The war against the police did not start with the deaths of Michael Brown, or Eric Garner, or George Floyd. The war was started by President Barack Obama on July 16, 2009 with the arrest of his personal friend, Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Before knowing the facts that led to the arrest, Obama attacked all police officers by declaring: “What I think we know separate and apart from this incident is that there’s a long history in this country of African Americans and Latinos being stopped by law enforcement disproportionately.”
The Black Lives Matter movement, a leading proponent of the war, began in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. A little known fact is that the BLM movement was co-founded by Patrisse Cullors, an avowed Marxist, with the aim of overthrowing the American government.
BLM was never about saving black lives. It is not concerned about the daily killings of blacks by blacks in the nation’s urban centers. And it is actually not concerned about blacks killed by cops. Abetted by the media, BLM uses incidents where white cops kill black men to foment the protests and riots that have led to the arrests of cops for doing their jobs, thereby paralyzing the police. Patrisse Cullors and the other BLM leaders know that in order to overthrow the government you must first paralyze the police.
These turbulent times are not just an uprising by African-Americans. Images of the protesters and rioters clearly reveal there are far more whites than blacks participating. The whites are mostly middle-class college students and graduates. They have been conned by the big lies of BLM, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and the media into believing they are fighting against racial injustice and against the racist police who are brutalizing blacks for being black. For instance, there is no evidence that any of the officers involved in the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks were racists.
The media is a key element in the war against the police. America’s 800,000 law enforcement officers have about 375 million annual encounters with civilians. The vast majority of those encounters are uneventful. With that many LEOs thee are bound to be some encounters between civilians and bad cops. Even though cases of police brutality are a daily occurrence, they are a very tiny fraction of all the police encounters with civilians. But the media keeps cherry picking acts of police brutality against blacks to the extent that they appear to represent common police behavior. And the media does BLMs bidding by highlighting the incidents where white cops kill black men.
The white protesters and the media are weapons of mass destruction in BLM’s arsenal.
Politicians have been quick to kowtow to BLM. Barack Obama did not stop with his 2009 attack on the police. When in July 2016 five Dallas police officers were slain in an ambush by a black man, then President Obama said black parents were right to fear that their children may be killed by police officers whenever they go outside. When George Floyd was murdered by a white cop, Obama called for police reform and said that it was “tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’” for millions of black Americans to be treated differently by a racist criminal justice system.
When George Floyd was killed, Joe ‘White Obama’ Biden did his part in the war by declaring that all blacks fear for their safety from “bad police” and black children must be instructed to tolerate police abuse just so they can “make it home.”
And even now, more than two months after George Floyd’s death, Barack Obama continues to be a warrior against cops. While delivering the eulogy at the funeral of civil rights icon John Lewis, the former president said: “Bull Connor may be gone. But today we witness with our own eyes police officers kneeling on the necks of Black Americans.”
Many other politicians have joined in with the BLM movement. Muriel Bowser, mayor of the nation’s capital, and New York’s Sandinista-loving Mayor Bill de Blasio defaced their streets with huge BLM murals. And the two mayors also stuck their thumbs into President Trump’s eye, with Bowser having the mural painted on the street near the White House and de Blasio personally helping to paint one of his city’s seven murals directly in front of the Trump Tower.
And politically-motivated prosecutors have joined the war against the police by charging cops with assault and murder when things go bad while they are trying to arrest a criminal or trying to take a mentally ill person into custody.
Prominent sports figures have also joined in with BLM’s war on the police. A shameless Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, has joined the ranks of those who openly express their hatred of the police. He apologized to Colin Kaepernick and the league’s black players for failing to recognize the suffering blacks have experienced at the hands of the police. And the NFL is now considering listing the names of blacks killed by the police on uniforms through decals on helmets or patches on jerseys.
And what have the police chiefs done about the war against the police? Except for a few sheriffs, they have kept mostly silent for fear of getting fired. In fact, many cowardly chiefs are licking the boots of those that are waging war against the police.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea caved in to Mayor de Blasio’s demand that he fire officer Daniel Pantaleo, a good cop, for his part in the death of Eric Garner. Pantaleo was unjustly fired for trying to subdue a 395-pound Garner who kept shoving several other cops away while resisting arrest. In the struggle, Pantaleo applied what appeared to be a forbidden chokehold, but that did not warrant his firing. The BLM mobs howled that the officer be fired and put on trial for the murder of Garner.
Some chiefs even joined the BLM protesters. Art Acevedo, Houston’s poor excuse for a police chief, knelt with and hugged several protesters even though 33 of his officers had been injured and 16 HPD patrol cars had been damaged or destroyed earlier by the BLM mobs. And on the same day that BLM mobs ransacked many Manhattan shops, Chief of Department Terence Monahan, NYPD’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, knelt in solidarity with the protesters.
