Stop the non-sense and come down to earth.
Protest demonstrations are praiseworthy as long as they remain orderly and peaceful. But the minute they degenerate into chaos and vandalism, a disciplined police force is absolutely necessary.
And what about when a madman barricaded in his house threatens to kill wife and children…? Who are you going to call? The Holy Spirit?
In any protest, there are well-intentioned citizens… and opportunists looking for trouble or monetary gains. Arson and looting are their way of showing support for their cause.
Talks about disbanding police departments are utter non-sense. If it ever happened, expect unmitigated violence and countless innocent victims.
A society without a police department is bound to hit the reef very quickly. The vacuum created by such an absurd decision would inevitably give birth to different factions fighting for supremacy. And I don’t even dare to imagine what would happen to a country already awash with guns. The combination of social unrest and armed citizens makes for a very volatile combination.
I am pretty sure that nobody wants a Lebanon reoccurrence (15 years of civil war) in a society controlled by armed thugs.
In every barrel, there are some bad apples, but you don’t dispose of the entire barrel because of a few tainted fruits… I don’t know of any perfect organization where every member is beyond criticism. And so are police departments. Some cops are racist and abuse their power, but I believe that the majority of them want to do a good/difficult job.
So, stop the non-sense and consider reasonable alternatives to disbanding police forces.
Reforms, training, and sustained discipline are what are necessary, not some ill-thought idea. Policing a community is a difficult, thankless job and the bad guys are not always in uniform. This is absolutely not an excuse for brutality, but a daily reality.
When stopped by a police officer, do not resist, do not run. Do what experts recommend when confronted by a brown/grizzly bear: play dead. Remain still until the bear leaves the area. Resisting is futile and risky. The cop might be high strung, and you could also be nervous. A volatile combination. Just stay calm and comply with his/her demands. I doubt very much that if you obey, you would be slammed to the ground.
An army is only as good as its command. All the police chiefs ought to be held accountable for the behavior of their troops. If a soldier misbehaves, throw him in the brig, fire the general, and retrain the troops.
So again, stop the non-sense and consider serious reforms instead of disbanding police forces.
Alain