Editorials & Other Articles

ellenrr

(3,864 posts) Fri Dec 5, 2014, 06:19 PM Dec 2014

Matt Taibbi: The Police in America Are Becoming Illegitimate

great article;
excerpt
But the psychic impact of these (Broken Window) policies on the massive pool of everyone else in the target neighborhoods is a rising sense of being seriously pissed off. They're tired of being manhandled and searched once a week or more for riding bikes the wrong way down the sidewalk (about 25,000 summonses a year here in New York), smoking in the wrong spot, selling loosies, or just "obstructing pedestrian traffic," a.k.a. walking while black.

This policy of constantly badgering people for trifles generates bloodcurdling anger in "hot spot" neighborhoods with industrial efficiency. And then something like the Garner case happens and it all comes into relief. Six armed police officers tackling and killing a man for selling a 75-cent cigarette.

That was economic regulation turned lethal, a situation made all the more ridiculous by the fact that we no longer prosecute the countless serious economic crimes committed in this same city. A ferry ride away from Staten Island, on Wall Street, the pure unmolested freedom to fleece whoever you want is considered the sacred birthright of every rake with a briefcase.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-police-in-america-are-becoming-illegitimate-20141205#ixzz3L49Ir9VA

13 replies

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Highlight:

Matt Taibbi: The Police in America Are Becoming Illegitimate (Original Post) ellenrr Dec 2014 OP

Becoming? unrepentant progress Dec 2014 #1

yeah I had the same thot. He probably didn't write the title. ellenrr Dec 2014 #2

Now that you mention it unrepentant progress Dec 2014 #3

Good work by Taibbi, a bit more concise than his usual. enough Dec 2014 #4

As usual, he completely misses the point frazzled Dec 2014 #5

Race is a factor. But it's not *just* about race. thesquanderer Dec 2014 #7

Nice try frazzled Dec 2014 #9

Where do you get your 95 out of 100 figure from? thesquanderer Dec 2014 #10

Taibbi makes a good point, that all the injustice is especially galling dixiegrrrrl Dec 2014 #6

The way some people ride bikes in NYC LiberalElite Dec 2014 #8

BECOMING? Odin2005 Dec 2014 #11

"Becoming"? nt ladjf Dec 2014 #12

Thank you for posting this. woo me with science Dec 2014 #13

unrepentant progress

(611 posts)

1. Becoming?

Reply to ellenrr (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 06:24 PM

Dec 2014

ellenrr

(3,864 posts)

2. yeah I had the same thot. He probably didn't write the title.

Reply to unrepentant progress (Reply #1)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 06:35 PM

Dec 2014

unrepentant progress

(611 posts)

3. Now that you mention it

Reply to ellenrr (Reply #2)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 06:38 PM

Dec 2014

It does seem a little tame for Taibbi's style.

enough

(13,259 posts)

4. Good work by Taibbi, a bit more concise than his usual.

Reply to ellenrr (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 07:28 PM

Dec 2014

Not criticizing his usual work, just encouraging people to look at the whole article.

frazzled

(18,402 posts)

5. As usual, he completely misses the point

Reply to ellenrr (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 07:37 PM

Dec 2014

This is not about "the police badgering people for trifles," Matt. It's about race. But you don't really seem to care about race—or you would have known that policing in black communities or with respect to black people outside of their communities (ever hear of DWB?) has been devastatingly unjust for many decades.

So he reverts to his "credit default swaps vs. loosies" argument. Sadly, the issue is that selling credit default swaps wasn't strictly illegal. It's a problem of laws, not "police." Besides, that would be an SEC action, not one for policemen. And furthermore, this is not about you: it's about race.

I'll say it again: it's about race.

Write an article that tackles the issue of race.

thesquanderer

(11,990 posts)

7. Race is a factor. But it's not *just* about race.

Reply to frazzled (Reply #5)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 09:13 PM

Dec 2014

As other threads have indicated, non-blacks have been victims of this stuff, too. Presumably not as much nor in as many ways (especially in proportion to their total numbers), but this police contempt is not strictly a race thing.

For example, see the thread at http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025914695 and especially read the linked original article.

frazzled

(18,402 posts)

9. Nice try

Reply to thesquanderer (Reply #7)

Sat Dec 6, 2014, 01:25 AM

Dec 2014

We can always find a few examples to divert our attention from the main story. But sorry, it's about race. 95 times out of 100 it's about race.

thesquanderer

(11,990 posts)

10. Where do you get your 95 out of 100 figure from?

Reply to frazzled (Reply #9)

Sat Dec 6, 2014, 02:27 AM

Dec 2014

Sounds like an emotional response rather than a reasoned one, unless you have actual figures.

Did you read the article at the link? To the part where there were other examples? How about this post, which showed up just a few hours ago...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014958712

But we won't get anywhere going tragedy vs. tragedy. And again, I agree that there is a significant racial component! I just don't think it's the whole story. There have been plenty of nightmare cop stories, and the victim isn't always black.Remember not long ago, there was a lot of talk about cops sexually assaulting women? The bad cop mentality goes beyond racial boundaries. It ALL has to end.

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

6. Taibbi makes a good point, that all the injustice is especially galling

Reply to ellenrr (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 07:52 PM

Dec 2014

when there is so much lawlessness from down in this country.
Unless you video tape a police murder..THEN they pile "justice" on you.

LiberalElite

(14,691 posts)

8. The way some people ride bikes in NYC

Reply to ellenrr (Original post)

Fri Dec 5, 2014, 10:04 PM

Dec 2014

they're a menace. That being said, I bet no cops in the swanky so-called Silk Stocking District (Upper East Side, Manhattan) tickets the preppies for riding their 10 speeds the wrong way.