How big of an issue is "police brutality"?

[kentuck]

How many of the Democratic candidates will have the guts to address it? Or will they mostly remain silent? Would it not be a strong issue for Democrats to run on?

Basically, it is the issue that most in the BLM movement are most deeply concerned about. Cops are killing our people. What are we going to do about it?

The police brutality has to stop.

Now.

[mikehiggins]

1. As big as it gets n/t

[ibegurpard]

2. big

We've had several police shootings locally in the past few years. They were not racially related...the city I live in is mostly white. But the shoot first mentality has to stop. And people of color are targeted disproportionately. Without a doubt.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

17. Every traffic stop is treated like they just ran down a heavily armed bank robber....

Some of these guys think they're the star of an action movie.

Even in Smallville, USA.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

3. Scares the shit out of me and I'm a white guy.

[kentuck]

7. I posted this story yesterday and most of the victims were not black...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026995637

It's an issue for us all.

[etherealtruth]

4. Huge, enormous, gigantic

[Stellar]

5. #BlackLivesMatter Discuss Netroots Nation Takeover On HuffPost Live

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/r/archive/segment/55ad6ebffe344471f3000598?source=gravityRR&cps=gravity_2425_6000200111141600348

[Bluenorthwest]

6. It is and has been a huge issue for many years.

nt

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

33. I was going to say the same and then I remembered

about the police violence at the turn of the century with union busting and against the Irish immigrants and much much more.

And I remember the police brutality that I personally witnessed in the sixties.

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

34. And then I remember the stories that my Grandfather related to me.

He was a cop for over forty years in Glendale CA, he told me about the beatings that prisoners received while in jail and his dislike for those cops. In all those years of service he drew his weapon twice and fired it in the air once.

[PoliticAverse]

8. What people are most concerned about...

http://www.gallup.com/poll/184193/racism-edges-again-important-problem.aspx?utm_source=Politics&utm_medium=newsfeed&utm_campaign=tiles

[kentuck]

9. Thanks for that link.

[geek tragedy]

10. for affluent white people in suburbs or small towns, not much of an issue at all

for black folks, a lot bigger obviously

[eridani]

36. I don't agree--I think that social media has changed that equation.

T heard Michelle Alexander speak and got her to autograph The New Jim Crow, and though "We really ought to be doing something about this." But it was the constant video stream of gut-slamming outright executions that pushed me into calling, writing, tweeting, etc. This information not only gives us specific targets, but is moving in a way that plain printed text can't be.

[geek tragedy]

43. I didn't state that very clearly.

For affluent white people, it's something they choose to care about. For black folks, it's a necessity.

[eridani]

45. That's true--but imagery from social media is tugging at more and more consciences n/t

[99th_Monkey]

11. I think it's a huge issue. and thankfully BLM is making it even huger

Before the Primaries started heating up, I was already following the
horrific frequency with which unarmed blacks were being gunned down
and/or brutalized with impunity by racist killer-cops. And there was
no end to it, never mind the clear videos showing these unjustified
murders, never mind the protests on behalf of the victims and their
families, never mind the clear patterns of blacks being selectively targeted
by cops ... the cops were repeatedly handled with kid gloves, while
the victims were blamed for their own murder.

When Bernie announced, I was elated and ecstatic that FINALLY, the
people have a chance to elect a President who will -- at long last --
break-up the too-big-to-jail financial institutions on Wall St. start addressing
climate change meaningfully, etc. The ONLY issue that gave me a little
pause was Bernies mixed bag on gun control; and given him having a
stellar record on civil rights dating back to the civil rights struggles of
the 60s, it was one of the last things I would have thought he'd get
"called out" on by African Americans or anyone really.

I was wrong. BAM -- NN/BLM changed all that within minutes, seeming to
put Bernie on the defensive, who defaulted to his 'economic justice helps
everyone" message, which rang breathtakingly hollow in the heat of
blacks shouting him down with "Say her name!". I was relieved when
his Phoenix speech that night, he spoke out forcefully on behalf of Sandra
Bland and agains police violence against Black people.

But the damage was done apparently .. except that I am trusting that
none of this was lost on Team Bernie, and that his/our campaign will
land on it's feet, even stronger for having embraced BLM's vitally important
message: that cops need to "Stop Murdering Black People!",no ifs ands or buts.
So in this sense, I'm grateful to BLM for what they did, and want them to keep
it up, to go for it, because I don't think it's going to hurt Bernie one bit, in the
long run.

