Police aggression; civilian aggression
I may get flamed for this post, but I hope not banned from DU. I have been a member here for quite a few years.
I abhor the military style aggression of the local police forces, in such places as Ferguson. We all need cops who keep the peace, not encouraging war-like scenarios. I am very sympathetic to police, as they deal on a daily basis with the worst sides of our citizenry - and I praise them and don't know how they manage to do that without going crazy. But maybe the military style aggression has gone too far.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I used to work in downtown Philadelphia. Took the train into the city daily, from the suburbs. I'll never forget how fearful I often was, walking around the city at lunch time. It was in a "good" area, with high rise offices all around. It was not "the projects". Why? Often there were groups of young black men, walking around with an aggressive attitude - I could palpably feel it - and they really scared me. They were young, strong and arrogant. I was very afraid.
Once my boss asked me to come into the office around 1 am to fix some machine. I refused; I could not risk being there by myself.
I don't condone police shootings. But I some times think young men - of many colors - have anger and aggression that they do not try to hide. I'm not naive; I have lived in many parts of the US, and traveled to many cities around the world. It's just that certain behavior still frightens me.
Go ahead and flame...
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