BLM? Do they matter enough for you to step up?

As I was thinking of random things today, it dawned on me that if more Black people became cops, then they could right the wrongs that exist within the law enforcement community. I realize that cops don't make really great money, but they make enough to survive. And what better way to fix the broken system than from the inside? Collin Capernick, yea, I'm talking to you and all the other millionaires who wish to protest something such as this. Give it a shot. Join the force, end the tyranny.

This isn't some veiled racial jab, it's an actual idea for an end to the insanity. Maybe if cops learned about feelings the black community has for them, from friends rather than briefings, and regular people understood cops from their perspective, some meaningful dialog and learning could take place.

I realize that racial profiling or stereotyping groups is supposed to be bad, but in this case, we have a segregation situation already and trying to bridge that gap, might need some less than politically correct wording.

I'd prefer we all live as brothers, rather than us. vs. them, so this might be a small start to that.

a reply to: network dude
You're wishing upon a star, here...those who do most of the complaining and protesting with/for BLM are the same people who have been raised on a faulty theory of victimhood and oppression in a world where they expect immediate gratification. There is no way that these types of people have what it takes to be an actual solution to the problem and become police officers because that takes hard work, time, and dedication while not only conducting one's self within the law, but holding one's self to a higher standard on top of that.

Furthermore--and I've personally discussed this with people while I was in the military--there is a stigma to doing things like becoming police officers (or Soldiers) or even deviating from the norm in a community of self-proclaimed victims and rising up and bettering yourself and moving out of that community.

Now, there are some good community outreach programs in some areas of the country where LEOs and civilians interact in parks and have cookouts and whatnot, and that does go a long way sometimes in bridging the divide on both sides, but to make the call for people to become LEOs from the BLM group, to me, is just wishful thinking.

I do agree that it would be a major step, though, so it'd be great if it happened...and I'd love for my pessimism to be proven faulty.

If black lives really mattered to BLM they would be having weekly protest marches in cities like Chicago.

No lives matter...because this reality is VR even though most don't realize it. You die and just wake up. Is losing a "game" of life THAT important?

Decriminalizing drugs would have the greatest effect on black/LEO relations. It's the money to be made and the draw that sustains the gangs. More entry-level job opportunities, less single parenting, less welfare programs would all have a net positive effect.

a reply to: network dude

Some of the most viciously racist interactions I've ever seen have been from black citizens directed at black cops. I have nothing to back that up, it's purely personal observations.

Which strikes me as extremely sad, because several of the ones (not all, but many) I've worked with have been guys that came out of the "inner city" or whatever term you want to use, and left it behind. You'd think more folks would view them as a "hey...that guy did it, maybe I can to" type of thing but that seems to be the minority when it comes to reactions.

To be fair, the flip side of that coin is that sometimes black officers are more successful in getting a community to interact with them than officers of other races.

a reply to: SlapMonkey

It just makes sense. We can't expect a white cop who grew up in suburbia to understand the horrors of the Ghetto anymore than you would expect a black kid from the ghetto to know what that same white kid learned while growing up.

I think it should be discussed among community outreach programs or something. Understanding is something you kind of have to learn first hand. Most who complain about the job cops do, would be amazed to find out what it's like from that perspective, and I'd guess the opposite would also be true. I realize it's a tough sell, but it's an idea that kind of puts the ball in BLM's court, and would strengthen the Police forces numbers and public appearance.

Thanks for your perspective either way.

In 2015 African Americans comprised 12.6% of the population. They also comprised 12.7% of all police officers. So they're already slightly over represented.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
In 2015 African Americans comprised 12.6% of the population. They also comprised 12.7% of all police officers. So they're already slightly over represented.

so the racial issues between Police and BLM are all squared away?

originally posted by: network dude

I'd prefer we all live as brothers, rather than us. vs. them, so this might be a small start to that.

The vast majority of us do live as brothers. It's the small groups that make something out of nothing...whether its KKK, BLM, Fascist, anarchist, Antifa etc are all extremist groups that are actually few in numbers. They get noticed because they are loud and the media feeds off them where the silent majority just get on with life on a daily bases.

I remember back with Ferguson a couple of my black friends asked if anyone there had a job since if they did they wouldn't be running around all crazy late at night.

I asked one of my best friends that happens to be black about what he thinks about BLM, and he told me that the reason he lives in a predominantly white neighborhood is because blacks tend to be killed by other blacks...

