What She Said: I’m Not Biased; I Just Question Authority When They Have Lied To Me Repeatedly.

A great article by Jenn at Cop Block.

Over and over, responses to my articles involve some kind of criticism about my biased indictment of police, and overzealous willingness to imply corruption, dishonesty and conspiracy. In particular, I am reminded again and again that police work hard, were “hand picked” for being upstanding people, and I should really walk a day in their shoes before I open my big mouth.

Here’s why they are wrong.

First, I don’t need to walk a day in anyone’s shoes,  feel empathy, or see things from someone else’s perspective to determine whether something is right or wrong.  I don’t need to do a day on the job with a badge to know that torture, violence and murder are wrong.  The easiest example of all – clearly, one needn’t be a Nazi or work as a Gestapo for a day to know that racism, violence and genocide are wrong.  And more moderate examples – one needn’t ingest cyanide to know it will kill you,  one needn’t be punched to know that it’s painful (for all of you irksome folk who like to inappropriately call Godwin’s law because you know your logic failed, and you don’t have a legitimate response).

Second, police engage in corruption, lies, coverups and dishonesty all the time.  Recently, Lieutenant Jon Burge was found to have been involved in torture and forced confessions of suspects for decades, with the help (or at least, very convenient apathy and selective attention) of prosecutors and fellow police officers.

In May of 2009, Derrick Donchak, 19, and Brandon Piekarsky, 17, were among a group of men who brutally beat and killed an immigrant, Luis Ramirez. The fight ended with Ramirez convulsing in the street and foaming from the mouth.  Three police officers, one of whom was dating Piekarsky’s mother, helped cover up evidence.  The other two officers who helped orchestrate a coverup were higher ranking officers.

...

Certainly, this doesn’t mean every single police officer is engaged in some kind of back room conspiracy. However, when it happens repeatedly and frequently, and the superiors seem not only to tolerate it, but be in on it, I don’t think it’s terribly unfair to point to suspicious circumstances and question whether there is an ongoing cover up, or at the least, question whether the police are handling the matter in an honest fashion.

I’m not biased; I’m in fact very objective.  When I realize I have been lied to repeatedly, and police departments all over the country have engaged in dishonest behavior, I question what police departments are representing, and what they are claiming to be the case. This is what it means to be objective – to examine available evidence, circumstances, and knowledge – not to just jump at every chance to think the best of and give the benefit of the doubt to someone with a badge and a gun.  ”Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me,” has never been so applicable as it is with police departments and their treachery.

Read the rest here.