Warren v. DC: “Police have no obligation to protect people.”
Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales: “Police have no obligation to enforce the law.”
Heien v. North Carolina: “Police have no obligation to know the law.”
They have no legal obligation to be useful, let’s put it that way.
There are cops and departments which take an active and sincere interest in community policing and social justice… but power tends to corrupt, and the almost complete lack of obligation or oversight combined with the weird hero-worship of the right-wing means most cops and departments are not interested in anything except the perpetuation of their own power.
Who the fuck thanks cops for their service? Is this some kind of American thing??
Some Americans worship cops as a part of their political identity. They’re the “Free-thinkers” that all seem to act identically and get their opinions handed down to them from US Reich wing media and internet personalities.
One thing about this post though is that the police DO protect and serve, it’s just who they’re protecting and serving (hint: it’s the wealthy and their businesses)
I highly recommend the six part mini series Robert Evans did called “Behind the Police” as a subset of his “Behind the Bastards” podcast.
I recommend A Tradition of Violence about the LA police gangs. Behind the police was…insightful
A lot of coffee/donut/pastry shops offer “service discounts” to cops, firefighters, and paramedics. It really took off after 9/11.
My so is a paramedic. They deserve it. Terrible working conditions. General shitty pay versus their responsibilities. City crews are overworked. Most calls are unnecessary. Police shove off any psych emergency calls to them. In the same sketchy situations as police and firefighters. Firefighters get all the glory and general do nothing compared to paramedics and the ambulance crew. Firefighters just act as first responders. So would work 12 hours and do nearly dozen calls… Creating overtime… in the truck for all those hours. Just my opinion.
My father is a long-time firefighter in a major city and this comment reads like you have no idea what firefighters actually do if you think they “do nothing compared to paramedics and the ambulance crew”. They’re two sides of the same coin and both of them are vital to rescue operations, but firefighters aren’t just some dudes who roll up and pour a bucket of water on a campfire and drive away. They’re EMTs, too, and often participate in casualty care when paramedics are busy or otherwise not on scene. Do nothing, my ass.
Fun fact: contrary to popular belief, the United States of America is not the only country on earth, and it’s laws don’t apply to the other 195 UN member states and other unrecognized states and territories.
I’m not saying cops outside of the USA aren’t bastards, but this isn’t an argument against cops, more against the US government
My first thought was r/USDefaultism. I wonder if there’s a community here with the same premise?
Edit: There is now. https://lemmy.world/c/usdefaultism
Hi there! Looks like you linked to a Lemmy community using an URL instead of its name, which doesn’t work well for people on different instances. Try fixing it like this: !usdefaultism@lemmy.world
Did whoever that made this forget George Floyd?
There’s thousands of George Floyd’s, very few that see a conviction though.
There’s a very good reason to thank them though. They’re more likely to leave you alone if they think you respect their authority.
Then you can get away with all sorts of stuff while their backs are turned.
Say “Keep up the good work!”. Think ACAB.
