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Observations Pt 7

Defund the Police?

By Evelyn TurnerPublished 3 years ago 7 min read

My thoughts on defunding the police

Points to ponder….

Ok, there is a tropical storm in the gulf – radar shows all sorts of rain over the southern states….. So why then is every video I see of those areas for the protests showing sunshine only????

I mean these are supposed to be LIVE videos from major news sources….. Yet the very city they are showing the protesters shows RAIN and storms on the RADAR – but all sunshine in the videos….

Why is that? Look for yourselves – don’t just take my word for it… I am telling you EVERY so-called LIVE video from areas being affected by this tropical storm – the protesters are marching in SUNSHINE when the radar clearly shows something else….

Next, I joined a couple of groups about “Justice for Derek”….. What I saw disgusted me. The rampant racism coming from ALL sides of the equation was simply disgusting!! How FB hasn’t nailed those groups for hate speech yet I have no idea….

I was watching other people’s videos of analyzing what happened….. They picked up on somethings I had missed….

I have one HUGE question…

George was in the police car – both rear doors open…. One officer bent over him and another on the other side doing the same….. BUT he was IN the car……

What the hell was going on INSIDE that patrol car BEFORE Derek pulled George out of it???? Where is the body cam footage of all that shit???? Obviously SOMETHING was happening….. Why did Derek even pull George OUT of the patrol car once they had him inside of it????

I think we ALL need the answer to that question! George was safe inside the patrol car…. They could have shut the doors and took him to jail ALIVE…. But Derek pulled him out… WHY???

Inquiring minds want to know – NOW!!!

Next, this “defund the police” – this is a bad idea all the way around. I know some support this movement, but let me explain MY thoughts – you don’t have to agree J

1. Police are there to protect people as well as buildings and property…. YES this has not actually been exercised properly due to lack of proper training…. If you cut off their funding then sweeping reform – that is heavily needed – CANNOT happen and when someone tries to harm YOU or your home or business there is no one to call…

2. Defunding police means that most will walk out of their current positions….. With no LOCAL police this means the President CAN and likely WILL send in the MP’s… basically making the USA a police state…. Without the LOCAL officers who know the area and the people – do you really think having the MP’s come in will be a GOOD thing?

3. Defunding police means the loss of programs the people worked hard to get – like Amber Alert – who would issue it and WHO would go out and search for those lost kids???? You would lose the Drug intervention programs at schools for kids, after school programs that are funded through the law enforcement branches…. LOOK at the trickle down affect that defunding the police would have before you say it is a good thing

4. Defunding the police would include defunding CORRECTIONS as well since most corrections officers are active duty sheriff / or city PD…. WHO would care for the inmates? Not that this issue isn’t bad enough already…. But defunding the police would only make it worse…..

5. Defunding the police would also mean losing access to things like parks, national parks etc that are patrolled and kept safe by police… If they cannot patrol it they close it off from the public…..

6. Defunding police means losing school resource officers who are typically off duty officers holding that position…. Who protects the schools when there are no resource officers on hand????

7. Defunding police means losing the ability to report crimes such as rape, domestic violence, etc…. WHO then will help those victims???? It also means losing the resources that assist victims of these crimes….

8. Defunding the police means giving the President the right to declare martial law and militarize our cities, enforce mandatory curfews… and take away our most basic human rights….

9. Defunding the police means we will have armed MP’s and National Guard patrolling with the order to shoot on sight as they deem fit… If they see you as a potential threat – this is WORSE than the local cops could ever do…. And you think this is a good idea????

Look at the trickle-down affect that defunding the police will have folks…. Ask yourselves this – Is it worth it to lose all these hard won programs simply to punish the bad apples???

Educators could donate time to help educate officers in sensitivity training, emergency response – TRUE emergency assistance, racial issues and how to diffuse them and so on. Instead of crying defund the police – why don’t we ALL step up and help educate them? Every single one of us can tell a story, can sit with them and teach them SOMETHING without using violence….

I keep seeing videos of police being attacked on traffic stops – understandably so since I also see tons of videos of traffic stops ending in death of the person who is pulled over… But the violence has to stop! We must heal and grow as a nation and we cannot do this if we are at war with each other!!!

When and officer makes a traffic stop and they approach the vehicle aggressively – what response are they going to get from the occupant? Return aggression of course!

We ALL need to film EVERY traffic stop, every encounter with an officer ALWAYS – this is the only way too expose the bad apples – bad training – and begin to properly train officers in how NOT to handle things…..

Defunding the police is NOT the answer --- I could agree to freezing the funds for a time --- until bad apples are gone and better training is in place – but outright defunding them no.

Now, for a topic that no one WANTS to talk about or discuss – but I will ---

On the flip side of this coin we need to educate ourselves and our children better! Education begins in the HOME not the streets, not in schools but in the HOME.

There is a movie called “Lean on Me” that said it best – if the parents can’t read then WE must teach them to!

WE – being all of us – a society as a whole – who has failed those in such basic survival needs as reading, counting money etc…. WE – the people – as a whole must come together…

WE must teach ourselves and our children to NOT put themselves into a position where officers feel the need to draw a weapon on them…. Let me explain…

I watch a Youtube channel called “Police Activity” and what I SEE on there makes me want to reach through the screen and wring some necks to be honest…

An officer makes a traffic stop and BAM the people run (skin color does not matter here) I see it happen with ALL races – so the person runs, the officer chases until the person finally stops….

The officer all the while is shouting for the person to stop, put their hands up etc….

Once they are all stopped, the officer shouts – hands up – don’t put your hands in your pockets… What does the person do? IMMEDIATELY reaches into their pockets – then the officer SHOOTS them….

I can see easily how to de-escalate these issues by watching these videos and the majority of it falls to the person being chased --- (will address the use of less lethal in a moment) – if IF the person being chased had not reached into their hoodie pocket after the officer said not to – there is a good possibility they would not have been shot.

I understand the urge to not follow their orders – I really do after seeing as many of these videos as I have, and analyzing them frame by frame and word by word… I GET IT

But, when a man holding a loaded gun tells you NOT to reach into your pocket … and you DO --- what outcome are you truly hoping for here????

LOGIC folks, simple common sense applies here. The charge you might pick up is going to be less harmful in the long run than being shot dead!!!

Now, use of less lethal force – on way too many of these police activity videos I am seeing use of lethal force being the go to first!!! They have tasers, they have pepper spray, they have mace and rubber bullets…. But that lethal gun seems to be what they pull out FIRST and it ought not to be this way!!! By using the lethal option FIRST the officers are setting themselves up as judge, jury and executioner…..

What end result do these officers SEE by pulling out the lethal option FIRST??? Using the lethal option FIRST only results in someone dying or being gravely injured AND puts innocent people nearby at risk as well!!!

Our officers need to be taught that the lethal option is the LAST option when no other option has ended the situation…. Lethal option should NEVER be the first option….

WHO taught these officers to use lethal first???

WHO taught these people who run to disobey the officer?

WHO thought any of this was a good idea to teach people???

Education is our ONLY option. It is the RIGHT option.

I also believe that if a person needs 4 – 8 years of higher education to be a lawyer, doctor, teacher etc…. OUR officers need just as much education in order to properly serve the community!!!

WE the people need to begin donating time to help educate instead of spreading more hatred that only poisons everyone.

WE the people need to unite in making the proper changes – making EDUCATION free, safe and available to ALL.

WE the people need to learn the most important thing – we have forgotten it over the years, decades and centuries… WE need to learn to love OURSELVES before we can learn to love each other……

opinion

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    ETWritten by Evelyn Turner

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