HN Explorer

Ask HN: What does the Police mean to you?

3 points by cosiverse ↗ HN
Where I grew up, there was a very obvious split in sides. There were a lot of white police officers, but also a lot of minorities around including my family. To me, a Police Officer is like a pothole in the road, I try to avoid it. I (personally) don't like them because of what I saw growing up (shootings and violence) but I would like to hear other perspectives. What does the Police mean to you?

3 comments

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kstenerud
When I lived in Canada: Disliked and avoided them

When I lived in Japan: Loved them

When I lived in America: Feared and avoided at all costs

When I lived in Germany: Loved them

meristohm
Policing in the USA has roots in part in how the Irish-Americans earned their whiteness, by being mean to other groups that have a harder time joining the club.[0] In the same way that female drill instructors can be misogynist, Black police officers can do harm to people of color, acting out the will of those who make calls about “suspicious people” in their neighborhood. I used to be more naive about this, calling 911 to report infractions that felt unsafe (a car driving on the bikeway, for example, when in hindsight they had probably taken a wrong turn), and now this is not my first reaction, understanding that my call might lead to murder. As a child I thought police officers were unarmed civil servants to help give directions. Now they tend not to live in the neighborhoods they work in, are less approachable (in vehicles), and are militarized thanks to our military-industrial-political complex (thanks, President Eisenhower, for speaking out). I want local, well-educated (emotionally and cognitively), well-paid, unarmed civil servants who act as community resources for health and safety. Prioritizing early childhood education and the health of all citizens (not relegating subsets to living near pollution) feels like a better way forward. We may have to give up some luxuries on the way. What will you change so that we might all be healthier?

[0] https://www.worldcat.org/title/how-the-irish-became-white/