For the most part I have been a supporter of police and the important work they do day in and day out. Over the past 20 years I learned the other side of the argument and have come to see civil rights as central to our nations health. To understand something that is important means we have to see things from multiple perspectives (Sometimes 4 or 5).
I have also come to recognize there are not enough checks and balances to ensure integrity in the system. There also appears to be mixed political support for integrity measures. The root of liberty is in our oaths of "Liberty and Justice for All".
Furthermore, I believe the vast majority officers believe in those healthy principles. They are not always in environments that help ensure such central values are at the forefront of daily decision making. This is why we have to continue to work on the culture of policing (There are ways to test culture and build benchmarks, matched with proper training and better recruitment tactics to increase physical and mental diversity would help. Of course you also need good leadership that is thoughtful, fair, and open minded. Let also add doesn't feed the rumor mill because that makes things worse.)
When a minority of officers moves beyond those central values and form groups they sometimes take a dark turn in flavor and accept lower values antithetical to good governance. When complaints rise and behaviors go array the system struggles to reform and hold to account. This is why politicians should always be willing to adjust the system to make it effective. It might be behind the needs of society right now so there is some dissonance that popped up.
Without the will there is no way and such behaviors continue on unchecked creating a wave of destructive behaviors that are harmful to the community. Where judges should be holding to account such elements they often drop the ball. Sometimes in accident by not asking the right questions and sometimes by bias themselves. Either way they should maintain the search for truth and justice as central to their purpose. That is what I believe makes courts trustworthy.
Freedom of speech and freedom of religion or even the acceptance of peoples race the way God created them is secondary to the unwritten rules these groups sometimes create ( If you think of like cults, extremism, and radicalism they often carry similar traits. That is why we can't have them and we have seen where it causes problems in other places. They become too comfortable with each other and then their missions switch to other things that are not related to what the public needs. I can go down a rabbit hole here so I'm going to move on.). Once they have a target of someone who is aware of misconduct the laws, rules and general moral conscious are thrown out the window.
Because I recognize how distorted these groups can become, complaints of the community are at times ignored I have to say we need better more effective policing to ensure our central American values are protected. We must also take such complaints seriously especially when widespread. I now support reform in policing and accountability for those who intentionally violate those moral and written laws. I still love police and if anyone wants some heartfelt advice on how to restore full functioning and trust reach out. I'm pretty good at system creation in a way that can balance societal needs with that which keeps them effective. Got a few ideas on how to protect society and the need for good policing.
To be an American means speaking your opinion even when the environment doesn't support that essential constitutional freedom. It's a central value system that should not be violated. We either are supporter of these values or we are not. I happen to be and that is why police must always be somewhat subjected to the greater needs of society. That is why I say 100% police and 110% civil rights. If we reverse that all types of problems arise.
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