nite chat: 6:7

i'm not sure what are my thoughts
about defunding the police
what does that actually mean
i think
the police are called out to do
any number of things
that they are ill suited to
that's a fact

once i had an older woman
who seemed obviously schizophrenic
in my coffee shop
and i was inclined to just leave her be
but she started screaming at someone
no one else could see
and cussing loudly
and freaking out the customers
i couldn't get her to stop
i couldn't get her to leave
i couldn't just let it continue

i called the cops
but
i pre-framed them
she's not dangerous
she's just kinda lost and crazy
could you maybe just
gently
taker her somewhere safe

well
he came in mean
and he pushed her around
and he made me sorry that i'd called him
but
even though i gave every cop that came in
free drinks
and encouraged them to stay
because i didn't want to get robbed
like the neighboring businesses
every time i called the cops for anything
i was pretty much sorry about it

there are some situations where you might need them
i'm not sure i'm ready to say disband them
but
i wish there was someone else to call
for the human equivalent of animal control
like there's a problem
they might need to be taken to a shelter
or a hospital
or a therapist
or
some sort of specialist
but
beating them up is not helpful
shooting them is not helpful
so
why do you have to call the police
that's there thing
well
and then there are detectives
but
i'm not convinced about them either
there seem like there are an awful lot of cases
where they just kind of decide who they think did it
and proceed to make the case against them
not so much with the detective work

i know
there are a lot of things
the police departments across the country
could do right now
to greatly decrease the liklihood
of police brutality
and they should absolutely do them right now--  no more fuckin around
there should be a brief sharing of best practices too
anyplace that doesn't have bad numbers
police living in the neighborhoods they police
team accountability to de-escalate
body cameras
prosecution for brutality

i mean
i get how
maybe you have a dangerous job
and you feel threatened
sometimes maybe you have to make a split second decision
maybe you make the wrong choice
but
choking someone for almost nine minutes
is not
a split second wrong decision
it is murder

invading someone's home
not identifying yourself as police
what is anyone supposed to think
your santa come with toys
no
they think you're invading their home to hurt them
guns are legal
that what you have them for, right
protection
how you supposed to know
these the nice home invaders
just come to wrongfully arrest you
but then
you defend yourself
you get shot

this whole thing
is bullshit

every cop i ever met
drinking a free coffee
was a nice cop
but

not all people become cops
because they want to save the world
some of them want to weild power
and
even some who start out wanting to save the world
the get jaded and burnt out
maybe
in addition to whatever else
they need something like the x-ray techs have
when this badge turns black
you have had too much radiation
you have to quit
do a desk
or something

i don't have all the answers
but
i'm not sure
that just sending them away
without knowing what we're doing instead
is the best plan
i'm not sure that we all just live in peace without crime
without some kind of deterrence
i'm not sure about that

do you think that sounds right

maybe i'm wrong
they aren't stopping the school shootings
but they are the ones who come
and arrest them, right

idk
and i don't think you should talk about this at all
i'm not suggesting that
i'm just talking to you about it
because
i'm not sure i'm on the right side of this
but
it doesn't feel thought out completely