Thread by @bikemilitant

A thread of four observations from #UvaldePolice, but that apply in general.

1) The #1, deeply ingrained and trained priority of the police is to protect themselves and each other, not the public. 1/4

2) The massive amount of money and time spent on police militarization isn't just a waste, it's actively counterproductive. It turns them into 3rd rate soldiers with no clear command structure, all the worst traits of the military combined with the worst instincts of cops. 2/2

3) The police lie, they lie automatically and instinctively, and only hard pressure from the public and the media, backed up by physical evidence including video, will move them off their lies. Imagine the lies they get away with when there isn't a nation's attention on them? 3/3

4) America's police are terrified of the flood of guns in America. This terror effects every decision they make. We won't have effective policing until we have way, way fewer guns in private hands. #Uvalde #UvaldePolice #UvaldeMassacre