But a Jape

“A few bad apples can be set aside for a few months and re-instated in a different batch once things die down.”

– How that old saying goes, I’m pretty sure

It’s encouraging to see a number of police groups have publicly denounced officer Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd and have expressed solidarity with the protests against police brutality, but there’s still a long way to go before they prove this is a lesson that’s stuck with them. After all, Derek Chauvin was caught on two different recordings that very clearly showed his blatant disregard for another human’s life – recordings that even the most skilled of mental gymnasts would struggle to justify – being against his actions should be standard expectation, not a point of praise. But still, every time an instance of police brutality hits national headlines, the “good cops” are presented as if this entire national crisis was not a result of the deep systemic issues that plague American law enforcement.

The system, as it exists today, gives “bad cops” every opportunity to justify their actions and be granted the benefit of the doubt, getting little to no scrutiny unless public outcry forces their hand. Meanwhile, the Blue Wall of Silence discourages the “good cops” from calling out the “bad cops,” at which point, the two become indistinguishable. And when they do speak out, the “good cop” is often removed, and thus, no longer a cop. I’m not an advocate of the “All Cops Are Bastards” mentality, but there’s little comfort in the existence of “good cops” when they end up impotent against the bastards.

– James