Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
That said, in light of the mayhem going on I don't see much political or public support for American cops in urban areas adopting a more Dudley Do-Right approach to their work. In that sense I'd agree that the rioting and looting are probably very counter-productive.
If anyone thinks that the ultimate result of this will be a more emasculated police community they need to have their head examined.
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Indeed.
The reason why Martin Luther King Jr. looks so good in hindsight is that he advocated non-violence. So, his protests were non-violent in the face of extreme violence from the police.
So, as the average American watched police sending vicious dogs after non-violent protesters, the police looked like the bad guys.
A heavy-handed response to looters looks like 'law and order'. A heavy-handed response to peaceful protesters looks like the police are bad guys. If you're trying to influence public opinion, which looks better?
The video of the arrest spoke for itself and was a severe blow to the thin blue line. The looting undoes that.
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