Eff them. They didn’t completely leave the force, but they should.
I’ll riff off an old Funkadelic song: America eats its old.
Peak oppression displays one of its most dangerous inhumane tendencies to the world when institutions begin to publicly abuse children and elders who appear to question authority. The violently-repressive nationwide response by police officers after Americans began their peaceful protest of African American George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers leaves no question about the state we’re in today.
Almost all of us saw the two officers from Buffalo, New York’s police department push 75-year old Martin Gugino to the ground. Please scroll past this video and the upcoming photo if you’re triggered by violent scenes.
I can’t say that I’m shocked by this since I’m quite aware of how far authority will go to protect injustice.
But these actions, and the resulting blood that streamed from Gugino’s ear to the ground are still horrifying — well, to most people.
Likely not sufficiently horrifying to the 57 members of Buffalo’s Emergency Response Team who resigned out of protest when the city suspended the two cops who shoved Gugino.
This means we have 57 people who do not respect humanity, especially the elders.
Remember what I said yesterday about police departments’ response to being, well, policed …
… [C]ity Mayors and other locally-elected officials are nearly scared to death of how police unions — who deal in their legendary superpowers of creating large and unbreakable voting blocs, influencing public opinions, and executing work stoppages or other forms of selective law enforcement — can end political careers.
mental unrest, 6/5/2020
The police union playbook is unfolding in plain view, hoping Buffalo will fold to the aggressor’s will.
Leave, y’all. Please.
The gang-of-fifty-seven didn’t resign from the police department, but they should. Or the city should fire them, if a legal path exists.
Every officer in the immediate vicinity of this assault who chose not to connect with Gugino’s humanity yesterday should leave their jobs as well.
Buffalo deserves more than having officers with this level of inhumane discretion patrolling any street. They are a public health danger.
And yes, the two officers who attacked Gugino should be fired. And arrested.
Instead, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is talking about suspension. For now …
Needless to say I could never hope to keep a job at Macy’s or the Ritz Carlton if I split open a guest’s head …
Meeting voices for justice with terror.
What is terrorism? What is a public health issue? You just saw them in this post.
Smashing a liquor store window for the purpose of stealing Salon Champagne bottles for resale, or snatching Herradura tequila to make margaritas for the looting afterparty isn’t cool. No one should be killed or brutalized for those offenses, but looting — a minority behavioral group when compared with the overwhelming majority of protestors for George Floyd’s justice — is wrong.
But organized assault against an elderly civilian for the purpose of suppressing peaceful expression is an example of state-sponsored terrorism.
And the public can now see terror in real life or high-definition television.
Fortunately …
Gugino is reportedly in stable condition. We all wish him well …
song currently stuck in my head: “hand of god” – sa-roc
mentalunrest.com 