Tall Tree Short Noose

There is a disturbing trend of cop on citizen abuse in this country.  I remember thinking that N.W.A.’s infamous “Fuck Da Police” was gangster thug crap that only glorified criminal culture.  Which is true, it does that, but it has more to say.  Blacks in this country have more run ins with the law compared to whites.  It’s understandable that they are more sensitive to encounters with the police, and may be more acutely tuned into abuse of police power.

My two most recent encounters with the police were straightforward affairs.  The first incident I was stopped and searched illegally.  The second incident I was clearly guilty and was told to fix the problem ASAP. 

The gal who works in the office next to me just had an interesting police experience.  She bought a new car.  It had temp plates.  On the last day that her temp plates were good she was stopped 6 times and cited 6 times with written warnings for driving on expired plates, that were not expired.  This happened in less than a two hours. 

All three of these police encounters happened within ten miles of each other.  The difference between them was that the city cops committed the two instances of police abuse of power.  The city cops have a reputation for just this sort of thing.

You might be tempted to point out that these are relatively minor issues.  Perhaps that is true.  What about C.J. Grisham? The Grisham incident happened this last week in Temple Texas.  I have a good friend whose father is a retired cop from of all places, Temple Texas.  I never thought this would have happened there.  The long and short of the story is that C.J. Grisham was arrested for not breaking the law.  You can read about the injustice of War Veteran Arrested here.

Cops have two basic forms of authority.  The first is legal authority.  Society recognizes them as the enforcers of law and matters of justice.  The second form of authority is moral authority.  Traditionally this is why we allow them to have legal authority.  Moral authority in police work is based on the assumption that the police are the “good guys” and that they are “helping people” by enforcing the law and keeping the peace. 

What happens when police lose moral authority, yet retain legal authority?  First, they lose the confidence of the people that they allegedly protect and serve. Second, every action, both legitimate and illegal comes into question.  Third, we as a people lose rational reason to believe that the police are the “good guys”.  Forth, even middle-aged white guys who pay their taxes, go to church and are supporters of law and order come to see cops as the enemy of law, freedom, and civilization. 

When white taxpayers, living in the land of Chris Ladoux, who have lived 40, 50, 60 or even 70 years without breaking the law, come to the conclusion that N.W.A. was right, we have a problem.  The police have lost their moral authority.  This trend must stop now.  Bad cops have to go to jail, or in cases of lessor offences at least be fired and never allowed to carry a badge again.  A great country cannot survive when the criminals are the cops and the law is whatever the group with the most guns says it is.