And another thing...
The messages coming from the Portland Police Bureau get more and more alarming. Over the last month, we've heard the following pretty loud and clear:
1. If you are driving a nice car in a poor (read: African-American) neighborhood, you will be stopped on any pretext.That's a lot to swallow, but in today's paper, a letter to the editor from a Portland detective adds the following:2. If the officers stopping you think you have a gun and might use it -- regardless of whether that belief is reasonable -- they will shoot and kill you rather than retreat or get help.
3. Any news organization that questions police officers' use of deadly force is "disgraceful."This is "community policing"? Maybe in Mississippi circa 1957.4. Even an editorial that urges people to give the police the benefit of the doubt is "cowardice" if it is not issued immediately after the shooting.
| Posted at 6:20 PM | Permalink |
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Comments (2)
ah, but i have awaited the day i could say this to a Portlander: Welcome to Los Angeles! You are now an official colony of Southern California. ;P
Posted by pril | May 11, 2004 8:32 AM
I had previously thought it was an individual problem -- sort of like a small number of folks tossing dead opossums in front yards as an intimidation tactic. We seem to have graduated to a license to kill as policy. This is progress?
How does one answer how we got here? Perhaps it is (or was) related to our college education requirement for hiring. Our officers seem unable to distinguish been something akin to a grade school tussle and a threat to life. If our pansy officers (as in college graduates) had learner to fight in grade school and more importantly also learned to absorb a few punches and that they could live through it with just a loss of pride then maybe they would not leap headlong into deadly force as a first resort. Twitch and you’re dead – as a training policy – covers pretty much any and all meager slights to our proud police officers.
A reformed drug dealer gang member would show more compassion and empathy to their fellow man than an educated idiot.
Posted by ron | May 11, 2004 9:01 AM