Critical thinking is a process that requires one to recognize that there are no absolutes. Obviously, America is in the shitter when it comes to using its brain, because pretty much everything Americans have to say is either/or. So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that because I want to do something about police misconduct I am a "cop hater", or that as an anarchist, I want to cause disruption for disruption's sake. Or my favorite-I listen to metal, so therefore I must be antisocial.

I am going to clarify this again, because so many people-including friends of mine who should know better think I am a cop hater. (They could pick up the phone and talk to me about this, ask some questions-you know, use their brain. But, metal is as stupid does, I guess)

Now I admit, and most people who know my history admit, I have very good reason to hate cops. It's something I'm under a court order to not discuss, so I won't. But trust me, any logical person who knew it would wonder why I don't.

By the way, I apologize for my slow writing schedule as of late. Major orthopedic surgery has slowed my roll. I'm under incredible physical pain every day, and it's hard to write. Just saying.

And, truth be told, I did hate cops for a while. In fact, I hated cops right up until I started doing something about police misconduct. Doing what I do has helped me make peace with some bad shit I had to deal with-still have to deal with, actually. But I can assure you, I don't hate cops. I know cops. Some of them are royal dicks. Some are pretty awesome. The culture is awful, though. Machismo, corruption, and brutality. I do hate that. Some cops can resist the culture and be trusted with mace, clubs, and guns. But many can't.

And I sure hate some of the things cops do. Raiding the wrong house and shooting a seven-year-old girl in her sleep is pretty fucked up, and I'm going to call a duck a duck. The cops responsible should fry. The people who justify it should fry. (Critical thinking alert: "I know it's sad, but..." means you are not sad about shit when we're talking about a seven year old getting shot in her sleep) And anyone who lets them get away with it should fry.

Well now, that's the problem, isn't it? Nobody fries. At worst, they sit in some lukewarm water for a little while. In fact-very rare cases aside-the only option a victim of police misconduct has for getting anything resembling justice is to sue the cop, whose burden the city bears, which gets passed on to the taxpayers. (Aaaaand just like that, "conservatives" who were concerned about rising taxes and wasteful spending suddenly go silent!) That's not justice, by the way.

In an odd twist of timing, two NYC cops and one Florida cop have been executed in the last 24 hours that I started writing this. So, I guess I'll comment on that. I don't think whoever did it had any right to do it. Damn, I wish I could hear cop supporters say they don't think a New York cop had a right to choke Eric Garner to death for selling cigarettes. But therein probably lies the reason it happened-because the lives of some-specifically those with a badge-are more important than the lives of others. If a cop was breaking a trivial law and gave me attitude like Eric Garner admittedly gave a cop when I called him out on it, and I choked him to death for it like a cop choked Eric Garner to death for it, there would probably be a national day of mourning. Flags at half mast, the whole deal. And, I bet that even if there was no video proof, I would be convicted swiftly, while video evidence of a cop's wrongdoing that resulted in death couldn't even get him an indictment. And the establishment responds with body cameras. HELLO!!! Eric Garner's murder was filmed and preserved for all to see, and it made not one lick of difference!

Seriously, is this thing on?

I was not happy when I saw vigilante justice on the horizon, but I am not surprised that it arrived. I am sad as hell, though. Indeed, I had hoped the problem could be solved before it came to this. I worked hard to that end. And now, even as law enforcement will continue to refuse to take a look at itself, its practices, and its impunity that have driven some to feel as though vigilantism is the answer (hopefully no more. Please, no more), I will continue to push for reform.

I should mention: the police shooters weren't active protesters. The protesters are mostly nonviolent. In fact, Compelling video evidence exists giving reason to believe it wasn't protesters but a paramilitary force who started all those fires after the GJ decision in Ferguson (In case you're wondering why the statist media suddenly shifted its focus away from the riots),yet another reason for cops to hate cameras that are not under their control.

But, law enforcement culture resists any and all accountability. And so it remains that law enforcement is the only job I know of where you can throw a tantrum, kill or seriously injure someone needlessly, cost your employer over a million dollars in lawsuits, and keep your job. I really hate that.

"What about black-on-black crime, blah blah blah..."

Shut up. Just. Stop.

Yes. Black-on-black violent crime sucks. Hell, I'll see your ten and raise you twenty: All violent crime sucks. (FYI, intraracial crime is not unique to black people, in spite of what Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly might say) But do you know what happens when criminals commit needless violence? Cops hunt them down and they get prosecuted. Do you know what happens when a cop goes rogue and commits needless violence? Cops circle the wagons and protect said cop, usually at great expense to taxpayers. Do you see the problem there?

