US Refuses to Seriously Tackle Police Brutality and Racism

[damnedifIknow]

"Half a Century and Nothing’s Changed"


The report released in early March by a panel President Obama appointed to examine serious shortcomings in police practices across America, including the shooting of unarmed people, mostly non-white, listed problems and proposed solutions that are hauntingly similar to those found in a report on police abuses released 47 years ago by another presidential panel.

The March 1968 report of the presidential panel popularly known as the Kerner Commission noted with dismay that many minorities nationwide regarded police as “an occupying force” – a presence that generated fear not feelings of security.

The March 2015 report from President Obama’s panel made a similar finding, noting that perceptions of police as an “occupying force coming in from the outside to rule and control the community” had sabotaged the ability of law enforcement to build trust in many communities."


*Sadly, the recommendations from President Obama’s panel could sink under the weight of the same forces that sank full implementation of the Kerner Commission proposals: systemic recalcitrance from all sectors of American society to reforms devised to remediate festering race-based inequities."


*Such opposition mounted by America’s national police union – the Fraternal Order of Police – early last year killed Obama’s nomination of a civil rights lawyer to head the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The national FOP in that case made it clear it resented any Justice Department monitoring of state and local police practices. Despite patterns of police misconduct that had led to what was at best only infrequent Justice Department monitoring, U.S. Senators – Republicans and Democrats – backed the national police union’s opposition to Obama’s nominee."


http://www.counterpunch.org/2015/03/18/us-refuses-to-seriously-tackle-police-brutality-and-racism/

[marym625]

1. so disheartening

Kick and recommended

[damnedifIknow]

2. President tries and do the right thing and.....

"Such opposition mounted by America’s national police union – the Fraternal Order of Police – early last year killed Obama’s nomination of a civil rights lawyer to head the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division."


The FOP needs an overhaul.

[marym625]

4. Big time! eom.

[atreides1]

3. Wonderful isn't it?

The police are the main opponents of any type of monitoring of their actions...which to me means that there are very few good cops...the vast majority of police forces are made up of bad cops and worse cops.

The heroic "good cop" is usually the one that is ostracized from the muck that permeates all police forces across the country...because the darkness cannot survive even a small light that may shine upon the festering evil that wears a badge!

[damnedifIknow]

5. Well said

So will it take another 47 years or longer to finally straighten this mess out? This is ridiculous.

[kath]

7. "The festering evil that wears a badge" - ya got that right.

[kath]

6. FUCK the FOP.

With a rusty fork. sideways.