Police violence, rising crime: a modest proposal ...

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

In response to an armed Hispanic man being shot while fleeing our city council released a statement. Here’s a partial bit:

”The council said they will carefully examine the training that is provided by the Police Officer Standards Training (POST), and by the Salt Lake City Police Department for new officers. They also plan to get community, academic and professional advice to decide what type of training is needed as well as plans to continue funding social workers in the police department and potentially expanding their role.”

Huh. They want to EXPAND THEIR ROLE.

Huh. Interesting.

- Doc

[_ajax18]

You can still enjoy city life if you want. You just have to drive to get it.

Yeah, that would be ideal. A large percent of my senior citizen clientele live just outside my city for tax purposes. I've noticed that with the exception of Memphis, most criminals in most cities don't pack up and head out to the suburbs to case houses and cars to rob and vandalize. They usually stay downtown and look for the most convenient targets.

[_ajax18]

You assume good wifi signal in rural areas and you'd be wrong.

You're right about that. It cost my folks $375/month for high speed internet and cable TV in WV.

[_Jersey Girl]

You can still enjoy city life if you want. You just have to drive to get it.

Yeah, that would be ideal. A large percent of my senior citizen clientele live just outside my city for tax purposes. I've noticed that with the exception of Memphis, most criminals in most cities don't pack up and head out to the suburbs to case houses and cars to rob and vandalize. They usually stay downtown and look for the most convenient targets.

We deal with some of that, too. Also illegal grow houses that get busted from time to time. Not a huge issue though. Apparently people think they can grow in a barn or out in the open. Trust me. Your neighbors know if something's up in rural areas. We value our privacy but we look out for each other, too.

[_ajax18]

Trust me. Your neighbors know if something's up in rural areas. We value our privacy but we look out for each other, too.

My neighbors look out for me here. But I've never seen anything a degenerate as inner city Memphis. The thieves got in their cars every morning and probably passed the people whose houses they were going to rob that day driving to work going the other way on I-40. One of my classmates woke up to find the wheel of his truck stolen, not the truck, just the wheel.

I had neighbors, a man and wife who were both black police officers. They didn't keep their picnic table chained to a tree. Hence they caught one of the urban kleptomaniacs carrying their table off their property. She was appalled and he was really ticked off. They beat that man senseless. They were all black. Race wasn't an issue. And as far as I know that was the end of it.

[_Some Schmo]

As opposed to the GOP who have been soft on crime all along. They have to be since they commit most of it.

Wow, do you really believe that or is that just hope creeping into the objective reality you strive for?

Of course I believe that. I'm paying attention to what's going on, not distracting myself with propaganda.

You can try to deny Trump and his cronies aren't all damned criminals, but that would be a consequence of your blind devotion to rationalizing the GOP. Everyone who isn't in the Trump cult can see it quite clearly. You would too if you spent about two minutes pretending Trump was still a Democrat.

[_Some Schmo]

I figured you would like rural living since you can work online? Lower rent, less traffic, and even if you hate conservatives there aren't that many of them even where they are a majority.

I've lived in big cities like Atlanta and I've lived in the sticks (and every population density in between, it feels like). I was just talking to my wife about this last night: there are pros and cons no matter where you live. I moved from Atlanta to the sticks specifically because Atlanta traffic is horrid, but guess what... where I was happy with negligible traffic, I was compensated with the frustration of trying to find a decent handyman. It is NOT fun to own a house out in the middle of nowhere.

And I don't hate conservatives. The majority of people I listen to are conservatives. You really should take some time to learn what that word means, ajax. Trump and the current GOP are not damned conservative, and neither are you if you like what he's doing.

If they actually are conservative, then they suck at effecting conservative policy.

[_Gunnar]

I tend to agree that Trump and his most of today's GOP are not truly conservatives in that they don't come close to living up to what used to be conservative ideals of morality and honesty and genuine respect and concern for the rights and opinions of others -- even those with whom they don't always agree. To call them conservatives, is grossly insulting to traditional conservatism, which is why quit the Republican party many years ago. Their nearly insane and disrespectful rejection of much of soundly established scientific reality is one of the main things I just couldn't stomach.

[_Doctor CamNC4Me]

Minneapolis (well, 9 councilmembers) is vowing to disband the police.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... orge-floyd

THAT'S WEIRD. I MEAN, THAT'S REALLY WEIRD. HUH.

"... Our commitment is to end policing as we know it and to recreate systems of public safety that actually keep us safe.”

Nine councilmembers announced their support and represent a supermajority on the twelve-person council, meaning the mayor, who earlier this weekend opposed disbanding the department, cannot override them."

I wonder what it'll look like? Perhaps we can take clue from this man:

"Tony Williams, a member of MPD150, a Minneapolis group whose literature on building a “police-free future” has been widely shared during the protests. “There’s a groundswell of support for this."

What is the MPD150's vision for policing?

"The people who respond to crises in our community should be the people who are best-equipped to deal with those crises. Rather than strangers armed with guns, who very likely do not live in the neighborhoods they’re patrolling, we want to create space for more mental health service providers, social workers, victim/survivor advocates, religious leaders, neighbors, healers, and friends– all of the people who really make up the fabric of a community– to look out for one another."

HUH. THAT'S WEIRD. THAT'S TOTALLY WEIRD. WHERE IN THE damned WORLD DID I GET THE IDEA THAT LEFTISTS WANT SOCIAL WORKERS TO REPLACE THE POLICE? HUH. CRAZY.

More about the MPD150 can be found in their About section:

https://www.mpd150.com/about/

To be fair, it's an interesting idea. If they get their way (and it looks like the idea is gaining traction across the country) we'll see how it works out.

- Doc

[_Gunnar]

More about the MPD150 can be found in their About section:

https://www.mpd150.com/about/

To be fair, it's an interesting idea. If they get their way (and it looks like the idea is gaining traction across the country) we'll see how it works out.

- Doc

Wouldn't we still need to have some people with the authority, resources and training to apprehend, arrest and incarcerate murderers, assaulters, thieves, sexual molesters, traffic violators and others who endanger public safety, and what would we call those tasked with that responsibility, other than police?