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Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz
The "Thin Blue Line" flag really bothers me sometimes.
Is the message they really want to portray that the only thing keeping people safe from the total breakdown of society is the police?
Doesn't that imply that people are inherently bad and need authority to keep them in line?
I'm probably reading into it a bit too much, but if that's the mentality, it's no wonder the police are killing so many people and treating the general public, and POC disproportionately so, as the enemy.
It's not a thin blue line, it's a big fat social contract. Yes, part of which is law enforcement. But if your mandate is to prevent and reduce violence, your then violence should be your last resort.
A guy is running away? Let him run! Stop shooting people who aren't a immediate threat!
Yes we ask a lot of police, it is a difficult high stress job. But the easiest part of their job should be not shooting people. In too many places (particularly parts of the US) they are being taught that it's all life or death, and they are better to shoot first than to take a risk. To me this is backwards. If given a choice between letting someone flee, and shooting that person the right answer is almost always going to be let them go. Better that than continuing to kill so many people.
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Put the heroism back into policing. They all want to be heroes anyways. Take away their guns, make them experts in crisis resolution. Have one or two elite squads per major city that can be specifically called to gun requiring situations, which hopefully there are few of.