Now before trolls that lick the government boot jump up and start denying shit, or whatever: mind you-I have had to experience some really bad shit that you cannot tell me didn't happen. In fact, your trying to tell me that things I have directly experienced weren't experienced, that is one of the reasons I am the activist I am. So if you really want to do your side a favor, shut up and stop strengthening my resolve.

Look, I realize most police encounters end uneventfully. Thank God for that. But here's the thing: some do not. And then some end very unfairly. You do not ignore a fire because it's only burning in one room of your house. And that is the heart of this struggle.

I have very strong spiritual beliefs regarding hate and violence. I believe it feeds negativity, which is a parasite, and that of course weakens humanity. That same negativity loves when hate and violence produces a response of hate and violence, because it has more to feed off of. This allows it to create more negativity in us, creating more opportunities to feed, weakening us further and further. So, to that end, even though I have to process some shit, I work to put hate behind me. I've done a good job of it too.

But when I see a class of human that gets away with it when others don't, I do something about it. Because otherwise violence could beget violence, in a pattern of escalation that law enforcement culture gleefully feeds into, and now more Americans have been killed by police than the Iraq War.

Do you still think that because I want to do something about police misconduct, I hate cops?

Well then, there you go. You are part of the reason I do this.

By Steve Shagwell.

Much to-do has been made of protesters taking to the streets, shutting down intersections, occupying public spaces and certain businesses with unethical or racist practices.

The prevailing logic is,we should protest nicely, on the sidewalks, not breaking any rules, not causing disruptions or nuisance.

Be "nice" protesters.

If we'd just be nice protesters, we could be so much more effective. They'd pat us on the head,  promise to listen, commend us for our civic involvement, give us a lollipop and send us on our way. You wouldn't have to be inconvenienced, which means they wouldn't have to be inconvenienced, and everyone would be happy!

Here's the thing. Many of us have tried that. And yes, they did all that. But did you notice the one thing they didn't do? They didn't act. Well, of course they didn't act! WHy would they act, when acting meant relinquishing their power? Voting accomplished nothing. When we tried to vote for real reformers, you still took to the booth and chose the lesser of the two evils, sticking us with evil. Everyone got to feel good about exercising their right to vote, nobody got to feel good about the results. So...here we are, taking it to the next level-wishing your way had worked, because it was a lot easier. The warm fuzzies and feel-good sentiments were nice, too.

Think about that. Now I'm going to switch gears.

I don't go on Facebook much these days, but when I do, I see your anger with how things are. Your angry tirades about those damn republicans, or those damn democrats, and this pot dealer who got years in prison unfairly, and that pedophile who got out early because the prisons were full of pot dealers. And so on.

Here's the thing: Your Facebook statuses won't change shit. But you're too scared, too conditioned to obey, to take to the streets and/or do something real about it. So you sit, even angrier than we are, because you exercise none of your power against a system that is raping all of us. And the wheels of justice go round...and round...and round.

But there's good news! Some of us aren't afraid to take on the system. We are putting ourselves out there, we're risking it all, and you get to sit on the sidelines, safely, until enough critical mass is built to where you can jump in safely. You'll get to be a part of it at the end, and feel like it was all of us, when in reality, it was a few of us who put the ball in motion. That's fine. We'll get it done until then.

Unfortunately, since our "elected" officials aren't listening, we have to play hardball. And believe me, we will. HARD. BALL. Unfortunately, ignoring us will only compound our frustration and while I can keep a lid on it (for now) some have simply had enough. Continuing to ignore us means things will have to get worse before they get better.

It's going to inconvenience you. It's going to scare you, because as much as you hate the system, you have a lot invested in it-even while it rapes you. You've learned to kind of like the rape, in some twisted way fit only for anime porn.

We get it-change scares you. Well, it scares many of us too. But unfortunately, we're stark terrified of things continuing in the direction they're headed. So much so, in fact, that we are willing to raise hard questions about how our nation is run, and why. And so, that is what we're going to do.

And maybe, next thanksgiving, you won't have as much to be mad about.

Maybe you get it, and maybe you don't. Either way, you're welcome.

By Steve Shagwell.

John Walsh lived a pretty normal, white-collar life. Then, in 1981, that life was turned upside down by the kidnapping and murder of his 6-year old son.

In an interview with Washingtonian, John Walsh stated: "It’s more than a job; it’s a passion. Someone destroyed my life 26 years ago and murdered my beautiful son, and I do believe you fight back."

He wasn't kidding. As The host of the TV show America's Most Wanted, his face became synonymous with crime prevention. In addition, he has been involved in legislation and political action. Without going into details, John Walsh has definitely been a strong influence in child safety and crime prevention.