Then, what have the cops done about the war being waged against them? Practically nothing. They are not interfering with the defacing and destruction of statues of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Christopher Columbus and Confederate war heroes, For instance, on July 4th a BLM mob in Baltimore tore down a statue of Columbus and tossed it into the harbor while the police who were present did absolutely nothing.
On July 15, a number of misguided cops joined a protest march across the Brooklyn Bridge. A clash ensued with the police who were trying to maintain order. Four officers, including Chief Monahan, were injured when they were beaned by bat-wielding ‘peaceful’ protesters. Most NY cops must have had a good laugh over Monahan getting his head strummed since earlier their boot-licking chief had knelt with the BLM protesters.
When Beyoncé glorified the police-murdering Black Panthers in her shameful half-time performance at Super Bowl 50, cops should have boycotted the Queen Bitch. Instead, they eagerly accept the off-duty jobs of providing security for her concerts. And instead of boycotting the NFL, cops will continue to accept those off-duty security jobs for the league’s games. Beyoncé is and the NFL will be paying them with blood money … the blood of their fellow officers that have been killed by black men. (THE ONLY GOOD PIG IS A DEAD PIG – Illustration from Black Panther children’s coloring book)
Cops are letting the police unions do their fighting. Patrick Lynch, president of the union that represents the rank and file of NYPD officers says: “Over the past few weeks, we have been attacked in the streets, demonized in the media and denigrated by practically every politician in this city. Now we are facing the possibility of being arrested any time we go out to do our job.” But when Lynch and other police union leaders speak out, they are preaching to the choir.
Droves of NYPD officers, as well as cops all across the country, are putting in for early retirement because they have been so demonized by the media and become hated by the very people they have been protecting from criminals. As one NY cop put it, the police feel like Vietnam veterans coming home to a country that hates them.
Cops cannot count on their supporters to win the war against the police. They must join in the fray. And the police have a weapon of mass destruction to fight with – it’s called a strike. As a former law enforcement officer and retired criminal justice professor, I call on the police to strike back with their WMD by going on a 3-day nationwide strike.
Unions like the. Los Angeles Police Protective League, NYPD’s Police Benevolent Association, NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association and the Fraternal Order of Police, and organizations like the Peace Officers Research Association of California and the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, should get together and organize a 3-day nationwide strike by local and state law enforcement officers. No Calling in with the blue flu, but a real strike.
Most police are forbidden by law to go on strike. But there have been some unlawful police strikes where no action was taken against the striking officers. Boston, Detroit, NYPD, Baltimore, San Francisco, Cleveland, New Orleans, Birmingham and Milwaukee are among at least 23 US police agencies that have gone on strike.
And in a nationwide strike of police officers and their sergeants, who is going to arrest them? And when the strike is over, the powers that be cannot suspend or fire an entire local or state police force.
Let’s see how good the sheriff and his command staff will be at running the county jail when they are the only department members left to do that. Let’s see how the police chief and his command staff will patrol the neighborhoods and respond to calls for help.
Let’s see how all those shouting “Fuck the police” and “All cops are bastards” will feel when they are left without any police protection for three days. And those demanding to defund the police. And the law abiding black community. And the kowtowing politicians.
And let’s see how those white middle-class college students and graduates will feel as the women are getting raped and the men are getting robbed because there are no police to protect them.
When there are no cops responding to calls for help, people will realize how much they need the police. Enthusiasm for BLM will quickly fade away because during those three days, Americans of all colors will see what a BLM nation will be like. Even that shameless Roger Goodell might order his NFL players to respect flag and country by standing during the playing of the Star Spangled Banner.
The downside to a police strike is that the people who support the police or are disgusted with BLM and the protests will also suffer from the absence of police protection. But because they are aware that our cops are subjected to despicable daily attacks by protesters and the protest-fueling media, they are very unlikely to turn against the police.
But not to worry. If cops are not willing to boycott Beyoncé and the NFL because of the blood money they will lose, they are not likely to give up three days of pay.
Nevertheless, if cops want to win and end the war on the police, they must resort to using that weapon of mass destruction. If the rank-and-file officers do not fight back, they’ve got only themselves to blame for losing the war.
Bob Walsh says
He who is silent gives consent. If the good guys do not speak out, clearly and affirmatively, in opposition to this stupidity there is a very real possibility the radical idiots will carry the day thru sheer volume and with the assistance of the media and a large chunk of the Democrat party. Don’t think it can’t happen.
Generally speaking, I am opposed to public safety employee strikes. (I think it was Grover Cleveland said something about there being no right to strike against public safety.) However, if the powers that be WANT to cut the police department in half or less, maybe it would be good to let them strike, and then the general public will see what happens if that does in fact occur. (I am conflicted. I admit it.)
Trey Rusk says
In my opinion as a retired police manager, I read this blog as a call for police anarchy.
