18 Comments
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Kels's avatar

Fitting your story runs the same day as TMZ reports a San Diego police officer accidentally locked himself in the back seat of his cruiser with a suspect, after the suspect offered to have sex with him in exchange for getting off (pun intended). Furthermore, the officer's last name was Hair and he was as shiny-domed as Kojak.

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The Opinionated Ogre's avatar

And he won't be fired. Because why would we ever do that?

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Pope Buck I's avatar

On the bright side, that cop just got a job offer to be Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota.

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Chikalada North's avatar

Great article. Hopeful. Much appreciated.

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Openly Fae's avatar

Defund police.

Fund social workers. Dispatch them to unarmed disputes.

Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

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The Opinionated Ogre's avatar

That's not enough if the cops are still above the law.

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Openly Fae's avatar

Cops? What cops?

If there's an armed conflict, call a legitimate security company. :)

We can form them if need be. Even militias.

We have that right.

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The Opinionated Ogre's avatar

You would trust a security company? Or local yahoos with guns? Maybe...no.

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Openly Fae's avatar

If we can't find trustworthy security companies with de-escalation training to back up their already-honed brutal methods.

Maybe our security companies need to be more secure?

Also, just saying "it will never work" instead of actually trying new ideas is why progressives are like 3% of the political landscape here.

Don't say it can't be done.

Develop solutions.

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The Opinionated Ogre's avatar

A more realistic solution is to end qualified immunity and to take all of the money for their civil lawsuits out of their pension funds and budgets. Want to see how fast the “good apples” get rid of the bad ones threatening their retirement?

As long as paying off the public doesn’t actually cost the police anything, they have no incentive to stop.

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Openly Fae's avatar

Right.

My point is just firing all of them.

Why try to change people who immersed in a broken system?

Just train already legitimate security companies to do the physical part of police work.

Social workers for de-escalation and negotiation and counseling.

I came up with all this during the L.A. riots.

Just everyone says it can't be done and never tries.

22 years I been pushing and no one just fucking tries.

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Elizabeth Stolle's avatar

This should terrify everyone….no matter your tribe!!

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Christopher Foxx's avatar

Getting rid of qualified immunity should terrify people?

Only if your “tribe” is fascists or Christian Nationalists (in other words, the Republican Party) who, as Justin noted, count on a militarized police force to help them overthrow our democracy.

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serghiy's avatar

…huh “in site” ?! …when exactly they were held accountable ?

…#ACAB

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