It’s the brazenness that shocks me. The whole MAGA thing and its particularly pernicious mutation in Florida is rooted exclusively in White Supremacy and White Nationalism. It’s been that way from the jump. But now they don’t even try to hide it anymore. This is America?
Sadly, many would say it is.
Cowardly denial is on shameful display every time we mourn another young
Black male victim of police brutality. Our law enforcement institutions and criminal justice system continue to fail our non-white citizens. We do practice legal apartheid.
The deflective denial is always the same. “Ninety-nine percent of cops are wonderful public servants” we chirp dismissively and obliviously on our way to spin class.
OK. I would hope so. But good cops aren’t the issue. Good cops are not the problem. And merely praising good cops does absolutely nothing to solve—or even begin to address—our problem.
We can argue pointlessly about “percentages.” But while bad cops may be a small minority, they are nevertheless a ubiquitous one. They are everywhere. Even if it’s “one bad apple,” there is at least one bad apple in virtually every apple barrel.
With apologies to Donny Osmond, in this case one bad apple DOES spoil the whole bunch.
Yes, Certainly we love our good cops.
But good cops are not the issue. Bad cops are.
We are what we tolerate.
“Groundhog Day,” indeed.