Obviously, John Walsh is a different kind of activist than me. His work often finds him collaborating with law enforcement, while mine often finds me working opposite them. He is able to work within the system more than I am, due to the lack of offense his activism causes the Government. He obviously trusts cops, and I obviously don't. In fact, I don't think we have very much in common at all, period. Don't get me wrong, he's a good man and I respect him, but I consider him naive about law enforcement and we are completely different people.

There is one thing we share though: we are both responding to a tragic event in our lives.

You see, people don't just decide to be an activist because it will be fun. Activism is not fun. It takes time away from enriching one's own life and it can be draining-physically, mentally, and emotionally. I myself would rather be making art, chasing girls, learning foreign languages, pursuing an education, and throwing back shots of Jagermeister with my band-which I don't have because I don't have time anymore. Oh, and I would really love to give the new Assassin's Creed game a play-through. I have never seen folk-metal gods Eluveite live, and was looking forward to catching them when they came through town (Anna Murphy is my all-time celebrity crush)-but I was in Ferguson instead, supporting the weekend of protest. And don't get me started on missing Arch Enemy and Kreator-two of my favorite bands ever-on the same bill last week, because I was preparing for Ferguson solidarity actions in my town. That hurt. But when forced to chose between the two, it became a matter of my pleasure versus my ability to sleep at night. So, no contest.

In addition, there is the fact that I have placed my freedom, my health, and my safety at great risk. Seriously. Look up what has happened to a very disturbing number of people who dared to demand Government accountability (SPOLIER ALERT: dead and/or framed). I am at a loss to figure out where anyone would see the fun in that.

Yet, I am okay with all of it. Because I had a very traumatic experience that left me disturbed and enduring great physical pain on a daily basis. I was then denied closure by the system, and so I seek it on the street and through this site. It woke me up to something that was taking place and knowing it was happening to others made it impossible to sleep at night. When Ferguson became a national incident, I couldn't sit by anymore. In addition to my concern for the citizens of Ferguson,watching news of that that military deployment unfold on my Twitter set off every trigger available to my diagnosis of severe PTSD. And so I had to fight back, or go insane.

Along the way, I learned that I had been an unwitting accessory to systematic racial oppression that I thought had been corrected by the civil rights movement-and that really bothered me. And as the protesters in Ferguson stood their ground against government entities hell-bent on protecting their extortion racket, they captured my heart, my mind, and my imagination. I simply had to stand with them however I could.

Activism generally isn't something you do because you want to. It's something you do because you have to. Granted, there are a few bored attention whores out there doing it, but most of us have seen or experienced something that changed our reality forever-usually for the worse. This is our way of confronting our demons. Or maybe this is our way of taking back power from something that took it from us. It could even be our way of finding sleep at night, sleep that has been disturbed by an exposure to the suffering of others.

You can belittle activism all you like. You can slander the activists currently challenging the government all you want. We're not going to stop. Especially me.

Do you get it? No? Well, you don't have to. But while you enjoy your Jersey Shore reruns or whatever, I am out here fighting to stop what happened to me from happening to you. I don't need a medal, or even a simple thank you. What I do need-the only thing I need-is for you to make an effort to understand me, as I have made an effort to understand those on the opposite side of my fight.

This is why I'm an activist. Maybe things will get to a point where you can't take it either, and I'll see you in the streets. I'm pretty sure it's going to get worse before it gets better, so I'm thinking I will.

I'm looking forward to it. In the meantime, now you know why I'm an activist.

According to Cornell University Law School, “a no-knock warrant is a search warrant authorizing police officers to enter certain premises without first knocking and announcing their presence or purpose prior to entering the premises.”

Simply Google search “no-knock raids gone wrong” and the pages of botched or failed raids seem endless. Before joining Communities United Against Police Brutality located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I knew nothing of these unconstitutional breaches of privacy.

On August 16th 2014, Louise Milan’s house was the victim of a no-knock raid. Police officials claimed that she had alleged “specific threats” towards the Evansville Police Department.  These supposed threats were posted on topix.com, an Internet discussion website, and the IP address linked from that account came straight from Milan’s house.

Evansville police dressed up in head to toe SWAT gear carrying heaping piles of M-16’s, grenades, smoke bombs and much more gear you would only find in an apocalyptic horror movie.

With cameras becoming more commonplace on police officers uniforms, videos like these make citizens like us have the accessibility to watch our taxpayer dollars at work.

But I didn’t vote for this.

Watch the video, if you can stomach it. You immediately see officers laughing at casual remarks made by other officers and becoming numb to the violence they are about to engage in.  After the raid, the Evansville Police Department discovered that Milan’s neighbor Derrick Murray hacked their wireless Internet and posted the “threats” against the officers. He later pled guilty but Evansville still defended that their search was “objectively reasonable”

Is there no accountability anymore? I thought I was immature when I didn’t want to admit that I forgot to empty the dishwasher!  So now a police officer can come into my home because of their “reasonable suspicion” that I could have illegal paraphernalia or military grade assault rifles?  Cornell University points out that all other information prior to a no-knock warrant raid must be regarded. But remember, do that Google search I told you about and you’ll see the numerous botched raids unfold right before you.

