Why Why the People of Ferguson Don't Trust the Cops

[donquixote99]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Respectfully, some neighborhoods are "enemy territory." (There's really no getting around that.) The social question is how much perceived lack of freedom can be allowed to promote safety before it is determined to be Draconian.

Part of this is made difficult by John Q. Public. Why? When Barney Fife asked the Barber, "What are you doing up and about so early this morning, Ralph?," he didn't get "Fuck you, pig."

Something changed.

Folks can say it's military-style police but it happened long before that.

Barney Fife also had no bullets in his gun.

I mentioned no routine carry of firearms by all police early on as an idea to consider, as a game changer.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by donquixote99

Barney Fife also had no bullets in his gun.

I mentioned no no routine carry of firearms by all police early on as an idea to consider, as a game changer.

He had a bullet, in his pocket. The power to take a life was there.

As for no routine carry of firearms in general police work? That makes you a Codes Enforcement Officer. There's nothing wrong with that, if by "game changer" you're looking for police that nobody respects, listens to, criminals don't fear and who possess no ability to effectively respond to life threatening situations.

I just don't think it can work.

[donquixote99]

Barney didn't always get to carry the bullet.

In any case, that suggests a middle approach--perhaps a patrol officer with a firearm locked in the car.

[icenine]

As NBC pointed out there was 40 percent increase in revenue gained from fines in Ferguson between 2010 and now. So the police must have increased their "velvet glove" pressure of local enforcement quite a bit recently. An increase in that amount of revenue must have been noticable by the people who live there.

Sadly a UK style of police involvement is impossible here because of the Second Amendment and the saturation of weapons among the entire civilian population.

[piece-itpete]

Precious few cops would seriously consider going into the hood without a gun. I do not blame them. There are violent people out there who belong in jail, and some aren't.

There is a culture of violence in some of these neighborhoods. While it appears Ferguson cops may have had something coming, many police forces do not, and there's still bad people doing bad things in them. There is no magic thing that will make all people nice.

Pete

[bobabode]

Originally Posted by icenine

As NBC pointed out there was 40 percent increase in revenue gained from fines in Ferguson between 2010 and now. So the police must have increased their "velvet glove" pressure of local enforcement quite a bit recently. An increase in that amount of revenue must have been noticable by the people who live there.

Sadly a UK style of police involvement is impossible here because of the Second Amendment and the saturation of weapons among the entire civilian population.

Australia fixed their problem with an overarmed populace, why can't we do the same? We're, by god, number one!

[nailer]

Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.

Take me out to the black
Tell them I ain't comin' back
Burn the land and boil the sea
You can't take the sky from me.

Leave the men where they lay
They'll never see another day
Lost my soul, lost my dream
You can't take the sky from me.

I feel the black reaching out
I hear its song without a doubt
I still hear and I still see
That you can't take the sky from me.

Lost my love, lost my land
Lost the last place I could stand
There's no place I can be
Since I've found Serenity

[icenine]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

Precious few cops would seriously consider going into the hood without a gun. I do not blame them. There are violent people out there who belong in jail, and some aren't.

There is a culture of violence in some of these neighborhoods. While it appears Ferguson cops may have had something coming, many police forces do not, and there's still bad people doing bad things in them. There is no magic thing that will make all people nice.

Pete

With the recent Open Carry legislation abounding nationwide with Wayne Lapierre leading the charge I would posit the culture of violence is not restricted to just "some neighborhoods."

[MrPots]

Is it a culture of violence or a culture of fear mongering?

Are we really that unsafe.. or are lots of people simply profiting from telling us we're that unsafe.

Is it all just a dangerous illusion?

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by MrPots

Is it a culture of violence or a culture of fear mongering?

Are we really that unsafe.. or are lots of people simply profiting from telling us we're that unsafe.

Is it all just a dangerous illusion?

Either way, it is an illusion that a handgun will make you more safe in society.