BLM is not the voice for the majority of the black community, just like any extremest group only have a voice for their own limited views.

a reply to: Xtrozero

I realize things are different all over, but from my experience, there is a disconnect, and it's not something that is small scale. I've lived in a suburb of Cleveland for 20 years and small southern town for 30. It was and is an issue in both places and I suspect others as well.

BLM only exists to push the whole USA is racist narrative. They have no other purpose and help no one except those behind the scenes funding them.

a reply to: network dude

BLM is an extremist media group, only interested in stirring the pot (and the pot does need to be stirred for good reasons sometimes).

However, I do wonder, where is BLM and their supporters in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and the flooding damage, citizen displacement in Greater Houston, TX? Blacks/African Americans make up approximately 25-30% of Greater Houston. That is close to 1.6 Million Black/African Americans in Houston. Doesn't BLM care about their well being? Houstonians do, and we've rolled out to help everyone, but BLM is nowhere to be found. Are they only interested in oppression, specifically Blacks who are oppressed? Are those the only lives that matter, specifically Blacks that are oppressed and only Blacks that are oppressed? What about Blacks whose homes flooded, whose kids have no clothes, or food, or shelter, or transportation?

Clearly BLM has one agenda.

a reply to: network dude

Snitches get stitches and no one authentic would ever sell out like that! :eyeroll:

a reply to: network dude

My black father was a cop. He joined police force in the late 60s when there was still some real racism. He enjoyed the job and did it for almost 30 years.

Most of the issues of distrust stem from mistrust born over generations. One of the things that I think white folks and conservatives often forget is that we are not all that far removed from some extreme racism. I'm in my 40s. My parents lived the civil rights movement. The distrust in the black community runs real deep.

With that said, I think the black community has taken a few wrong turns since the civil rights movement and it has led to the situation we have today. There is a constant preaching of victimization within the community and it is further propagated and encouraged by white guilt liberals.

Policing is a thankless job.

The reality is that a lot of black communities are sh*tholes because of the cultural and social dysfunction that concentrates itself in black ghettos. Even black people don't want to have anything to do with them. It has nothing to do with whether cops are black or white. The dysfunction will still exist.

a reply to: Edumakated

Believe me, anyone who has visited some special small town trailer parks understand that the markers of dysfunction you are talking about work just as well on white people.

My brother-in-law's family is littered with it. My sister got the only really decent one in that batch. To be fair, there were some issues that made it hard for the parents on that side, but one brother has substance abuse problems and the other just really has no clue.

a reply to: network dude

I'm not entirely sure I had a point. Just thought it would be important to have the stats.

originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Edumakated

Believe me, anyone who has visited some special small town trailer parks understand that the markers of dysfunction you are talking about work just as well on white people.

My brother-in-law's family is littered with it. My sister got the only really decent one in that batch. To be fair, there were some issues that made it hard for the parents on that side, but one brother has substance abuse problems and the other just really has no clue.

I don't disagree. That dysfunction is not based on race. Believe me, I have spent more time than I care to admit around "poor white trash" growing up in the south.

I think the larger issue than race is really class.

Back to the OP, the black community just needs a boogeyman to distract from personal and cultural failings. That boogeyman is racism. This is why you get wealthy blacks who by any measure are living the American dream who will constantly cry about racism. It is completely illogical.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

You're the one who doesn't seem to make much sense to address the OP.

I get where you're going. You are pointing out that the police force is obviously an equal opportunity employer because the percentage proportion of black cops mirrors the percentage proportion of blacks in the overall population.

However, somehow, this does not seem to have adequately addressed the supposed racial issues since BLM continues to claim that every white cop wants nothing more than to go into black communities and kill young, black men. It would seem, then that the answer would be for BLM to be the change they want to see (ala Ghandi). If you think the current cops are bad, you should lead by example and become cops. Yes?

If you know so much about how policing should look, then wouldn't the smart solution be for you to become the police?

Apparently, simply having proportional representation on the force is not enough. Perhaps, they need more.

a reply to: Edumakated

A lot of the things you say and the way you say them resonates with me, so based on nothing more than internet dialog, I'd say we are similar. Your dad did a thankless job, but as you say, he loved it. I just can't help but think how many lost people there are who might benefit from the same situation and embrace the same joys of work that some police have. there are many more positive things I can think of for this idea than negative ones.