As an elderly white woman, the police murder of Tamir Rice without consequence permanently altered my perspective on policing. I am outraged and ashamed of the way non-white citizens are frequently treated by police. 💔
Good article. I see the crack in the blue wall/line good but a hairline crack. Living in Pittsburgh, our police are not as abusive as they are in other cities but many problems exist. I do lots of volunteer work and hear many stories from people of color. A number of my clients have psychological problems and when they are in what is a minor situation, the police are often totally inadequate to handle what someone with a psychological degree could and would handle to a better and positive end. Some of my fellow Dems made a major mistake jumping on the "Defund the Police" band wagon. It should be labeled "Rebuild the Police."
I was a little heartened to read that the unit involved in the killing of Ronald Greene is being investigated for patterns of racial abuse. That is not nothing. From AP Jim Mustian in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
I hope and pray that things will continue to change for the better. A little progress is better than none at all. Thank you as always Ari, for a job well done!
My son asked me what stats were on unarmed white men being abused/killed by police. Here in Portland we have several recent cases of Black men killed by police, but also white people. Especially some with mental health issues, acting out on the street but not hurting anyone.
Every life is a precious gift from God. Thank you for reminding us not to become complacent.
its the American way, to walk away from uncomfortable truths. The current DOJ is doing that very thing now as we sit and wait for action, none is put forth, that is even remotely visible. And congress wonders why we Democrats become apathetic towards the ruling class. its all hell fire and brimstone until the event has passed with a modicum of attention. then its business as usual. it is disheartening to me to explain how this works. my grandchildren think this politic thing is a waste of time because they see how ineffective it all is.
I hope DOJ will start entering into Consent Agreements with police forces and I hope the Crime and Policing Bill being negotiated in the Senate has substance and is enacted but the precedent for successful bipartisan votes this term is not encouraging so, when the dust settles, the best solution is to elect Democrats, federally and locally, who will at least recognize there's a problem to be solved in these numbers.
Yes. Each time these horrible killings happen is different in that our collective consciousness is moving forward. (We don't burn nearly as many people at the stake as we once did.) But Dylan's still asking us "How many?" We tend to think that history has culminated in the present & now it is set. But we're in the midst of our evolution. I believe these beautiful victims are martyrs for justice. Things are getting better because our moral outrage is soon to hit a critical mass. Without hope, all action would be futile.
Justice turns as rivers bend. History breaks but does not end.
The cosmos sings a moral song. Martin's Arc is still too long.
I think this is well researched and a good presentation of facts. I feel it's worth a discussion on the origins of policing and why police experience in America are vastly different for White people versus non White people. You asked in your last post, how do we get change from our racist roots and I feel that learning and acknowledgement are key to at least a start. But when you have lawmakers opposing even the teaching of Critical Race Theory, my question is how do we even get to the start?
When it comes to Black Lives Matter and the decline in support, I am curious as to why? Is it that we lack the ability to focus our attention to something long term? Was it because the pandemic slowed things down for us, so everyone paid attention? Is Black Lives Matter seen as more of a moment (trendy) rather than a movement to many who do not live the experience of Black people?
While the crack in the Chauvin case gives me hope that there are other police officers who will be brave to speak up and testify, I still believe most officers will not speak up when another officer violates the law during a stop or during an arrest. Police need a voluntary and confidential national computer system to report violations. Aviation has ASRS (Aviation Safety Reporting System). Likewise, healthcare has several anonymous avenues to report medical errors such as
The Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare and the ISMP (Institute for Safe Medication Practice). Ultimately, the analysis of thousands of reports drove not just technical changes, but also identified and drove, much needed changes in organizational leadership and culture. Thanks so much for your EXCELLENT newsletter. Looking forward to your next one this week.
As long as GOP Congress and Senate have a hold over Dems. nothing will change. “No one is above the law” are just words. George Floyd case is an outlier. Without a clear Democrats majority in 2022, I fear a much needed “change” will not happen.
I just watched Ben and Jerry on your MSNBC show, Ari. I’m now having ice cream fantasies.
Here’s my hands down favorite…an all time favorite. If my mom were still alive…when I was a kid and my folks and I were at a restaurant, when asked if she’d like dessert Mom would without fail ask, “Do you have spumoni?”…she’d have a freezer packed with this stuff: Brothers Spumoni.
Oh my God!
Trust me, you’ll need a cigarette and a nap after tasting this extraordinary spumoni. It’s THAT good.
the officers take an oath, they should be reminded about it, they are not to use force against humanity, unless their lives are at risk, they should protect humanity in every possible way, because this will strengthen the nation, perhaps they chose the wrong profession, and should rather join the army:)
I get so much good, enlightening, rich, thoughtful, insightful, researched mail in my inbox -- and so little time to read. But the tone of this post brought me right in and I stayed. Bravo. For giving us words we need to hear in a tone that helps us hear them.
