I had long believed that US police forces were plagued by a few bad apples. I used to say that not all cops are fascists, but if you happen to be a fascist, joining the force might appeal to you. Now, however, having watched the video of the Floyd killing, and of the Minneapolis police later spraying peaceful protesters with pepper spray, and having seen countless other videos of cops shootings unarmed black people, I have come to believe that I was going too easy on our nation’s cops. I continue to believe that most cops are in their jobs for the right reasons. But the underlying culture of our police forces is broken.
I had long believed that US police forces were plagued by a few bad apples. I used to say that not all cops are fascists, but if you happen to be a fascist, joining the force might appeal to you. Now, however, having watched the video of the Floyd killing, and of the Minneapolis police later spraying peaceful protesters with pepper spray, and having seen countless other videos of cops shootings unarmed black people, I have come to believe that I was going too easy on our nation’s cops. I continue to believe that most cops are in their jobs for the right reasons. But the underlying culture of our police forces is broken.