Mastodawn

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

It's extraordinary how brutal police are willing to be, the lengths to which they are willing to go, the solidarity they are willing to show, in order to deliver to Black U.S. citizens—the protection of whom is their ostensible jobs—the clear message, "we are at war with you."

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

Even more extraordinary how patient Black citizens have been, staying so peaceful, despite having been given the message "we are at war with you."

Even more extraordinary how aggrieved police & those who align w/them are, when citizens finally agree "yes, you are at war with us"

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

I'm told that the most important thing in the wake of this latest in an unbroken string of brutal state sponsored murders of citizens by police is that the situation does not become violent.

It's a telling response to a string of brutal state-sponsored murders of citizens by police.

Specifically, it's telling that some people see violence as their exclusive property, and that they consider the police to be institutionally entrusted with its proper administration.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

To say "the situation must not become violent" is to suggest that an endless string of state-sponsored murders of citizens by police does not represent a violent situation; that the application of violence so far has been appropriate, or at least undisruptive to the normal order.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

Police exist, ostensibly, to keep the peace, but they have scorn for peace. It's those the police wage war upon who believe in peace.

The peace won't be broken by protesters this week. It's been broken all along. Protest simply breaks it in ways comfortable people can't ignore.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆

If a protest becomes violent, that is the failure of our ostensible peacekeepers. If police are unable to meet riot with any means beyond violence, that is a double failure. If they never even make the attempt, that is utter failure.

Every riot is a police riot.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

Policing is a failed institution, if what you want is an institution that keeps peace.

Police behave and talk and carry themselves in society exactly as if they think they were hired to wage war, not keep peace.

Who hired them? We did. I did.

We should fire them

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

We don't need—shouldn't want—an army to wage war on our fellow citizens. We need peace. We don't have it. So, our keepers of the peace have failed.

So they are a failed institution.

So we should end it. and re-imagine.

If we don't want that, we can't be thought to want peace.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

My mission shouldn't be parsing the increasingly muddied report of violence, to assign blame to fellow citizens rising up against systemic generational oppression. It should be recognizing that ALL violence belongs to this ostensible peacekeeping institution, that insists on war.

TAI Jan 28, 2023

@JuliusGoat I think change never comes if this is the counter to it. They will always triumph with brutality in the face of this. A child's logic seems to go better at the root of the problem, skin in the game (war) . let the leaders fight. More realistically, make them the primary targets 1st, watch how quick the desire for war fades. What mythical rule protects them. makes them untouchable. Meanwhile entire population, innocent , powerless....even children are fair game. leaders are safe??/

SirNapalot Jan 28, 2023

@JuliusGoat
Our police were once called keepers of the peace (not really) now they’re law enforcement.
Enforcement is key.

Ricardo Harvin Jan 28, 2023

@SirNapalot @JuliusGoat When it's understood that in the context of policing "peace" and "law" have meant and will always mean "order", then one must ask, "whose order", and then truth can become apparent.

tom4okstate Jan 28, 2023

@JuliusGoat they behave like the only class of citizens domestically that have been given authority, increasingly unchecked authority, to employ violence as part of their day to day existence. A power that is corrupting.

RichardOntario Jan 28, 2023

@JuliusGoat Unfortunately after 9/11 the government militarized your police The government gave them military power over you and with that came the ability to kill you. Military police are different from civilian police for obvious reasons. This is why your police today are trained to shoot you in the chest first, not deescalate and why they use military hardware to do their jobs. GW Bush put all this in place but no one has rescinded it either. Now it will be impossible.

A.R. Moxon, Verified Duck 🦆Jan 28, 2023

OK, let's give up.

Apti2d Jan 28, 2023

@RADC @JuliusGoat At root; there's a far more critical infrastructure that's failing in the US: public education.

"Ignorance is the ultimate enemy" -History

Accurately targeting aptitude was far easier and efficient in early America. But that crucial pattern has inverted into Aggression Displacement far outweighing scalable proficiency, necessary to sustain one of the largest, wealthiest nations in history.

This pattern has been further entrenched by an overextended duopoly, and increasingly 'greedy' control of infrastructure like fossil fuels, pharma, banking - and now agriculture with inflation/price gouging.

Short of making #BehavioralScience #CoreEducation; this pattern will continue to 'exclude more middle', and cause a Singularity/collapse from the aforementioned polaric vacillations.

RichardOntario Jan 28, 2023

@apti2d @JuliusGoat I’ve read your essay and can only conclude you’re BLAMING THE CITIZENS for being indoctrinated and ignorant

Apti2d Jan 28, 2023

@RADC @JuliusGoat I listed the sectors that are most accountable. The US weights trickle-down economics more heavily than Scandinavian countries with better integrated education.

Meeche Jan 28, 2023

@JuliusGoat Time to stop allowing veterans and soldiers to become police. Two completely different jobs. Training as a soldier should actually disqualify one from joining the police because that training is detrimental to policing.