On Wednesday, October 29, 2003, at 01:07 PM, Dennis Plante wrote:
My immediate neighbors and myself have had FIVE stolen/semi-chopped cars removed from our street corner in the last six weeks, I have witnessed re-supply drops
[...]
How empathetic am I to cries of police brutality? Not very.... I live in a zoo, the police are the keepers...
It sounds to me like you are arguing that the presence of crime categorically justifies police brutality. I disagree. The presence of crime in a city does not give it's police force the right to brutalize it's citizens. Every person should be guaranteed ethical treatment by the police, wether you live in a affluent neighborhood, a crime ridden one, or even if you have a prior conviction.
As Mark Snyder said:
even previously-convicted criminals have the right not to get the crap beat out of them by the cops if they're not resisting arrest.
I have no doubt that policing a high-crime area is difficult, stressful and dangerous. I can even understand that police may occasionally make a mistake and harm someone they shouldn't have, or use more force than was necessary. We need to strive to eliminate even infrequent mistakes, but maintain compassion if an honest mistake is made. I do however see a problem when there is frequent, systematic, or clearly gratuitous over-application of force resulting in harm.
I am not saying that criminals should be treated with kid gloves. Nor am I saying that people (past criminals or otherwise) should be able to raise false allegations of police brutality without suffering consequences.
The most reasonable stance, in my opinion, is this: false accusations of brutality are just as wrong as denying even the possibility of brutality. An accusation is only an accusation unless actual wrongdoing is found. Likewise, denying the possibility of brutality robs people of the right to be free from abuse, by giving them no recourse if it happens.
I would argue that police brutality contributes to the danger in a high-crime environment described by Dennis Plante by incubating negative feelings toward and lack of respect for the police.
Terrence Asselin Kingfield
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