Thanks for asking.

[Yo_Mama]

12. Let me rephrase that to police misconduct.

Misconduct includes everything from false arrests, false depositions, planting items, ignoring the laws they are supposed to enforce, misusing official systems, taking bribes, intimidation, threats, and unnecessary physical violence. And more.

It's a big problem.

But I bet if you properly cracked down on it, the problem would dramatically diminish. Also it would help change the culture from within - the problem is that the good police officers cannot enforce a better code of conduct within their own departments.

I think ubiquitous cameras on police would help a great deal, and after that, individuals just have to get involved. Videotape them wherever they go. We have got to make police obey the law.

[jalan48]

13. It's a huge issue.

It portends things to come in our society as the economic situation worsens. It's the capitalist's version of 'social work'.

[Taitertots]

14. We will never stop the major violations until we address the cultural of criminality

DU,

We need GPS tattlers in cop cars to make sure the police are following the traffic laws.

We need independent probable cause reviews for every police action (traffic stops, pedestrian stops....)

We need a publically available code of conduct WITH the punishments for violators.

We need to fire and blacklist anyone who causes the city to pay a settlement for misconduct.

We need to put an officer's paid leave funding in escrow until they are cleared of all charges.

[99th_Monkey]

19. +100 That's a great list nt

[JDPriestly]

15. Sanders has been talking about it for a long time and instituted community policing

way back when he was mayor in Vermont.

In 1991 he voted against the revision of the sentencing legislation because way back then, he presciently observed that we are the country with the highest percentage of incarcerated people of all industrialized nations, and he specifically pointed to the police arrests of Black people which were then as now way out of proportion to overall arrests.

He was the among the first if not the first to criticize the police conduct in Ferguson. And notably his concern about the imprisonment and arrests and abuse of Black suspects and prisoners dates way back from before his political career into his student days and continues with no break until the present.

The confusion about his stance on race is due to the fact that he was not a big celebrity politician and therefore his actions, statements and views on race were not discussed on TV or in the press or other media,

But the history is there and continues right up to the present to be one of strong support for equal rights for Blacks.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

16. Too many cops have bought into the idea that it's a war zone out there....

It's a neighborhood.

[olddots]

18. the police have become an invading army

protecting the rich and fighting the non rich .

[marble falls]

20. You got it right: its a big deal and its got to stop completely right now.

[KG]

21. 50+ white guy here - i don;t trust the police.

[moonbeam23]

22. This is a HUGE issue

One of the biggest, along with Wall Street crime...
As a white middle aged woman, i am petrified of the police and know i would not survive a tasing...i have had my own run ins with them thankfully not lately...

IMHO, we NEED to make them PERSONALLY responsible for this shit...no taxpayer bailouts and paid vacations...
They should be forced to buy insurance to pay out settlements...watch and see how fast it gets better, because no company will continue to insure someone who keeps fucking up...and if the settlement is big enough because the conduct was egregious enough, the balance should come out of their own pockets...

When their buddies on these corrupt forces start seeing these guys go bankrupt, they might get the message (i do feel some compassion for these guys families because the spouses and kids will suffer too, but not as much as the entire black community is)

i have been ranting on this subject for years now, but it hasn't changed anything lol...i got into a heated argument with a good friend when he kept defending these asshole cops....that was several months ago and we haven't talked since then...i hope he is seeing the news!

[irisblue]

23. I get nervous around police

White, middle aged, disabled female.

[DrewFlorida]

24. Police Brutality is an everyday occurance, we only hear about it when someone is killed.

We only find out about a few cases where a person is killed and there is solid proof. Just the tip of the iceberg.

[0rganism]

25. how are we going to measure "big"?

it's an important issue
it's an urgent issue
when weighed against all the issues voters are looking at in the 2016 election cycle, how high does it poll?
i don't recall seeing it ranked against, say, reducing the national debt, or regulating wall street. i did see this, but it's probably out of date (given the polling was done before this summer's atrocities)



i'd like to see something like this, but more recent. in this poll, race relations is running 20 points behind terrorism (aka "who do we bomb in the middle east this week?&quot

i think all the Democrats will address race vs. justice disparities eventually - you don't win the Democratic nomination without a good showing from minorities. however, they have to tread carefully, since in the general election there are a lot of voters who apparently believe the police can do no wrong (cf the grand jury failing to indict Pantaleo for the clearly unnecessary a/v-recorded death of Eric Garner, for one of many sad examples).

