October 11, 2012

“Dude, I’m gonna break your fucking arm, then I’m gonna punch you in the fucking face.”

Prepare to be infuriated:

As a white guy who almost never leaves the house, I'm not much of a target for this kind of street terror myself, but the fact that it happens to anyone is deeply disturbing; the fact that it is condoned and tolerated by the citizenry at large is truly depressing. The cop who threatened to break this kid's arm and punch him in the face merely for looking back apprehensively (and, really, can you blame him?) should not be on the street. The city and police department that put him there and developed the policy he was pursuing should be wracked with shame and guilt, pledging reform and restitution in the face of national outrage; heads should be rolling. But, no, no one cares all that much. They're "just doing their job," as the saying goes, and thank god it's not us they're doing it to.

I hate the fact that I live in a society where the only rational way to conduct yourself is to keep your head down and pray that the government's agents don't notice you. I don't think it was always this way, but maybe I'm mis-remembering.

Posted by Dr. Frank at October 11, 2012 11:52 PM