Social media really can help society.....

[Teacher Terry]

Minneapolis is a great town. I went to grad school about 2 hours from there in 1992. We loved to go there for the weekend. They have been in the news a lot lately. When I am somewhere that I think the police force is less then stellar is that I don't interact with them first and if they say Hi or smile I do the same and keep moving. I am not afraid to go somewhere because of that. In some big cities there are many neighborhoods I would not step foot in and I feel sorry for the police that have to patrol there. So I guess the question is did the police become more brutal or are we aware of it now because of phones, social media, etc? No doubt our whole society is more violent which is spilling over into it being more dangerous to be a cop. A very good friend of mine died 15 years ago really before all this stuff was happening a lot. He was a hard working law abiding citizen and a really good person but he hated cops. He thought they were all on a ego trip and loved having authority over people. The first time I heard him say that I was shocked. We were all young then, working, raising our kids with good values and I could not believe he felt that way. This whole discussion made me think about him again.

[Teacher Terry]

Bae, it appears that you are in a rural area which is very different from a major city. You can't really compare the 2.

[bae]

Bae, it appears that you are in a rural area which is very different from a major city. You can't really compare the 2.

True. Our officers here usually operate solo, and backup, if there is any available, is 30-45 minutes away. They have a large area to patrol. And their radio and cell phone coverage is spotty at best, so they are often out of communications with dispatch.

I also spend quite a bit of time interacting with the Seattle-area police, as I am a member of the Seattle Police Athletic Association and use the firearms training facilities there a fair bit. The police and other agencies there have been quite nice and friendly, even though I have a loaded gun in my hand. It's a biased sample though, as I suspect that the officers who show up to train are the "good ones".

[flowerseverywhere]

Hi SteveinMN!

I've been thinking about your post here for part of this afternoon and two things come to mind for me. The first is that I am a little surprised you posted this in the sense that you list your location as St. Paul, MN - in the midst of the Twin Cities Metro Area. I don't understand why but Minneapolis/St. Paul has a great quality of life BUT for the past few years has had, and I'm sure you are aware of this, more than it's share of police officers engaging in less than commendable actions and there have been killings - the latest high profile case was the 40 year old Australian national killed by an Officer Noor of the Minneapolis PD.....I would imagine (?) that Twin Cities folks might be more in the mood to seriously question their police departments. I for myself engaged in long distance activism against the Edina, MN police department not too long ago for their harrassment of an African American man committing no crime other than walking down a street in an upscale white suburb and I actually was able to get ahold of a city council member and chew them out for allowing such to take place. At any rate, not living in your area (to be fair) I'm wondering what the climate is like there as to distrust of the police overall? The Twin Cities the past few years have been near the forefront of cases as to why it's wisest not to trust the police, KWIM?

That all said, about the paragraph above replacing the word "Muslim" for police - THE BIG GLARING PROBLEM WITH THIS (capitalized not out of disrespect but to call attention to my point and I do tend to be long-winded, no?) is that the police (let's go back to this word again, please) are supposed to be public employees doing some good and not causing innocent citizens fear and terror. They are not supposed to kill us for flimsy reasons or no reasons at all - or am I missing something - did I sleep in late one day and not get a memo (no sarcasm intended here, I know this sounds a bit sarcastic and you have always been decent to me Steve so I don't mean it this way) - would you not agree that there has been a proliferation of cases of police shootings of a highly questionable nature the past few years, in the Twin Cities and otherwise? Furthermore, the police often suffer no consequences for killing for flimsy reasons or no reasons whatsoever, which to me at least completely negates both your point and the original point of TooMuchStuff. I don't see your points as equal to my point here in the slightest - not that you both can't get points across and not that you both are not articulate people - for me it's the acceptance you both display of the police killing people for flimsy or non-existent reasons. This fact elevates the issues with the police to an entirely different plane. And of course makes it impossible to trust them. At any rate, SteveinMN, please stay safe from your police! I would be afraid to set foot in the Twin Cities now until such a date as changes are made to police departments there and I don't mean this as an insult in any way - I would seriously have some concern for my physical safety and general well being given the recent issues with Twin Cities police in more than one Twin Cities Metro Area municipality.

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your explanation just doesn't do it for me. Trying to destroy other people's lives and take their pension away, whether it is due to their race, sexual orientation, religion, job title or political beliefs is wrong. As I have said, there are bad people in each of the prior categories. Obviously unless you believe for instance LGBT are evil because of your religious beliefs or anyone who is non-Christian is a terrorist, all Republicans are racist or all Democrats are sore losers, most people have life experiences that say otherwise.

