4 ms·

I’ve had a completely different experience than you. Cops who I’ve known have been pretty normal, compassionate people. They routinely tell me the most importan

I’ve had a completely different experience than you. Cops who I’ve known have been pretty normal, compassionate people. They routinely tell me the most important skill in effective law enforcement is your ability to communicate.

deleted 5y ago
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Jtsummers 5y ago
This gets toward the heart of the issue here. (Also, same issue when discussing public education.) Reasonable people living in different places or with different skin colors (as a specific differentiator) in the same place have vastly different experiences with the same individuals or police forces. This creates a fundamental conflict in the discussion/debate because both sides are speaking about it (usually) as if their experience is the experience. Live in many southern US towns and you'll see very different treatment of people based on race which has a natural result that white people view cops as reasonable and polite (their experience) and black or Hispanic people view cops as unreasonable and oppressive (their experience).
yardie 5y ago
Something tells me you don't get detained enough by the police because you "match the description"
- joejerryronnie 5y ago
  I’m talking about a few people I know personally who happen to be cops (some white dudes, some POCs). Obviously this is anecdotal, as is the original comment I replied to. However, I did experience profiling several times when I was younger and drove a mini-truck in the Bay Area. I have slightly darker skin and am routinely mistaken for hispanic. In the couple of years I owned the mini-truck, I was pulled over several times for things like a tail light out (it wasn’t), or “reports of stolen trucks that fit this description”. While unfair from a profiling perspective, I was compliant and polite, and the cops were professional (outside of the initial profiling). After running my license and registration they always let me on my way without any harassment. Now, I’m not saying my experience is indicative of other’s experience with cops but just that I’ve glimpsed the other side a bit.
  - yardie 5y ago
    This... "outside of the initial profiling" doesn't jibe with this... "let me on my way without any harassment."
    - joejerryronnie 5y ago
      Sure, I should have said without any further harassment. But they did not escalate the situation. I’m sure if I was not very compliant, things could have turned out differently.

deleted 5y ago

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Jtsummers 5y ago

This gets toward the heart of the issue here. (Also, same issue when discussing public education.) Reasonable people living in different places or with different skin colors (as a specific differentiator) in the same place have vastly different experiences with the same individuals or police forces. This creates a fundamental conflict in the discussion/debate because both sides are speaking about it (usually) as if their experience is the experience. Live in many southern US towns and you'll see very different treatment of people based on race which has a natural result that white people view cops as reasonable and polite (their experience) and black or Hispanic people view cops as unreasonable and oppressive (their experience).

yardie 5y ago

Something tells me you don't get detained enough by the police because you "match the description"

joejerryronnie 5y ago
I’m talking about a few people I know personally who happen to be cops (some white dudes, some POCs). Obviously this is anecdotal, as is the original comment I replied to. However, I did experience profiling several times when I was younger and drove a mini-truck in the Bay Area. I have slightly darker skin and am routinely mistaken for hispanic. In the couple of years I owned the mini-truck, I was pulled over several times for things like a tail light out (it wasn’t), or “reports of stolen trucks that fit this description”. While unfair from a profiling perspective, I was compliant and polite, and the cops were professional (outside of the initial profiling). After running my license and registration they always let me on my way without any harassment. Now, I’m not saying my experience is indicative of other’s experience with cops but just that I’ve glimpsed the other side a bit.
- yardie 5y ago
  This... "outside of the initial profiling" doesn't jibe with this... "let me on my way without any harassment."
  - joejerryronnie 5y ago
    Sure, I should have said without any further harassment. But they did not escalate the situation. I’m sure if I was not very compliant, things could have turned out differently.