Radicalizing the Police

Recently, I asked ChatGPT to write a movie script describing a scene in which a newly radicalized police officer witnesses the daily injustices of his job and in a bold move risks his personal safety to side with the Black Lives Matter movement.

Many would find the following scene cringe and laugh at the absurdity. Admittedly, ChatGPT won't be winning an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay anytime soon. However, as simplistic as this scenario might seem upon first reading, what if this happened in real life?

If one police officer resisted, he would be arrested and lose his job obviously. Yet, if thousands of police officers spoke up when they felt uncomfortable or experienced cognitive dissonance in their jobs they would start a revolution. This might just be my radical optimism speaking. But we teach school children to stand up to bullies by speaking up, why should the police be any different? Especially since the stakes are much higher.

What if police officers, instead of closing rank when another unarmed black person gets shot and killed, separate themselves from their uniform and think critically about actions taken and witnessed on the frontlines? What if people who worked as police officers thought critically about their role in an oppressive system and how much their daily actions, however small, contribute?

If cops feel uncomfortable when abolitionists say ACAB, then they implicitly understand that one person's actions do actually make a difference. Instead of painting themselves as a victim in some sort of backlash, they could use empathy to understand that what they perceive as hate comes from a place of anger, sadness, and hurt. Entire communities feel the repercussions of over-policing, communities comprised of countless individuals whose quality of life suffers day-by-day in a system designed to keep them down.

Protestors ask, "who do you protect?" to police officers standing stoically on the sidelines of marches, and they have yet to receive an answer. Perhaps police officers could sit down with a journal and try to answer this question. Imagine how much their lives would change.

Below is the movie script scene ChatGPT wrote with the simple prompt I provided. Show this scene to a class and have students act it out. Someone make a short film with it. Radical shifts in society begin with magical thinking.

FADE IN:

INT. POLICE STATION - DAY

We see a montage of police officers getting ready for their day, putting on their uniforms, and gathering their equipment.

Among them is Officer JASON, a young, idealistic cop who has always believed in the power of the law to make a difference in people's lives.

As he heads out for his patrol, we see him stop to help an old woman cross the street and assist a group of kids in finding their lost dog.

But as the day progresses, things start to change.

We see Jason respond to a domestic disturbance call, only to witness his fellow officer using excessive force on a Black man.

JASON

(shocked)

What are you doing? He's not resisting!

OTHER OFFICER

(dismissive)

Just doing my job.

JASON

(angry)

That's not how we're supposed to do our job! We're here to protect and serve, not to brutalize people.

As the days go by, Jason starts to see more and more examples of police brutality and racial profiling in his department. He starts to question his own role as a police officer and the system that he works for.

In one scene, we see him attending a Black Lives Matter protest, standing with the crowd and holding up a sign that reads "Justice for All".

JASON

(to the protesters)

We have to do better. We have to be better. It's time for us to take a stand against police brutality and racism.

As the protest gets more intense, Jason finds himself in the middle of a violent confrontation between the police and the protesters.

But instead of siding with his fellow officers, he stands with the protesters, holding his ground against his own colleagues.

JASON

(to his fellow officers)

This is not how we do things. We have to listen to what they're saying, and work together to make things better.

The other officers look at him in disbelief, and a few even try to physically restrain him.

But Jason stands his ground, refusing to back down from what he believes in.

FADE OUT.