The police are supposed to be public servants. But as citizens, we also have a part to play. We are supposed to go to work, follow the laws, vote, pay taxes, take care of our family members and communities. As in ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country culture.

You have an immense amount of crime, way above average in your zip code.

https://www.bestplaces.net/crime/zip.../phoenix/85006

obviously the police are in your neighborhood for a reason. What are you and your neighbors doing to fight crime? I imagine that would curtail many many police visits to your area. If you don't want the police showing up, do something to stop the crime.

[goldensmom]

<gimmethesimplelife> Rob, There is a house for sale down the road from us. You are welcome to buy it and move here. Low crime, a loose cow now and then, eats some corn and hay (destruction of property?) but we just herd it home and deal with it….no law enforcement necessary. Yup, I see that as a solution, come be my neighbor.

[gimmethesimplelife]

<gimmethesimplelife> Rob, There is a house for sale down the road from us. You are welcome to buy it and move here. Low crime, a loose cow now and then, eats some corn and hay (destruction of property?) but we just herd it home and deal with it….no law enforcement necessary. Yup, I see that as a solution, come be my neighbor.

Hi Goldensmom! Just curious, where is the house and how much? There is another poster here who I cant think of their screen name at the moment who has posted of ultra-low housing prices in the Midwest before and given that I never bought into the American belief that one should be living to work instead of working to live, ultra cheap housing sounds very attractive. The only kicker is that such places tend to be very conservative and I've got my life and my husband to think of........But I still think moving to the Midwest is saner than some folks I know that just left the 85006 to move to Nogales, Arizona - right on the border with Mexico. It's overrun with law enforcement of all stripes all over the place and there are stories of local residents hitting the jackpot due to lawsuits over excessive law enforecment behavior. These people I know moved to Nogales hoping for a successful lawsuit - they see moving to the border as a stepping stone.

On the one hand, I find this incredibly depressing that life in America has sunk to this - on the other hand, I don't deny unpleasant reality and I "get it" even if I don't especially like it. How this ties into your post though is that I think the lower priced life you have recommended is saner than that of the people I know hoping to cash in on law enforcement abuse of local residents at the border. Something else too is that I am not the most especially handy person out there but I bet some of this can be learned via youtube videos and patience and trial and error. Rob

[goldensmom]

Hi Goldensmom! Just curious, where is the house and how much?

Michigan and $185,000. How do you feel about snow? It is a relatively politically conservative area. I live 10 miles from a town of about 2500. You’d be my nearest neighbor at 1 ½ miles. It is usually very quiet and really no problems from anyone. Upside, however, there is a new library in town!!

[Alan]

It's overrun with law enforcement of all stripes all over the place and there are stories of local residents hitting the jackpot due to lawsuits over excessive law enforecment behavior. These people I know moved to Nogales hoping for a successful lawsuit - they see moving to the border as a stepping stone.

So you live in and support an area where people go out of their way to instigate incidents with law enforcement in hopes of a lawsuit? Have you ever considered the possibility that law enforcement isn't the problem?

[gimmethesimplelife]

So you live in and support an area where people go out of their way to instigate incidents with law enforcement in hopes of a lawsuit? Have you ever considered the possibility that law enforcement isn't the problem?

No, Alan....please reread my post if you would be so kind. I was speaking of Nogales, Arizona (not Phoenix) and people that I know who have recently moved from the 85006 to Nogales, Arizona, hoping for a lawsuit against law enforcement as law enforcement there lately has been over the top. They told me and my cousin that this is their only hope - this chance to cash in on Trump's America. I find the whole idea depressing but of course I understand. It's what America in it's current form pushes people to. Whether or not it's right or wrong means nothing to me until anyone judging such people finds the emotional strength to turn that finger right back around on America (as it so richly deserves) and asks what about America causes such desperate thinking.........I of course instinctively have emotional strength to this level. Many other people I live amongst in my zip code do too. Rob

PS No need to instigate "law enforcement" in Nogales - they behave in Jeff Payne like ways with no provocation whatsoever. Really, it's like they are begging for lawsuits to occupy their time and feed them some kind of twisted drama. There are of course though who will be practical enough to cash in on this - can you really blame such people, really? I'm not quite equal to this behavior myself but I do understand and respect it even if I do find it depressing - it's only cashing in on what this country has sunk to - nothing more, nothing less. Rob

[Alan]

It's what America in it's current form pushes people to. Whether or not it's right or wrong means nothing to me until anyone judging such people finds the emotional strength to turn that finger right back around on America (as it so richly deserves) and asks what about America causes such desperate thinking.........I of course instinctively have emotional strength to this level. Many other people I live amongst in my zip code do too. Rob

Most people instinctively point fingers in the proper direction. I think you need a new compass.