As the Divine Mrs. M noted in a post on Facebook, our Congresscritter, Elise Stefanik is striking exactly the wrong tone regarding police reform. Or is she?
Calling the pathetic response of tRump's administration to the protests started in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing, "An important first step", is like applying lipstick to an increasingly ugly pig. Stefanik knows full well this is the limit of the president's* response to the crisis. She hopes she is merely ratifying the opinion of the majority of her constituents.
Banning chokeholds except when the officer in the moment "fears for his life" is laughable. Maintaining a database to track police misconduct is laudable, assuming said misconduct is actually reported by individual departments. Where was all this concern before massive protests and riots?
Stefanik and other republicans are using the GOP playbook when it comes to policing. Deplore the most egregious examples of police misconduct, but allow the structures which permit and even encourage such behavior to remain in place. Qualified immunity to lawsuits over brutality and killing must go.
The police motto, "To serve and protect" has all to often been ignored and replaced by a warrior mentality and an "us against them" ethos which pervades many departments. Without systemic reform, the eyewash initiatives applauded by Stefanik and her fellow republicans will do little or nothing to change the culture which led to the killing of Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks and so many others over the years. The reforms will not happen unless republicans are dealt a massive defeat in November. I can't think of a nicer way to celebrate than retiring Ms. Stefanik.
No comments:
Post a Comment