Howie Katz says
Trey, the police are losing the war against cops, and they are losing badly. They cannot depend on others to fight that war for them. The pro-police demonstrations that are now occurring in some localities are attended by only a few hundred people as opposed to the anti-police protests by thousands of demonstrators. While there must be far more pro-police Americans than those that hate cops, they are remaining silent.
The police have few options. Officers an take an early retirement like many are doing. They can let their unions condemn the war, but when the unions do, they are preaching to the choir. They can let conservative websites condemn the war, but they are no match for the mainstream media which is fueling the war.
Only the rank-and-file cops can fight the war against law enforcement. And the only weapon police officers have is the strike.
Eventually the anti-police protesters will get tired of demonstrating. But the war on cops will be far from over because it will continue to be fought by BLM, by the media and by politicians.
With cops facing prosecution for doing their jobs, policing will be reactive rather than proactive and law enforcement is not likely to be nearly as effective as it has been in the past.
Greg Degeyter says
Why couldn’t law enforcement wield their already present power to fight back?
If they don’t like the policies the mayor/city council/DA/judge of a respective jurisdiction is promoting then why not enforce every ticky-tack law and violation? If the individual is suddenly getting tickets for jay walking, driving one mile per hour over the speed limit, failure to properly utilize turn signal etc – all the usual pretext stop offences – wouldn’t that send a message that the current actions are intolerable?
Public displays are nice. New York City officers turning their back to the mayor was a great protest. But in the end it didn’t accomplish anything. However, persistent enforcement for minor infractions that are routinely not enforced would send a message that law enforcement is not going to tolerate the actions. Having a personal impact on those promoting anti law enforcement stances is a powerful sign. Even if the DA routinely refuses to prosecute the consistent negative interaction and time sink of having to address the issues would create such a legal disruption that the issue would have to be addressed.
Bill Daniels says
Greg,
I usually find myself silently nodding yes when reading your posts, but you’ve got this one wrong. I don’t know how typical I may be, but when I was younger, I really disliked cops, feeling like they were strictly revenuers, writing traffic tickets, yet not doing anything to solve crimes I and others I know were victimized by. House burglary? Nope, no fingerprints taken, no investigation, nothing but a report for the insurance company. OMG! 75 in a 60? You betcha that’s a fully investigated, and solved with a ticket crime. So that was me much younger.
Now that I’m older, the urge to lead foot has lessened, I haven’t had negative interactions with the police, and instead, have had very positive interactions with them locally. I see their role as protector and defender, especially given the current insurrection. There are notable exceptions, like cops busting Americans for holding church services, for trying to run a gym [the horror], and for letting their kids play at a playground. These are the kind of actions that make even the most ardent police supporters give pause and wonder, “Should I really be backing the blue, if they can do that?”
In any event, if your idea is to push Americans to support and defend the police by having them write ticky tack tickets, can you see how that will backfire spectacularly? That will take someone like me, who now considers himself pretty pro law enforcement, especially pro police in my still conservative run city and county, and flip me like a pancake. If anything, I would think that cops would take a lighter hand when they encounter good, non criminal, taxpaying citizens during the current unrest. Why turn allies into enemies over 35 in a 30, when dealing with a person with no other issues, not DWI, no warrants, no criminal history, etc.? More so, why make a situation worse for a guy with a criminal record who is probably anti-cop to begin with, by piling on a 35 in a 30 ticket if that’s the only thing a traffic stop could muster? It’s not about safety, and it certainly isn’t going to turn ANYONE into a police supporter.
Bill Daniels says
Edit: After rereading your post, I wonder if you meant cops using pretexted stops to harass the local government officials who are hamstringing the cops, like giving Hizzoner and Chief Avocado tickets for jaywalking. If that’s what you are talking about, I’ll withdraw my objection, but point out that it is a risky play to make.
Trey Rusk says
Bill, I took an oath in 1975. A District Court Judge said, “Raise your right hand.”
IN THE NAME AND BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, I, , do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will faithfully execute the duties of the office of of the State of Texas, and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States and of this State, so help me God.
I have upheld that oath all of my adult life. To recommend that police officers disregard their oath of office is wrong. When I was told in Howie’s comments that “Not violating your oath makes you part of the problem.” I was taken aback and consider it blasphemous because those words are sacred to me.
Greg Degeyter says
Hi Bill, I’m sorry my comment was unclear. I meant for law enforcement to use strict enforcement against the mayors/city council members/DAs etc. Not against the general public.
Bill Daniels says
OK, then, carry on. I probably wrote a long screed because my reading comprehension is sub par. Ticket the Houston and Harris County leadership to your heart’s content. Just don’t ticket CM Kubosh, please. The Kubosh bros. are local treasures after leading the red light camera fight. Having said that, feel free to paper Hizzoner, Lina la Exploradora, and Kim Ogg with all the parking tickets you want! I’m sure Ogg has a Soros expense account/slush fund to pay for incidentals like parking tickets.