Thread by @dammjohnny

To make “I’m a Cop,” I spent over two years reading every statement I could find from U.S. police union leaders--reading transcripts of press conferences, Twitter accounts, and Facebook posts. Here’s some of what I found. A 🧵.

1) The police want us to be afraid. This justifies their existence and excuses their violence.

The text in this comic is from the Twitter account of the New York City Sergeants Benevolent Association.

@crimemann characterizes this really well in his book The Horror of Police. Police union leaders characterize vast segments of the U.S. public as "monsters." The police, in this scenario, are the "monster killers."

Text from a tweet by the National Fraternal Order of Police.

Jamie McBride, the Director of the Los Angeles Police Protective League, regularly characterizes LA as a whole city of monsters. In interviews with right wing media outlets, he has compared the city to horror film The Purge and to zombie television show The Walking Dead.

Jamie McBride: "[Los Angeles] is like that movie Purge. Instead of 24 hours to commit your crime, the bad people have 365 days to commit whatever they want." He told Fox viewers to not visit LA for the Super Bowl, because "We cannot guarantee your safety."

He loved that line about The Purge so much that he repeated it in several interviews, and then attempted another version using The Walking Dead: "If they... drive into Hollywood, they probably think they stumbled onto the set of The Walking Dead. Literally."

By way of response, I'll again share this comic I made using a line from Travis Linnemann's The Horror of Police.

2) In examining the statements made by U.S. police union leaders, I also noticed that leaders repeatedly claimed that the POLICE ARE THE REAL VICTIMS OF DISCRIMINATION, that they are the marginalized group under attack.

Text by Mike O'Meara, President of the NYC PBA.

In making this claim of police victimization, police union leaders explicitly co-opt the language of protestors. Except they flip the message, arguing that police are the victims and protestors are the victimizers.

Here's Jamie McBride again, suggesting BLM is a "hate group."

As with McBride's suggestion that cops need to be protected from hate groups, police union leaders at times appear to characterize all police officers as almost members of their own race, one being discriminated against...

Text by Vince Champion, Regional Director of the IBPO.

And here's Jeff Piedmonte, president of the Syracuse PBA, also emphasizing this victimization.

I'll conclude this point with a particularly chilling example of a police union leader co-opting the language of protest. This is Patrick Lynch, president of the NYC PBA, speaking to the Republican National Convention.

3) Most obviously, police unions argue that police need unchecked power, and no amount of funding can ever be enough. Police unions orchestrated a campaign against "Defund," one largely adopted by the media and Democrats.

Text by Shaun Willoughby, president of Albuquerque PBA.

John McNesby, president of the Philadelphia FOP puts this more succinctly: "cops need to be cops."

4) Lastly, I'd say that what I most clearly found in my study of the statements by police union leaders is that the police themselves recognize that policing in the U.S. can't be "reformed." Repeatedly union leaders emphasize the fundamental "nature" of police.

Text by Bob Kroll

John Catanzara, president of the Chicago FOP, also alludes to this "nature"...

And Catanzara makes it clear that the police, as monster killers, can't ever be constrained by "departmental policy" or other governance.

Catanzara puts it most clearly here: "[Police] don't want to," and won't be, "forced to do anything. Period."

I'll finish on that note. Thanks to anyone who has kept reading! If you're interested in the complete "I'm a Cop," the comic book is available now: johnny-damm.square.site

Thanks to everyone for the amazing reception to this thread and to “I’m a Cop.” Over 600 copies sold in the first 24 hours! Hundreds more since. I’m overwhelmed in the best possible way. A couple quick notes regarding questions I’ve received about the comic…

International shipping: I can’t do international shipping at the moment (and it’s expensive), but if you email me at [e-mail] I can add you to the list for when I open to international orders. And I’ll send you a free PDF to hopefully tide you over.

Free copies for abolitionist organizations: if you’re an abolitionist organization or run an abolitionist library and think “I’m a Cop” might be useful to you, I’d be happy to send you copies. Email [e-mail] with your details.

Wholesale for comic shops and book stores: yes, I offer wholesale and would love to be in your shop. Email [e-mail], and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Finally, if you are waiting for a comic or a response, please have patience with me. I’m one person with a full time job. So expect some delays. Y’all are amazing, and I’m incredibly grateful for the response.