This is part 2 of the post titled "The Justification for deadly force". Agree or disagree with me? Let me know your thoughts and leave a comment.
So what do you do if you feel your life is in danger from the cops? That is the sentiment echoed by many in our country. I have been stopped and searched before, but I have never felt fear for my life by a cop. However, I have felt real fear. I can empathize with someone who is in that situation. It would be inhuman if I didn’t give their fears the respect they deserve. An honest look into what is causing these emotions and holding people accountable for their actions is the right thing to do. Everyone on the planet is accountable for their own actions. The designer of the final solution might be more responsible than others, but the individuals performing the atrocities are still accountable for their actions.
If police officers are abusing their authority then they need to be held accountable to the full extent of the law. They are the examples so they need to be held to a higher standard. How do we know if police are abusing their authority? As with most things in life it’s not as black and white as we would like it to be. While researching for this post I found that reporting incidents of deadly force to federal databases is largely voluntary. So that could put into question the validity of statistics federal agencies use to measure what is happening in our Nation’s police departments. I found that several of the statistics published to show “national numbers” were lacking complete information. Either it was because agency so and so stopped keeping track or that the statistic being used didn’t include all the relevant information. I found it difficult to get valid national numbers. This article from USA Today points out several of the shortcomings of statistics related to police shootings and deadly force. However, they naturally tout their own statistics, which could also be bias to some degree.
We don’t have enough good national information to make logical decisions on what is going on. This is why we need to have strong communities and cities. Federal agencies can’t always make the best decision when they don't have all the information. It is easier for someone in a community to get information for their community. They know what their community is facing and can come up with ideas for what needs to happen. Expecting the president to know what to do in your town is a dangerous game, especially depending on who the president is at the time.
Build your community by building a strong home and family. Build a safe and strong neighborhood. This will strengthen your community. The need for police presence should decrease as the community holds itself to a higher standard. A community where the biggest crime is a parking ticket doesn’t come from a massive federally funded police force. It comes from no one in that community wanting anything to happen to THEIR community. The community holds a standard and doesn’t let violence and crime be the norm. I know I sound a bit naïve. However, my belief has been backed up by research. Dr. Nicole Howell of the Olivet Nazarene University wrote a research paper looking for a link between single parent families and crime. During her research she found that when crime became normalized in a community, that then becomes the standard for the rest of the community.
“Based on the findings of the first research question the results suggest that some single parents, who reside in these urban communities, may view their surroundings as a normal environment; violence is the norm. It appears to be evident due to the single parents reporting that 53 (52%) of their children were at a lower risk of committing a criminal act, but reside in a community that has a high rate of crime. That said, there seems to be a contradiction and could possibly mean that the residents in these communities are not identifying certain crimes as issues in their community. These findings demonstrated that, residents are more likely to report more violent crimes, such as, a stabbings and shootings than minor events (Wisnieski, Bologeorges, Johnson, & Henry, 2013). Furthermore, the results also indicated that the participants may not consider minor crimes as risk factors for their youth. Participants are more likely to recount severe events than less serious events such as bullying or new graffiti (Wisnieski, 76 et al., 2013). As previously mentioned, it is conceivable that 28 (60%) of the same group of single parents reported that their youth had a history of some form of violence, but felt their youth was at low risk for committing a crime.”
The internet has quoted the great contemporary philosopher Glenn Danzig as saying that the modern measure of personal accountability can be found in the shopping cart.
“The shopping cart is the ultimate litmus test for whether a person is capable of self-governing. To return the shopping cart is an easy, convenient task and one which we all recognize as the correct, appropriate thing to do. To return the shopping cart is objectively
right. There are no situations other than dire emergencies in which a person is not able to return their cart. Simultaneously, it is not illegal to abandon your shopping cart. Therefore the shopping cart presents itself as the apex example of whether a person will do what is right without being forced to do it. No one will punish you for not returning the shopping cart, no one will fine you or kill you for not returning the shopping cart, you gain nothing by returning the shopping cart. You must return the shopping cart out of the goodness of your own heart. You must return the shopping cart because it is the right thing to do. Because it is correct. A person who is unable to do this is no better than an animal, an absolute savage who can only be made to do what is right by threatening them a law and the force that stands behind it. The Shopping Cart is what determines whether a person is a good or bad member of society.”
I don’t have all the answers. Holding people accountable for their actions isn’t a crazy new idea. It is as natural as being able to defend yourself. If we let accountability slip then we are no better than the ones that get away with their bad behavior. Get involved in your community. Share your knowledge with others and help out wherever you can. Get out of your comfort zone. Hold yourself accountable for your own actions and do the same for others with an empathetic heart.
Like what you have read? Subscribe and leave me a comment telling me your thoughts!
Hate what you've read? Let me know, I enjoy reading your opinions and I respond as fast as I can.