My grandpa, age 93, frequently talks about how his father and brother (both NJ beat cops) were beloved by locals. Today, he dislikes police.
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Replying to @mtracey
Which is to say: police have long been viewed as illegitimate in some communities, but I think that perception is becoming more widespread.
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Replying to @mtracey
There's a powerful social media infrastructure in place, seeded by Occupy, that identifies & amplifies instances of police abuse/corruption.
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Replying to @mtracey
Because media today is so hyper-reliant on Twitter, journalists can't ignore these abuses, as might have been their inclination in the past.
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Replying to @mtracey
Further, whereas "anti-police" attitudes were once associated with hippies and such, today many on the Right are at the fore of the argument
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Replying to @mtracey
People mock the Oathkeepers, but they represent a powerful strain of grassroots sentiment, and these people are intensely critical of police
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Replying to @mtracey
I mean: Hillary Clinton was forced to release a statement this week condemning police. It was anodyne, but still -- that's pretty crazy.
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Replying to @mtracey
Law enforcement has a vested interest in portraying themselves -- falsely -- as apolitical, altruistic protectors of the public good.
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Replying to @mtracey
Police are functionaries of the State, therefore they are incredibly "political" actors, much as they might not want to admit it.
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Replying to @mtracey
Task for those interested in police reform is to change public consciousness toward police by making clear how very politicized they are.
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There's **much** more to say on this topic, but I think I'll leave it there for now. Some expanded thoughts here ---> http://www.vice.com/read/the-pernicious-power-of-police-unions …
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