Regardless of race, run!

On Monday, May 25th, four members of the Minneapolis Police Department – namely Derek Chauvin, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Keung – arrested 46 year old George Floyd after receiving a call alleging that Floyd had passed a counterfeit twenty dollar bill at a nearby store. A bystander to the arrest filmed the encounter, and in the recording – which is disgusting, and I will not play it here because I believe it to show the man’s wrongful death – we see MPD officer Derek Chauvin essentially murder Mr. Floyd. Here’s a picture from the footage:

MPD Officer Derek Chauvin

For almost 10 minutes, Chauvin crushed the neck of Floyd while the alleged counterfeiter repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe while displaying obvious medical distress. The other three officers stood by, and instead of helping Mr. Floyd, they threatened bystanders who were asking them to stop. Heartbreakingly, George Floyd likely died during the encounter, shortly after begging for his mother. The vitriol and callousness of the officers on scene, especially officer Chauvin, were clearly visible, and Chauvin even appears to continually and unneccesarily shift his weight to apply more pressure to Floyd’s neck. It is a painful thing to watch, yet the officers seemed completely unconcerned that their actions were being recorded, probably because they engage in this type of behavior all the time. I make that assertion because Chauvin is the recipient of a dozen conduct complaints, none of which earned him any disciplinary action.

One can guess what happened next. Minneapolis has become a riotous warzone, with looting, rioting, and lines of militarized police responding with force. Hundreds of miles away in Los Angeles people also took to the streets to riot and loot, even destroying a couple of police cars. While I do not agree with innocent businesses being looted and destroyed, I completely agree that something must be done, and it has nothing to do with what color you are, it has much more to do with the pervasive “us versus them” mindset that is rampant in American law enforcement.

Police in America have become something they were never meant to be, and contrary to the gross racial narrative being pushed by mainstream media like CNN, the real truth is worse than some idiotic race-baiting. That angle is only pushed because it takes the focus off of the real problem, and makes the people responsible for what the police have become appear blameless. For example, in 2019, 1,004 people were shot and killed by police. The breakdown is 370 whites, 235 blacks, 158 Hispanic, 39 “other”, and 202 “unknown”. Those facts do not support the race narrative, yet those responsible for police corruption are happy to feed it to you in order to divide the public and gain political advantage.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/police-shootings-2019/

 What the narrative fails to ask is: Who is the Minneapolis Police Department Chief, who appointed him, and who has approved of and endorsed the department’s behavior? The Media narrative would have you believe that these police are a bunch of hillbilly, redneck MAGA types that can’t wait to literally stomp on innocent black folks. In truth, in Minneapolis and Minnesota, in cities and towns across the country where police abuses are most heinous and frequent, leftist and democrat policies and politicians are in charge. And also contrary to the Media narrative, most police chiefs are liberal democrats that stock their forces with corrupt union thugs that are only too happy to ignore their oath to the constitution in favor of illegal orders from Mayors, City Councils, and Governors. Just a quick look at the states continuing to impose illegal lockdowns, and using police stormtroopers to enforce them, will tell you just which political philosophy leads to abuse. Don’t believe me? Minnesota is deep blue, with a democrat Governor, Lt. Governor, and the infamous race-baiting Keith Ellison (D) as State Attorney General. Minneapolis is deep blue as well, with MPD police chief Medaria Arradondo ( a self-described “change agent” ) having been appointed by previous Mayor Betsy Hughes (D), overseen by current Mayor Jacob Frey (D), and approved by a city council comprised of 12 democrats and 1 Green Party member.

Everywhere you can see the abuse of power by police. For the last three years, corrupt and lawless federal police, the FBI, CIA, NSA, you name it, have been engaged in unconstitutional and illegal behavior. From James Comey and James Clapper to FBI agents like Peter Strzok and his mistress Lisa Page, law enforcement has morphed into something akin to the Mafia, a “Cosa Notra”, or “our thing”, that knows no duty or law other than abusing their positions for more power. The power to destroy political opponents, settle petty personal crusades, and completely disregard the rights of American citizens starts at the top, and unsurprisingly it has trickled down into all of law enforcement.

The political right in this country is not blameless, either. The tired mantra of “it’s not all cops”, “the good people that make up the FBI”, and “we respect and support law enforcement” is responsible as well. Sure, it may not be all cops, federal agents and intelligence officers, but it might as well be. Why? Because evidently it’s enough of them to completely negate the actions of those that honor their oaths. When the occasional police officer comes forward to expose corruption or illegality, the Thick Blue Line makes sure they lose their jobs, reputation, and livelihood. It seems that “just following orders” is now the oath that is placed above all others, and history shows that to be a pathetic excuse for trampling the rights of others. People who lean right or libertarian are predisposed to expect law enforcement to be honorable and trustworthy, and in our current climate that can literally be a fatal mistake.

Really?

It’s beyond time to cast a distrustful and scornful eye on those that hold the power to imprison you and take your property or life. It’s time to question whether transferring multiple-tour combat veterans of Bush’s and Obama’s unending wars into domestic police forces is wise. It’s time to strip domestic law enforcement of surplus military weapons and gear that has become commonplace, because the mentality that comes with it is not healthy to maintaining a good relationship between a nation’s citizens and it’s police. Because nothing good can come out of the current state of America’s law enforcement.  And to those honorable and good cops or to the readers of this column that disagree with my position, it’s time to step up and prove that you actually believe in and honor the phrase “to protect and serve”…instead of “to punish and enslave”.

“A fondness for power is implanted in most men, and it is natural to abuse it when acquired.” – Alexander Hamilton

“With great power comes great responsibility.” – Stan Lee