Laura Jedeed (Misanthrophile)

i'm trying to write something to explain to people why the image they have of cops in their head, as protectors and action heros, just doesn't reflect reality. The only thing i can think of that might actually help people understand is the question, "when has a cop helped YOU?"

The trouble is that a lot of people who pass for white and middle-class+ DO have stories of cops helping them. I haven't been able to figure out a good way past this, it's hard to get people to acknowledge how lucky they are (source: pass for white and middle-class+)

if you dont mind elaborating, what kind of stuff? i honestly have nothing. once a cop pulled me over in pdx for driving through yellow he didnt say much and then he just let me go. I'm white and have an australian accent so that helps in most situations i think.

Here are my good police stories. None of them feature any kind of helpful action but they were all super fuzzy: My then-husband totalled his car and it was definitely his fault. The officer basically comforted him and let him walk without a ticket

One time some dumb kids knocked over all the mailboxes on our suburban street and our neighbor caught them on his motion-detecting camera and called the cops and they came and interviewed everyone and took it very seriously

Once some people were regularly stealing mail and got caught. The police came to our house to give us the mail back and asked us to testify This was all the same suburban neighborhood in Washington County btw: different time, different life