THREAD: like thousands of glossy reports before it, new report finds that LAPD "mishandled" BLM protests. if i went around illegally beating, shooting, kidnapping, and caging my political opponents, would the NYT say i "mishandled" it? (1) nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/…
every few weeks, these journalists report on new reports finding systemic corruption and brutality in **every major US police force** and then they quote **very serious** police chiefs saying that "mistakes were made." then something dangerous happens... (2)
the reporters, unable to draw any connections and with no context/analysis about the history/function of US police, spend the article talking about lack of "preparation" and "training" and the need for more resources for cops. (3)
the reason that every credible report on police response to protests about race and poverty since 1900 has found systemic corruption isn't because the police aren't prepared. brutally squelching these movements is **exactly what police prepare for.** (4)
this article cites recent reports from Dallas, NY, Chicago, Phildelphia... finding massive human rights violations and calls it "botched." do you think 100+ years of brutal response to such protests means cops aren't "botching" it but doing exactly what they do? (5)
these journalists may not realize it, but by framing their stories this way and giving no space to critical analysis, they are serving the most important racist propaganda function for the police. stop publishing this stuff with no critical voice. (6) slate.com/news-and-polit…
the role of cop-journalism is to limit the scope of what we think possible. to narrow the overton window. to trap people in a cycle of racist violence and laughable "reforms" that misdiagnose the problem and consign millions more people to pain, family separation, and death. (7)
if you're going to cover police, you should at least read about and think genuinely about the history and current function of US police. start with the books Our Enemies in Blue (you can read it free online), Are Prisons Obsolete, and The End of Policing. Use what's in them. (8)
Would love to engage with you all. Your reporting has to be so much better--so many people's lives depend on you understanding the issues you cover and covering them objectively--let's talk about it. @NickAtNews @jeligon @NYT_Wright (end)
more great points about these ideas by Shakeer:
https://twitter.com/sh4keer/status/1370425167923474432
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