As an elderly white woman, the police murder of Tamir Rice without consequence permanently altered my perspective on policing. I am outraged and ashamed of the way non-white citizens are frequently treated by police. 💔
Good article. I see the crack in the blue wall/line good but a hairline crack. Living in Pittsburgh, our police are not as abusive as they are in other cities but many problems exist. I do lots of volunteer work and hear many stories from people of color. A number of my clients have psychological problems and when they are in what is a minor situation, the police are often totally inadequate to handle what someone with a psychological degree could and would handle to a better and positive end. Some of my fellow Dems made a major mistake jumping on the "Defund the Police" band wagon. It should be labeled "Rebuild the Police."
I was a little heartened to read that the unit involved in the killing of Ronald Greene is being investigated for patterns of racial abuse. That is not nothing. From AP Jim Mustian in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
I hope and pray that things will continue to change for the better. A little progress is better than none at all. Thank you as always Ari, for a job well done!
My son asked me what stats were on unarmed white men being abused/killed by police. Here in Portland we have several recent cases of Black men killed by police, but also white people. Especially some with mental health issues, acting out on the street but not hurting anyone.
Every life is a precious gift from God. Thank you for reminding us not to become complacent.
its the American way, to walk away from uncomfortable truths. The current DOJ is doing that very thing now as we sit and wait for action, none is put forth, that is even remotely visible. And congress wonders why we Democrats become apathetic towards the ruling class. its all hell fire and brimstone until the event has passed with a modicum of attention. then its business as usual. it is disheartening to me to explain how this works. my grandchildren think this politic thing is a waste of time because they see how ineffective it all is.
I hope DOJ will start entering into Consent Agreements with police forces and I hope the Crime and Policing Bill being negotiated in the Senate has substance and is enacted but the precedent for successful bipartisan votes this term is not encouraging so, when the dust settles, the best solution is to elect Democrats, federally and locally, who will at least recognize there's a problem to be solved in these numbers.
Yes. Each time these horrible killings happen is different in that our collective consciousness is moving forward. (We don't burn nearly as many people at the stake as we once did.) But Dylan's still asking us "How many?" We tend to think that history has culminated in the present & now it is set. But we're in the midst of our evolution. I believe these beautiful victims are martyrs for justice. Things are getting better because our moral outrage is soon to hit a critical mass. Without hope, all action would be futile.
Justice turns as rivers bend. History breaks but does not end.
The cosmos sings a moral song. Martin's Arc is still too long.
I think this is well researched and a good presentation of facts. I feel it's worth a discussion on the origins of policing and why police experience in America are vastly different for White people versus non White people. You asked in your last post, how do we get change from our racist roots and I feel that learning and acknowledgement are key to at least a start. But when you have lawmakers opposing even the teaching of Critical Race Theory, my question is how do we even get to the start?
When it comes to Black Lives Matter and the decline in support, I am curious as to why? Is it that we lack the ability to focus our attention to something long term? Was it because the pandemic slowed things down for us, so everyone paid attention? Is Black Lives Matter seen as more of a moment (trendy) rather than a movement to many who do not live the experience of Black people?
While the crack in the Chauvin case gives me hope that there are other police officers who will be brave to speak up and testify, I still believe most officers will not speak up when another officer violates the law during a stop or during an arrest. Police need a voluntary and confidential national computer system to report violations. Aviation has ASRS (Aviation Safety Reporting System). Likewise, healthcare has several anonymous avenues to report medical errors such as
The Joint Commission on Accreditation for Healthcare and the ISMP (Institute for Safe Medication Practice). Ultimately, the analysis of thousands of reports drove not just technical changes, but also identified and drove, much needed changes in organizational leadership and culture. Thanks so much for your EXCELLENT newsletter. Looking forward to your next one this week.
We need to be consistent and determine on fighting for change. A little progress is good it it’s not enough.
As long as GOP Congress and Senate have a hold over Dems. nothing will change. “No one is above the law” are just words. George Floyd case is an outlier. Without a clear Democrats majority in 2022, I fear a much needed “change” will not happen.
I just watched Ben and Jerry on your MSNBC show, Ari. I’m now having ice cream fantasies.
Here’s my hands down favorite…an all time favorite. If my mom were still alive…when I was a kid and my folks and I were at a restaurant, when asked if she’d like dessert Mom would without fail ask, “Do you have spumoni?”…she’d have a freezer packed with this stuff: Brothers Spumoni.
Oh my God!
Trust me, you’ll need a cigarette and a nap after tasting this extraordinary spumoni. It’s THAT good.
You’re welcome!
the officers take an oath, they should be reminded about it, they are not to use force against humanity, unless their lives are at risk, they should protect humanity in every possible way, because this will strengthen the nation, perhaps they chose the wrong profession, and should rather join the army:)
It needs to be said!
I get so much good, enlightening, rich, thoughtful, insightful, researched mail in my inbox -- and so little time to read. But the tone of this post brought me right in and I stayed. Bravo. For giving us words we need to hear in a tone that helps us hear them.