Jean Charles de Menezes
alright, so, the issue of the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes brings up an issue that i find interesting. these cops are arguing that they are not at fault, and that they were just "following a hunch" and "trying to save lives." essentially suggesting that their blatant and cold murder (seven bullets to the head) was justified because they were sorry, and that he had shown "restraint".
so the issue i have is, why are the police given this absolute power? i understand some people perform crimes, and that the police are just trying to keep everyone "in check", however, pretty much everyone who is alive today did not vote for some sort of police force. they did not determine that they wanted police to exist, and police are frequently known to abuse their power, and in cases like this, seemingly get away without and punishment.
which begs the question, is it right for police officers to murder other human beings whom they suspect to be trouble makers? immediately, my response to that question is no. with all the technology and advances we have in todays modern society, i think it's wrong for police officers to be given the absolute power to make judgements on whether someone else should live or die. i never decided that i want police officers, and i don't think if i had a choice, i would choose to give them the authority to just murder someone if they felt like that person was going to be some sort of threat.
in the case of Mr. de Menezes, the police not only murdered this man, but then lied about it and tried to cover it up until the media leaked the truth. following that, the police department was hesitant and obstructive towards the internal investigation. now, they are pleading not guilty to having committing any crime.
the thing that i can't stop thinking about, is why we give police this power? this absolute power, where they can murder someone they think is a threat, when the idea of murder itself is deemed as illegal. so, is it right to enforce laws by breaking them to make an example? should police perhaps be equipped with tranquilizer guns which will render the perpetrator unconscious instead of deceased?
the idea that a police officer who has a hunch can just walk around and murder someone seems a bit ridiculous to me, and in our day and age when we're trying to promote a society which is advanced and intelligent, we shouldn't be accepting murder as a viable response to criminal action.
if you get the chance, read the wikipedia article about the entire incident, and see how it settles in your stomach. although a valuable part of the society, just like all regular humans, police humans still make mistakes. they still have errors in judgement, i mean, hell, several different police officers thought that Jean Charles de Menezes looked like someone which he did not. I think it's about time we found a better way of policing.
The Article.
so the issue i have is, why are the police given this absolute power? i understand some people perform crimes, and that the police are just trying to keep everyone "in check", however, pretty much everyone who is alive today did not vote for some sort of police force. they did not determine that they wanted police to exist, and police are frequently known to abuse their power, and in cases like this, seemingly get away without and punishment.
which begs the question, is it right for police officers to murder other human beings whom they suspect to be trouble makers? immediately, my response to that question is no. with all the technology and advances we have in todays modern society, i think it's wrong for police officers to be given the absolute power to make judgements on whether someone else should live or die. i never decided that i want police officers, and i don't think if i had a choice, i would choose to give them the authority to just murder someone if they felt like that person was going to be some sort of threat.
in the case of Mr. de Menezes, the police not only murdered this man, but then lied about it and tried to cover it up until the media leaked the truth. following that, the police department was hesitant and obstructive towards the internal investigation. now, they are pleading not guilty to having committing any crime.
the thing that i can't stop thinking about, is why we give police this power? this absolute power, where they can murder someone they think is a threat, when the idea of murder itself is deemed as illegal. so, is it right to enforce laws by breaking them to make an example? should police perhaps be equipped with tranquilizer guns which will render the perpetrator unconscious instead of deceased?
the idea that a police officer who has a hunch can just walk around and murder someone seems a bit ridiculous to me, and in our day and age when we're trying to promote a society which is advanced and intelligent, we shouldn't be accepting murder as a viable response to criminal action.
if you get the chance, read the wikipedia article about the entire incident, and see how it settles in your stomach. although a valuable part of the society, just like all regular humans, police humans still make mistakes. they still have errors in judgement, i mean, hell, several different police officers thought that Jean Charles de Menezes looked like someone which he did not. I think it's about time we found a better way of policing.
The Article.