Just in case you are wondering, I am not a cop hater nor am I campaigning against police. This is a campaign against officers who intentionally destroy lives and those who protect them (i.e. City Attorney, Internal Affairs, their superiors...) NPR's "This American Life" tells the story of Adrian Schoolcraft, a NY officer who refused to work unethically and the consequences for that decision:
Adrian Schoolcraft's story starts at about 17 minutes on the above audio clip. Adrian Schoolcraft recorded the police department telling officers to basically make-up crime to "pay the rent," if not, they would be moved to less desirable departments. This is why America believes that certain populations commit most of the crime because the game is rigged; the statistics are rigged. Lives are intentionally being destroyed under the guise of justice and no one is listening; America's dirty little secret. We look down on other nations for depriving citizens of their natural rights but we do the same thing.
Police have become America's homegrown terrorist. I fear the police, not the public.
The people are not the only victims; it is the classic game of pitting one group against another. Police officers are victims of this game also. The police are supposed to be with us not against us. There are many officers who are disgusted by these behaviors. At about 40:00, Adrian talks about his experience with going to Internal Affairs. Internal Affairs did not help him, they made the situation worst. They notified his superiors of his complaint and his situation got worst. They eventually put a "psych" tag on him. He was afraid they would shoot him and claim he had psychiatric issues to cover it up.
We have to support these type of officers who go against the grain. I just want to take the time to say thank you to Adrian Schoolcraft and others in his situation. This is not the way things are suppose to happen.
The police department protects "bad" (which is a subjective word because the department thinks they are good) officers because they created them. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
"For if you suffer your people to be ill-educated, and their manners to be corrupted from their infancy, and then punish them for those crimes to which their first education disposed them, what else is to be concluded from this, but that you first make thieves and then punish them."
Sir Thomas Moore
Utopia
I have not only had bad experiences with police. I have encountered other officers in California who were/appeared to be genuine. This is not about police; it is about the law and people who act unethically.
Bad officers make it bad for all police officers. I have become just a nasty person after these experiences. A few months ago, I was sitting in my car with the heat on slouched back in my seat. An officer approached my car and asked was everything alright, I snidely told him that I was enjoying my 4th amendment rights and I felt badly after because he was "doing his job" and did not deserve my nasty tone. He then explained that he thought my car was stolen and was left abandoned because he did not see a driver. He wished me a good day and left.
There was another time when I was sitting in my car listening to the radio and eating, when an officer blocked in my car. He immediately apologized. He said he got a call about a drunken man harassing people in the restaurant. He then asked me if I needed anything and went about his business. I am not complaining about those officers. I appreciate the way he apologized and treated me like a human, he was very respectful.
Please be mindful that you may one day have to face the monster you created, the Frankenstein effect. We are all connected in ways beyond comprehension. Please be more responsible with your actions and treat everyone like you would want your most prized possession to be handled.
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