Last week I was speaking with someone in regards to my opinions on the police. I was speaking about my obvious critiques of the police force and how the entire system is corrupt. I was speaking about how important and crucial the Black Lives Matter movement is. However, I added a caveat. I stated that I think communities need the police. Who would arrest the true criminals? Of course arrests take place that should not, but you can't just throw the baby out with the bath water right?
As my week went on, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by the police, with 3 police bystanders doing absolutely nothing. This murder, this tragedy, inspired me to ask myself if communities actually need the police? I began looking into the origins of the police force. I quickly learned that policing has always been a way to monitor and keep minority communities in check, with little to no accountability. In the south, policing began on plantations, in order to ensure that slaves did not escape. If they did escape, they would be chased down by the police force. Police could enter into any household without permission if they suspected that an escaped slave was taking refuge there. In the North, policing began as a night watch system, in order to keep order from minority communities causing havoc. This is a very simplistic narrative that I'm regurgitating to you, but it highlights the very real fact that policing in America began as a way to have power over minorities and has always seen people of color as a threat instead of an asset to a community.
Opening up my phone today and seeing a police precinct in Minneapolis burning, cops fleeing in the masses, I celebrated. How long can black communities, hispanic communities, American Indian communities, immigrants, asylum seekers, stand to be seen in a community as a threat? How many black people need to be murdered for walking, running, sleeping, shopping, before enough is enough and communities seek to take justice into their own hands? Clearly our justice system is not working in their favor. You cannot tell me "not all cops". We've given cops too many chances. Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Freddy Gray, Sandra Bland, Travon Martin, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd.... This is just a drop in the bucket. Names that I could recall at the top of my head. There are so many more. So many undeserved chances.
I'm outraged that many of my white friends are giving their unsupportive opinions of looting and rioting, acting outraged that this is the community's response to the killing of George Floyd. Where is your outrage for these murders? Isn't revolting the most American thing a community can do? White people started a whole war over taxes and representation. I'm surprised at this point that there isn't more rioting, looting, REVOLTING. The police force needs to be completely undone. Police have committed far too many murders, have arrested far too many innocent people, and have single handedly ensured that black bodies are still not free. I'm done with them. If you are a "good cop" you would have left the system a long time ago. Enough is enough.
