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I think it does. Street-level cops have no power over policy or politics. They can certainly seem very powerful on a person-to-person level, but in terms of g

I think it does. Street-level cops have no power over policy or politics. They can certainly seem very powerful on a person-to-person level, but in terms of government policy or national culture they are very small. Flynt instigated fights with far bigger things than local cops.

ceejayoz 3y ago
> Street-level cops have no power over policy or politics. Sure they do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrolmen%27s_Benevolent_Association_Riot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrolmen%27s_Benevolent_Assoc... San Francisco's cops bombed the mayor's house in 1975. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Police_Department#1975_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Police_Departmen... These are big incidents, but their political power is quite clear on a regular basis. NY's police union head even spoke at the RNC in the last presidential election. https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/rnc-2020-nypd-union-head-says-democrats-have-surrendered-our-streets/ https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/rnc-2020-nypd-union-head-says-... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapo... > They aggressively protect the rights of members accused of misconduct, often in arbitration hearings that they have battled to keep behind closed doors. And they have also been remarkably effective at fending off broader change, using their political clout and influence to derail efforts to increase accountability. > When liberal politicians do try to advance reform proposals, union officials have resorted to highly provocative rhetoric and hard-boiled campaign tactics to lash out at them. This past week, the head of the sergeants’ union in New York posted a police report on Twitter revealing personal information about the daughter of Mr. de Blasio, who had been arrested during a protest.
Clubber 3y ago
>They can certainly seem very powerful on a person-to-person level, but in terms of government policy or national culture they are very small. That is incredibly naive. I would argue the police unions are the most powerful unions in the country by quite a large margin.
- olliej 3y ago
  In any real sense the police "unions" are unique in that they're the only union that actively opposed and attacks other unions. Every union other than the police unions is attacked because they "hurt the economy" (they don't, and they're the reason for most improvements to compensation and working hours normal people experience). Every other union will refuse to cross picket lines, whereas police unions actively assault picket lines, and have repeatedly murdered strikers, and also covered up murders of strikers. Police, and their union, are sufficiently anti-union that it's absurd that they're still a "police union" rather than a gang. After all the police union is the only one permitted to use force, and is the only one allowed to break the law, and the only one that gets to kill others.

ceejayoz 3y ago

> Street-level cops have no power over policy or politics. Sure they do. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrolmen%27s_Benevolent_Association_Riot https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrolmen%27s_Benevolent_Assoc... San Francisco's cops bombed the mayor's house in 1975. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Police_Department#1975_strike https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Police_Departmen... These are big incidents, but their political power is quite clear on a regular basis. NY's police union head even spoke at the RNC in the last presidential election. https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/rnc-2020-nypd-union-head-says-democrats-have-surrendered-our-streets/ https://nypost.com/2020/08/27/rnc-2020-nypd-union-head-says-... https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapolis-kroll.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/06/us/police-unions-minneapo... > They aggressively protect the rights of members accused of misconduct, often in arbitration hearings that they have battled to keep behind closed doors. And they have also been remarkably effective at fending off broader change, using their political clout and influence to derail efforts to increase accountability. > When liberal politicians do try to advance reform proposals, union officials have resorted to highly provocative rhetoric and hard-boiled campaign tactics to lash out at them. This past week, the head of the sergeants’ union in New York posted a police report on Twitter revealing personal information about the daughter of Mr. de Blasio, who had been arrested during a protest.

Clubber 3y ago

>They can certainly seem very powerful on a person-to-person level, but in terms of government policy or national culture they are very small. That is incredibly naive. I would argue the police unions are the most powerful unions in the country by quite a large margin.

olliej 3y ago
In any real sense the police "unions" are unique in that they're the only union that actively opposed and attacks other unions. Every union other than the police unions is attacked because they "hurt the economy" (they don't, and they're the reason for most improvements to compensation and working hours normal people experience). Every other union will refuse to cross picket lines, whereas police unions actively assault picket lines, and have repeatedly murdered strikers, and also covered up murders of strikers. Police, and their union, are sufficiently anti-union that it's absurd that they're still a "police union" rather than a gang. After all the police union is the only one permitted to use force, and is the only one allowed to break the law, and the only one that gets to kill others.