Quote from hapaboy:
I ask again: Are you basing all of this on personal experience or what you see and read. Based on your video comment above, it sounds like you're basing most of this on YouTube videos and the like.
In the past couple of years in my neighborhood I have seen three cases of cops chasing car thieves. After crashing the cars, the thieves got out on foot and gave the cops a hell of a run for their money through the neighborhood. But they were run down and caught.
Also, when I had issues with noisy neighbors last year (blasting rap and swearing at 4 AM), the cops that responded were all professional and got the problem resolved. I actually felt bad to have to call them on a lousy disturbing the peace call when I knew they had better things to do, but they were very cool and said they would do the same thing if they were in my shoes.
You've had 4 (four) personal encounters with Cops.
There are **hundreds** of reports of police brutality, zealous tazering, laying of false charges, pure bully tactics that come out every year.
How much more go totally unreported? Easily several times that.
So I ask you, which is a more logical bell weather of police culture? Your four experiences? Or the hundreds of reports on TV/Newspapers/Internet?
My personal experience has been checkered. As a young man, not so long ago, I was routinely pulled over in my native Canada for doing nothing other than being a young male, driving a car. Police can do that here. Often they would rudely demand to know what where and why I was driving to my girlfriends, the grocery store or some other mundane, everyday destination we all visit in the course of our very legal travels. Often, I would get "cocky" (by their standards) and ask why I was pulled over. Boy, they didn't that! The three times I questioned the Gods, they yelled and screamed and acted all indignant as if they were somehow doing me a favor. How silly of me.
I've had cops lecture me and get pissed for not wearing a seatbelt. Had a young punk cop (lots here in my neck of the woods), pull me over and tell me drivers can't turn left after an advanced green that isn't a separate left turn signal. Told him I'd take him to court. But according to him, I got off 'lucky' cause he had to respond to another call...
I've seen and dealt with polite, even "cool" cops when on the street, the odd time I made a complaint or just saying hello.
They're a mixed bag.
The point is that if you take any Cop, by himself, and have a beer, most will be cool. Although there is a much higher % of psychopaths in Law Enforcement than pedestrian jobs.
But when you throw a Cop into a corrupt CULTURE that promotes bullying, spying, intimidation and strong arm tactics against citizens, guess what?
That cool dude you just had a beer with is gonna push you around or tazr your ass silly to keep his job and his colleagues 'respect'.
Its not cool anymore to respect citizens and defend the constitution.
It is cool to lay vicious beatdowns on citizens and empty 5 clips into motionless bodies that haven't done nothing to nobody.
Its a culture of intimidation and fear. Don't question the GODS BOY!@
