Changing things.

[chenoameg]

Taking a conversation elsewhere in a different direction

Comments

[intuition_ist]

yow. i'm not sure that's even possible. it requires the police to police themselves much more strictly than they have been in the last 30+ years to prevent misconduct. it also requires many fewer laws and much better enforcement of those laws, so people know with a fair degree of certainty whether or not they are breaking any.

[chenoameg]

So what is the next step? I mean, it's not that big a city. The police work for us. They're choosing a new chief at the moment. So what should we ask the city government to do?

[chenoameg]

Sorry, this is more a general question than one to you.

[intuition_ist]

erm... well, engage with the police to make sure they're reinforcing the need for integrity and non-corruption and non-abuse and the lack of racial profiling. also engage with the legislature to encourage them to stop passing new laws and start getting rid of some of the ones we have. or, as my DH put it at one point -- make 'em remove one law whenever they pass one, so at least we're not enlarging the current body of laws. it's already past the point where any reasonable person can be sure they're not already breaking the law in some significant way. and that's ridiculous.

[anonymous]

I was thinking this morning about how my attitude toward the MIT campus police differs from my attitude toward the city police (after a *very* strange dream).

Is it possible for the police to spin their role as sheltering a (privileged?) community, or do they have to devote too much energy to enforcement for that to work?

If "people you know" have illegal drugs in their home, we'd have to change federal law. Otherwise, what makes police less welcome than ex-Marines or National Guardsmen? (I've lived with each; it was fine.)

[mathhobbit]

Oops, that was me. Don't know why I was logged out.

[nuclearpolymer]

Honestly, I don't think I would be uncomfortable having police in my home, except that I have the impression that they are not mostly nerds. My stereotype is that they are more likely to be interested in sports, more likely to have 'middle America' values, less likely to be feminists, and less likely to be into arts & crafts than most of the people I know.

I'm sure there are plenty of nice police, the same way that I'm sure there are many nice bankers, construction workers, or professional swimmers...but if their profession is the only thing I know about a person, these are not really professions that make me think I will have stuff in common with them.

[nuclearpolymer]

(Oh, and I don't really think it would be a great idea to have a police force made up of nerds, either...)

[chenoameg]

By "have the police in their home" I mean such that they would not have second thoughts about calling 911 if they feel unsafe.

[nuclearpolymer]

Ah, right. It is no doubt a stark manifestation of my level of privilege that it did not occur to me you might be talking about people being hesitant to call the police about a problem rather than hesitant about inviting them over to hang out.

[gosling]

Accountability. Serious real accountability. (Easier to say than implement

[gosling]

Lots to think about here. Thank you.

[moominmolly]

Yeah! That!

[intuition_ist]

yes, this.