Iris lilies, how are things in your hood?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Well, here's the latest and maybe this can help you'all understand why I see America the way I do - go to dailykos.com if interested. There is a story there to the effect that a memorial was set up for Michael Brown and the police let their dogs urinate on it and then drove over it and destroyed the candles and such there. In my book every last resident in Ferguson deserves a huge settlement for that blatantly inhumane disrespect. I'm hoping this action generates multi-million dollar lawsuits in and of itself and more international and domestic publicity. I'm doing my part by sharing this story all over the net out of sheer and utter disgust, and to promote basic human dignity and basic human rights. Qualities that definitely seem lacking in the Ferguson (and neighboring, too) police as more details are revealed, at least as far their after the shooting death behavior. Rob

[gimmethesimplelife]

Maybe we can make things less scary for you:

I've witnessed police brutality towards Hispanics here in Phoenix - there will be no going back for me - I will always fear and distrust American police and American courts. I've seen both work against too many people to ever waste faith and/or trust in either of these two concepts. Rob

[Yossarian]

I will always fear and distrust American police and American courts.

I'm sure that is easy to fit into your victimization narrative but as you can see from numerous inner city examples it's probably a self-defeating posture.

[gimmethesimplelife]

I'm sure that is easy to fit into your victimization narrative but as you can see from numerous inner city examples it's probably a self-defeating posture.

Did you not read my post about police disrespect at the Michael Brown memorial? Having their dogs urinating over it and then driving over it? And this is acceptable police behavior to you? Rob

[Yossarian]

Did you not read my post about police disrespect at the Michael Brown memorial? Having their dogs urinating over it and then driving over it? And this is acceptable police behavior to you? Rob

Sure, and it is meaningless in the big picture. If we find people exercising bad judgment we need to address it individually not trash everyone or the whole system. I'm not a cheerleader, just a realist. We ask regular people to do a very hard job. You are bound to have circumstances where mistakes are made. I personally have experienced police behavior that I objected to. But I don't know of any better system, so the answer has to be to address issues as you find them and not to get all chicken little about it.

There are places in the inner cities that have your attitude. I don't see them as more attractive places to live than other communites that support their police force. As flawed as its application may be at times, the rule of law is perhaps the biggest thing to me that separates palces I want to live from those I don't.

[bae]

As flawed as its application may be at times, the rule of law is perhaps the biggest thing to me that separates palces I want to live from those I don't.

My town, rule-of-law:




Rob's Dream Town, no rule-of-law:

[gimmethesimplelife]

Sure, and it is meaningless in the big picture. If we find people exercising bad judgment we need to address it individually not trash everyone or the whole system. I'm not a cheerleader, just a realist. We ask regular people to do a very hard job. You are bound to have circumstances where mistakes are made. I personally have experienced police behavior that I objected to. But I don't know of any better system, so the answer has to be to address issues as you find them and not to get all chicken little about it.

There are places in the inner cities that have your attitude. I don't see them as more attractive places to live than other communites that support their police force. As flawed as its application may be at times, the rule of law is perhaps the biggest thing to me that separates palces I want to live from those I don't.

I can meet you halfway and agree that we are asking regular people to do a hard job and that being human, mistakes are going to be made. And I'm not at all against the rule of law. WHAT I AM AGAINST IS THIS: A pattern of police behavior and over the top misconduct that we witnessed in Ferguson. After reading about the police letting dogs urinate on the Michael Brown memorial and then driving over it, honestly, I'm thinking there should be a minimum one million dollar settlement for all residents of Ferguson and that any officer involved, immediate termination and pension loss with both domestic and international news media and social media coverage. I'm of the opinion that instant pension loss in such cases would quickly end such incidents and they would not cost taxpayers anything - if anything, with terror of financial loss hanging over their heads 24/7, the police would be less likely to misbehave and there would be fewer huge settlements of the sort that are coming to Ferguson not too far off. The rule of law is not a bad thing - I won't disagree with that - but the rule of law has to work TWO WAYS with the police not being above the law, otherwise the rule of law is essentially meaningless. In Ferguson the law of law, due to police misconduct, quickly became meaningless, we all witnessed this with our own eyes. I'm so grateful for social media and the numerous lawsuits soon coming. At least people are standing up and fighting back in some legal ways. And I'd bet there will be more of this going forward. There's too much anger and inequality out there for it to rest at this point. Rob

[bae]

Rob doesn't understand that "due process" is an important part of rule of law.

Rob doesn't even understand what the law is though.

I'd deconstruct the "driving-over-the-memorial-in-the-middle-of-the-street" incident, but Rob doesn't like critical thinking. (Here, I must say, we put up our memorials for the dead along the *side* of the public right-of-way, not in the middle of the street. Places where anarchy reigns may have different local customs.)

[gimmethesimplelife]

Rob doesn't understand that "due process" is an important part of rule of law.

Rob doesn't even understand what the law is though.

I'd deconstruct the "driving-over-the-memorial-in-the-middle-of-the-street" incident, but Rob doesn't like critical thinking. (Here, I must say, we put up our memorials for the dead along the *side* of the public right-of-way, not in the middle of the street. Places where anarchy reigns may have different local customs.)

Then the police need to explain this doesn't belong in the middle of the street, minus the dogs urinating on it and minus driving over it to destroy it. Big time mistakes and not going to win the Ferguson police any friends or influence people - at least not in a positive way. I'll await the inevitable lawsuits and follow them with pleasure. Behaving like storm troopers like that? Instant lawsuits. There is something to be grateful for. Rob

About the law? The law needs to work BOTH ways - something Ferguson has made abundantly clear is that it doesn't always. At least we have social media and lawsuit settlements to force necessary corrections. I still do believe some good may very well come of this. Rob

[bae]

Then the police need to explain this doesn't belong in the middle of the street...

I don't think that will gain much traction in a neighborhood where the police need to explain "you probably shouldn't gather in crowds and loot and burn stores".