[PatrickforO]

26. Pretty damned big.

And the bad thing is that instead of admitting it and trying to stop it, the cops are going into siege mentality; closing ranks and getting angry.

[whathehell]

27. Huge. n/t

[H2O Man]

28. Recommended.

Very good OP, with an interesting discussion following. Thank you.

I think that, even beyond the obvious issue of people being killed or seriously injured, there are numerous other hugely significant issues. Police violence creates a climate where people -- perhaps especially the young -- become convinced that the "law" is unjust and oppressive. Also, it can create divisions within the larger community.

It's extremely important.

[Warpy]

29. Police, fattened by civil asset forfeiture, have begun to act like an occupying army

in a foreign country, easy to understand with all that surplus military hardware available to their SWAT teams to use on any flimsy pretext.

Here in NM, it hasn't been only black people who have suffered. Here it's been mostly the mentally ill and the carnage was so bad the DOJ stepped in last year.

The DOJ needs to get more active about this and more corrupt departments have to start feeling the heat. Civil forfeiture has been ended in NM (unless the DEA catches some poor bastard on the train with a wad of cash) and it needs to end elsewhere, preventing local cops from getting war toys to use against citizens.

It needs to be a campaign issue. Oh yes, it certainly does.

[XRubicon]

30. Rec'd

This is the issue.

[uhnope]

31. BIG. And it's not only about race.

http://wonkette.com/591729/nice-white-dad-mysteriously-dies-in-police-custody-we-can-talk-police-brutality-now

Going out on a limb here, but the bad cops will do that to anyone they think does not have the power to get the cops in trouble later. That is often POC but it is not only POC.

It happens everyday. We only hear about it when there is a death or serious injury involved. Until recently, we usually didn't hear about it even then.

We are collectively getting SICK OF IT

[Locrian]

32. +1

While race is definitely a factor, its about POWER. And I GUARANTEE that the more the cops get used to being above the law, become more and more militarized, that it's only a matter of time before EVERYONE is seen as the enemy to be subdued and controlled.

The way the cops react when you "disrespect" them is the tell. It's the #1 way they feel the have every right to bring ALL force to bear against you. They are are in a system that respects power and authority above all - generating employees (cops) who become their shock troop flying monkeys that feed on that power dynamic.

[jomin41]

35. I believe that I see a lot of

"roid rage" in these incidents going back years. I think steroid use and abuse is fairly common among LE. So police should be drug tested, especially after involvement in an "incident".

[Glassunion]

37. It's big. Militarization of the police is a big issue.

We are the enemy. If you're white, it's easier for you. For those of us who aren't, it's worse. But what happens when enough of the latter a placated? They will move on.

The writers of BSG deserve a kudos for telling it like it is.

[damnedifIknow]

38. One of the most urgent

It's a national disgrace along with mass incarceration and both of these need to be addressed yesterday.

[meow2u3]

39. Police brutality should be treated as the serious crime it is

Abusive cops won't stop their brutality until someone else stops them, namely, a radical change from the organized crime model it is now to a community policing culture.

We can start by holding LEO's more accountable than ordinary citizens, implementing a zero tolerance policy for police brutality; rooting out the racists and other bigots on the force; beefing up whistleblower protection for good cops who don't have the stomach for corruption; and requiring law enforcement agencies to share personnel files of dismissed officers nationwide so dirty cops won't be able to go from one department to another unnoticed. That's just for starters.

[Comrade Grumpy]

40. It's an issue that's caused cities to burn in this country. Repeatedly.

We seem to be getting close to that point again. People are fed up.

[Recursion]

41. Thing is, we have no idea if it's getting better or worse

Are police more violent against citizens now than 20 years ago, or less? We have no idea.

This matters because we need to know if the huge changes in policing over the past two decades need to be unwound or not.

[BainsBane]

42. The issue is BLACK LIVES

Not simply police brutality but killings of black people. http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251467165

[Comrade Grumpy]

44. Police use of force is an issue across the board.

People of all colors get fucked over by the cops. Some more than others, but this is an issue across the board.

[cascadiance]

47. We in a very white county in Oregon do, and just last night passed this resolution..

Read it for yourself and note that many people around the country feel this way, even if many of us are characterized as not caring about it.

http://www.washcodems.org/sites/washington.oregondemocrats.org/files/attachments/Deadly%20Force%20-rev_0.pdf

[Rex]

48. Since it is an epidemic all around the nation, top 3. nt

nt