change
kid: that’s why good and bad guys are just in movies because in real life everyone is both
me: any of us can choose to do bad things or choose to do good things. who we are isn’t static, and mistakes only define us when we refuse to change
kid: that’s why good and bad guys are just in movies because in real life everyone is both
I understand the impulse to present the world as black and white to children. It helps them make sense of the chaos.
But grown-ass men should know better.
But grown-ass men should know better.
The kid learned about good guys and bad guys when he was five and told me that he wanted to be a cop because their job is to shoot the bad guys.
We had an immediate come to jesus about the job description of police officers.
We have police to keep us safe, sometimes even from ourselves. We have police to enforce laws- laws that are meant to keep us safe. And we have police to support our communities- to keep the peace.
We have police to keep us safe, sometimes even from ourselves. We have police to enforce laws- laws that are meant to keep us safe. And we have police to support our communities- to keep the peace.
It seems simple, but there’s a fundamental and pervasive misunderstanding of the role of police officers in this country.
Which is weird, because in LA, it’s right there on the goddamned car.
Which is weird, because in LA, it’s right there on the goddamned car.
We don’t have police to determine guilt. That’s what juries are for.
We don’t have police to determine consequences for criminal conduct. That’s what judges are for.
We don’t have police to write tickets so we can fund necessary public services. That’s what taxes are for.
We don’t have police to determine consequences for criminal conduct. That’s what judges are for.
We don’t have police to write tickets so we can fund necessary public services. That’s what taxes are for.
And we sure as hell don’t have police to spy on us, or to “keep people in line.” That’s what authoritarian regimes are for, and we don’t fuck with that.
Protect and serve. And if you can’t summon the humility for the second part, you’re absolutely gonna fuck up the first.
Protect and serve. And if you can’t summon the humility for the second part, you’re absolutely gonna fuck up the first.
Being a police officer is incredibly difficult, and unfortunately dangerous.
And if you aren’t gonna try to do it right, we’re probably better off with you finding a different career path.
And if you aren’t gonna try to do it right, we’re probably better off with you finding a different career path.
