The problem isn't the police. The problem is crime. If it wasn't for crime, you wouldn't even need any damned police. The police aren't just going around looking for people to beat up or kill. They aren't looking to place their own lives in danger when they get up and go to work each day. And the great majority of the crimes in this country are being committed by repeat, habitual offenders who have no respect for the society in which they live. It's time to stop making alibis for them and rationalizing their behavior.
What percentage of court cases today involve repeat offenders? 80%? 90%? More than 90%?
While I agree with that to an extent, you can't gloss over the disconnect between the badge and the community, especially the black community.
You and I were probably taught growing up that you had nothing to fear from the police unless you'd done something wrong. Unfortunately, that's not the experience of a significant section of our society. Disproportionate stopping, stop and frisk policies, etc. fuel distrust that compounds the historically racist policies of our nation.
I do not think cops are the bad guy, or even really the problem in and of themselves, but there are several key issues that need to be addressed:
1) Our cultural racial bias - this is the hardest to fix, but starts with efforts to build bridges between the cops and community and foster communication (and yes, I realized this is idealistic and has no short term fix and honestly, prospects look dim for long term solutions). While no one rationally thinks that Wilson is a closeted Klan member who was out to get black people, racial bias certainly comes into play when situations like this are escalated to the point of deadly force. We need to understand that the Civil Rights Amendment didn't end discrimination and disparity - the problem is in each of us. During the heightened focus on children being left in cars, I read an article basically saying, "if you can lose your keys, you're capable of forgetting your kid in a car." The same is true here. If you've ever felt uncomfortable around someone of a different race, or been a little on edge because your driving/walking through "that neighborhood" in your town, then in the quick decision, tense situation like the altercation between Brown and Wilson, you might make the same decision he did based on ingrained racial bias. This doesn't excuse it (in either case, here or leaving a baby in a car), but it shows the deep seated biases we have as a country.
2) Lack of accountability/oversight of the police. Weapons discharges should not be handled internally, similar to the WI law recently passed. Surveillance in the form of dashboard cams/POV recorders should be phased in to provide accountability and clarity when situations such as this happen.
The militarization of our police force just exacerbates these problems because greater force is at the ready to use in these situations.
