Behind the Cops
“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?”
- Henry David Thoreau
- Henry David Thoreau
Citizens living in the United States are dependent on each other. When we are in need, we seek and discover help from our friends and family members. Thinking about situations at a larger and serious perspective that we, citizens, can’t handle, we rely on city officials such as local police officers. But the big question is if we are able to rely on them, knowing that there are good cops and bad cops. “To serve and protect” is their police motto to provide their help for our citizens. We live under state laws and we live by it. Cops have higher authority, so they have their own modified laws with limits greater than regular citizens. However, local police officers tends to use extra force on citizens for their satisfaction and covering it with the term "self defense."
Police Over-Empowerment
The book The Alchemy of Race and Rights written by Patricia Williams tells a story of her views and beliefs between race and individual rights. Patricia is an American legal scholar and in one part of her book, she talks about the brutality of several local police officers. A woman name Eleanor Bumpurs was shot to death in front of her apartment for being behind rent of $96.85. Police officer noticed her with a knife and shot her hand, then sadly, another round of bullet punctured and killed her at the scene. There are ways where this could have been negotiated such as arresting her and having a court trial. The fact that she has a knife and the police officer have the right to fire back for self defense. However, the first time was towards her hand her knife would have been dropped already and she would be harmless. “He missed (mostly- it is alleged that this removed half of the hand that held the knife and m according to the Bronx district attorney’s office, “it was anatomically impossible for her to hold the knife”), ... and shot again, making his mark the second time around.” The police officer's action towards this situation is overly exaggerated and out of the limits of a police officer's power.
The Perception of "Self Defense"
The overused term "self defense" used by police is one of the main issues that is making headlines of local police shootings on innocent citizens such as Darren Wilson killing a teen Michael Brown. This has been an issue worldwide now a change in the United States law is coming to action. Indiana began to legalize citizens shooting police as a legal act for self defense. “Well, Indiana has taken action to “recognize the unique character of a citizen’s home and to ensure that a citizen feels secure in his or her own home against unlawful intrusion by another individual or a public servant.”” Even though having this law could possibly make police lose advantages of finding who the real criminal is but, however, it can make citizens feel much more safer.
To Fight or Not to Fight
A man name Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay that was published in 1849 telling citizens not to let their government overrule or atrophy their consciences. Thoreau wrote “Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” The police that violates the law are no better. Citizens will have to live by it because police officers are the one that we come to for help and they’re much more powerful than regular citizens. Until then, it's up to us to make a decision for ourselves on what we want on how we want change to happen from some of the disobedient police officers. It is approachable through a community joining together and spreading down local issues to other communities for awareness.
A Citizen's Power Against Police
In democracy wise, citizens could oppose and report a police officer if they’re a bad cop. We have to live up to what the police does in the community and if worst come to worst, we have to fight against them. In other terms, police work together and decide which plan is the best to encounter certain criminals, but it could be the other way around as well with citizens hunting down cops. In addition to that, a citizen name Gavin Seim is highly concerned about the police works in his state of Washington. Gavin pulls over a police officer for driving in an unmarked car and by according to his state, it is a violation under the Washington State RCW 46.08.065.
We should be extremely cautious and knowing our rights so we can protect ourselves from dangers and from cops going against us because we may not know the law. It is not always the citizens that does wrong, but the cops too, which is a hidden concept in society. We see cops do wrong and we let them do it because they are cops. However, knowing our laws and rights would restrict that from happening and makes us become positively stronger as a community.
The video of the officer's confrontation by Gavin Seim can be seen below.
We should be extremely cautious and knowing our rights so we can protect ourselves from dangers and from cops going against us because we may not know the law. It is not always the citizens that does wrong, but the cops too, which is a hidden concept in society. We see cops do wrong and we let them do it because they are cops. However, knowing our laws and rights would restrict that from happening and makes us become positively stronger as a community.
The video of the officer's confrontation by Gavin Seim can be seen below.
Sources
Agorist, Matt. "State Passes Law to Legalize Shooting Police." The Free Thought Project. 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://thefreethoughtproject.com/state-passes-law-legalize-self-defense-police/>.
Seim, Gavin. "Citizen Pulls Officer Over, Gives Warning - Full." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPtudZ3R6U4>.
Schwartz, Yishai. "Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible." Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible. New Republic, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119157/darren-wilsons-conviction-will-be-basically-impossible>.
Williams, Patricia J. The Alchemy of Race and Rights. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
"Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 2." Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 2. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil2.html>.
"WTVC NewsChannel 9 :: News - Top Stories - A Chattanooga Police Officer Arrested While on Administrative Leave." WTVC NewsChannel 9. 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.newschannel9.com/news/top-stories/stories/a-chattanooga-police-officer-arrested-while-administrative-leave-14501.shtml>.
Agorist, Matt. "State Passes Law to Legalize Shooting Police." The Free Thought Project. 3 Feb. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://thefreethoughtproject.com/state-passes-law-legalize-self-defense-police/>.
Seim, Gavin. "Citizen Pulls Officer Over, Gives Warning - Full." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPtudZ3R6U4>.
Schwartz, Yishai. "Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible." Convicting Darren Wilson Will Be Basically Impossible. New Republic, 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119157/darren-wilsons-conviction-will-be-basically-impossible>.
Williams, Patricia J. The Alchemy of Race and Rights. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
"Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 2." Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - 2. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://thoreau.eserver.org/civil2.html>.
"WTVC NewsChannel 9 :: News - Top Stories - A Chattanooga Police Officer Arrested While on Administrative Leave." WTVC NewsChannel 9. 31 Dec. 2014. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. <http://www.newschannel9.com/news/top-stories/stories/a-chattanooga-police-officer-arrested-while-administrative-leave-14501.shtml>.