America's Authoritarian Police Violently Enforce the 1%'s Rule

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http://www.alternet.org/americas-authoritarian-police-violently-enforce-1s-rule

The deaths of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, gunned down by a mentally unstable man who later committed suicide, have been accompanied by public rituals of mourning. Unfortunately, they've also been accompanied by many public figures villifying the those who demand accountabilty for police brutality.

In a sign of how debased American cultural values have become (especially on the Right), a plea for human dignity, civil rights, and an end to police brutality against people of color can be twisted and warped into some type of provocation to violence against the police.

The millions of Americans who want police to act in a professional and responsible manner by not abusing those they are ostensibly “sworn to protect” are not endorsing premeditated violence against police. Rather, those Americans of conscience who are standing up against police brutality believe that the dignity and safety of all people are paramount virtues.

And while it may be a challenging truth for some, as I wrote here, the lives or Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu are no more valuable or sacred than those of Eric Garner, Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, John Crawford, or any other human being. Human rights are universal. The lives of police are no more valuable or special than those of any other citizen: to not embrace this fact leads to a type of creeping fascism or authoritarianism by legitimating police thuggery and abuse of the public.

[WillyT]

1. K & R !!!