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I'm Canadian and I'd say about 95% of America is almost as safe as Canada. Or at least as safe as Brampton, Ontario (a poorish city, but not crazy). That last

I'm Canadian and I'd say about 95% of America is almost as safe as Canada. Or at least as safe as Brampton, Ontario (a poorish city, but not crazy). That last 5% is fucked up though. Detroit itself is beyond fucked up. I used to run a construction site at Jane and Finch (Canada's worst intersection at the time) in 2004-2006 and a couple years later I went through Detroit while picking up my friend's car. No contest between the two. The bad part of Detroit (70% of it) was like a failed 3rd world country. I was literally told to leave the area of town I was in when I got to the closed (at least for people importing a car) boarder. I got pulled over by cops kinda near that area and you could tell they had an obvious power trip "respect my authority" vibe to them. But then there is Salt Lake City, or Kansas City, or even poor, but hospitable places like Cleveland. They feel just as nice as Canada. Nice cops. Nice people. No sense of foreboding. America has a huge range of situations.

wil421 11y ago
I'd be inclined to agree, most of America is safe but there are some rough areas. Atlanta has some places that are more like war zones than anything else. It's just as bad as some places I've seen in Central America. The state patrols around my area have the you better "respect my authority" vibe. I was screamed at because my vehicle smelled like alcohol (due to passengers) when I was being the sober driver for the night. It's also unfortunate what happened to your friend. I dont fault the police for their methods, I think its a reaction to the realities they have faced. The big problem is they shouldn't be using those methods in every situation.
- mikepurvis 11y ago
  I fault them. And if more people did instead of making excuses, it would change. The big problem is that there is literally actually zero accountability around the use of "those methods", not during, not afterward. "Those methods" are used over and over again, sometimes even by the same individuals. There are no repercussions, no consequences, nothing. How many police officers have faced a judge for assault and murder? Maybe they'd take the responsibility of their position a little more seriously if they actually had to make a case that the action was justified, and go to prison otherwise.
  - krapp 11y ago
    >The big problem is that there is literally actually zero accountability around the use of "those methods", not during, not afterward. "Those methods" are used over and over again, sometimes even by the same individuals. There are no repercussions, no consequences, nothing. This is certainly a bold statement, and worth trying to dig into, because at least in the case of police shootings, it seems obviously and demonstrably untrue. Credible statistics on police related shootings are apparently difficult to come by. However, this study by the Washington Post[0] and Bowling Green State University[1] suggests that the ratio of incidents (including accidental shootings and what would be considered legitimate shootings) to convictions is about 1000/1. If taken at face value, the legal system seems unreasonably biased in favor of law enforcement, (certainly, people who aren't cops can't expect those odds) and against non-white victims in particular, But accountability is still not "literally actually zero." This is an important distinction to make, I believe, because a system in which accountability is difficult, and one in which it doesn't even exist, are vastly different in terms of practical, possible solutions worth discussing. Hyperbole only serves to pour fuel on what is already a volatile subject (especially on the internet, especially among so-called hackers on the internet.) [0]http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377509/-New-study-reveals-that-for-every-1-000-people-killed-by-police-1-officer-is-convicted-of-a-crime http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377509/-New-study-... [1]https://blogs.bgsu.edu/pilproject/2014/08/20/police-crime-involving-firearms/ https://blogs.bgsu.edu/pilproject/2014/08/20/police-crime-in...

wil421 11y ago

I'd be inclined to agree, most of America is safe but there are some rough areas. Atlanta has some places that are more like war zones than anything else. It's just as bad as some places I've seen in Central America. The state patrols around my area have the you better "respect my authority" vibe. I was screamed at because my vehicle smelled like alcohol (due to passengers) when I was being the sober driver for the night. It's also unfortunate what happened to your friend. I dont fault the police for their methods, I think its a reaction to the realities they have faced. The big problem is they shouldn't be using those methods in every situation.

mikepurvis 11y ago
I fault them. And if more people did instead of making excuses, it would change. The big problem is that there is literally actually zero accountability around the use of "those methods", not during, not afterward. "Those methods" are used over and over again, sometimes even by the same individuals. There are no repercussions, no consequences, nothing. How many police officers have faced a judge for assault and murder? Maybe they'd take the responsibility of their position a little more seriously if they actually had to make a case that the action was justified, and go to prison otherwise.
- krapp 11y ago
  >The big problem is that there is literally actually zero accountability around the use of "those methods", not during, not afterward. "Those methods" are used over and over again, sometimes even by the same individuals. There are no repercussions, no consequences, nothing. This is certainly a bold statement, and worth trying to dig into, because at least in the case of police shootings, it seems obviously and demonstrably untrue. Credible statistics on police related shootings are apparently difficult to come by. However, this study by the Washington Post[0] and Bowling Green State University[1] suggests that the ratio of incidents (including accidental shootings and what would be considered legitimate shootings) to convictions is about 1000/1. If taken at face value, the legal system seems unreasonably biased in favor of law enforcement, (certainly, people who aren't cops can't expect those odds) and against non-white victims in particular, But accountability is still not "literally actually zero." This is an important distinction to make, I believe, because a system in which accountability is difficult, and one in which it doesn't even exist, are vastly different in terms of practical, possible solutions worth discussing. Hyperbole only serves to pour fuel on what is already a volatile subject (especially on the internet, especially among so-called hackers on the internet.) [0]http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377509/-New-study-reveals-that-for-every-1-000-people-killed-by-police-1-officer-is-convicted-of-a-crime http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/14/1377509/-New-study-... [1]https://blogs.bgsu.edu/pilproject/2014/08/20/police-crime-involving-firearms/ https://blogs.bgsu.edu/pilproject/2014/08/20/police-crime-in...