----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Atherton" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Mpls List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2002 7:17 PM Subject: Re: [Mpls] Open Season
> Chris L Beckwith wrote: > > > In short, generalities about the > > police mean nothing unless a slew of background > > variable are taken into account. As usual, If > > "perception" is the question, "whose?" is the > > answer. Michael Atherton wrote in response: > True enough, since crime is correlated with poverty > and many Black Americans are poor, it is more likely > they will have greater contact with the police and > therefore have much different perceptions than an > upper class white banking executive. Does this > in turn imply that they should have greater impact > on police policies and administration? I would think > that a reasonable expectation. > Chris responds: That's a very interesting - and tough - question. Are you suggesting that the most critical perspectives are also the most valid? I'll certainly agree that in those segments of society where relations with the cops are most problematic, the most attention is required, but I don't agree - nor do I think you suggest - that such problems arise simply because cops conveniently fill the bill as the bad guys. That would be much too easy. The problem is that the loudest and most critical factions of the cops often use a rather broad brush to make their criticisms i.e: "Cops are all racist thugs." This sort of language, unfortunately, is less a criticsm and more a weapon. It is designed solely to attack and elicit hatred and anger against cops. It is not terribly productive, in fact, it probably does more to enmesh us in the very problems we are trying to extricate ourselves from. The question is: what sort of criticisms help cops do a better job making decisions? Hense, "reasonable expectations" must go both ways. The critics themselves also have a job of making better decisions. _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