What about Louise Milan? A reasonable search is one with a warrant, a goal of obtaining someone or something, and most importantly, an objective of protecting others.  No-knock raids, although judges are granting them more frequently, are unconstitutional to the fourth amendment.  The Tucson Police Department believes most no-knock raids are “judgment calls.” If they truly believe that, then I'm shocked to believe that 77/104 of their warrants be no-knock raids

How does this affect the victim’s perception of police officers? Well, if a police officer invaded my personal property threatening me with a gun to my head, then I sure as hell wouldn’t be too fond of their motto, “to protect and to serve.” I’m not the only one fighting this though.  Henry Goedrich Magee, a Texas native, was peacefully sleeping with his girlfriend when police officers blasted into his home with the intent to search for marijuana and guns. Having been startled by their violent nature, Magee shot and killed an officer out of defense. Magee won’t be indicted for capital murder but will be for possession of marijuana with firearms, a third degree felony.

As I start to dig further and further, I find myself going down a rabbit hole filled with systemic inequalities, poverty, prejudice and many more ugly sides that society so pleasantly offers us.

We cannot look past another police related CRIME and find it justifiable because they are government officials. Not in Ferguson, Missouri and certainly not in my neighborhood.

I see the tide coming.

YouTube videos of police abuse-including sexual misconduct...

yes, sexual misconduct!

And did I mention...sexual misconduct? And arresting people who complain about it!

...flood the internet (a google search of 'police brutality reveals roughly 9.5 million). Victims come forward, emboldened by national outrage over police misconduct. And police, trained to control situations, react to one they cannot control by escalating misconduct to tragically comical proportions.

Even my brother, an establishment neocon republican, refuses to justify current police actions. He expressed actual concern and even empathy for the victims of frivolous SWAT deployment the last time I talked to him.

We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there. It isn’t just black people and social justice warriors raising the alarm any more. Even the U.N. is condemning American law enforcement. The U.N.! As law enforcement agencies attempt to smear activists and concerned community members, it is blowing up in their faces as it turns out some of the people challenging them are quite mainstream and have even supported them in the past.

The genie escaped from the box in Ferguson. Everyone knows now.

So what now? Well, I think that due to the general arrogance and hubris of a law enforcement establishment that has always enjoyed the benefit of the doubt in these matters, said establishment will continue to escalate, reaching a point where it will be facing the combined might of the American majority.

And at that point, it will finally see the error of its ways.

It will acknowledge that it has been tasked with upholding a corrupt system and will offer to be a partner in solutions to the problem.

It will have an epiphany in regards to race, acknowledge its shortcomings, and institute policies and training to correct discriminatory practices.

It will understand that police brutality is a problem, and that the few bad apples ruining it for the  rest of the officers who abuse their power need to be dealt with harshly.

And it will all be lying lies.

Allow me to restate those last few paragraphs, sans spin:

The law enforcement establishment will shift blame for its actions to the system.

It will hire a few black cops and tweak its language a little.

Most importantly: it will offer up a few sacrificial lambs, the “bad apples”. This will be done by bending the rules set in place to protect bad cops, just long enough to make a show of accountability. The bad apples will most likely be shuffled to the private armed security sector, and the mainstream American public will probably go back to its Facebook accounts, Hi-def flat-screen TV’s, and following their favorite sports teams while ignoring the people who make the decisions that affect their life-and the armed agencies that enforce their crooked laws.

But here’s the thing: We cannot do that. Not this time. Because the “few bad apples” narrative is proven wrong by some elementary logic. If it was a matter of “a few bad apples making the rest of us look bad” the law enforcement establishment would not be spending ridiculous amounts of taxpayer dollars defending said bad apples. They would get rid of them already. This is not rocket science. But they do defend them. I feel that this is because if real accountability practices were in place, it would open a door that would ultimately show the real number of bad apples, which is probably a lot.

The reason I believe that is because law enforcement agencies have historically refused to let any  officers be held accountable, except in cases where the evidence is so clear, and the crimes so heinous, they have no other option but to take real action. Case in point: does anyone really believe that the uncharacteristically slow grand jury proceedings would be happening in Ferguson at all if this hadn’t become a national incident? Hell no, Because law enforcement agencies don’t care until they have to. And, as I anticipate the inevitable innocent verdict in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary will show, it is just a dog and pony show.

Look up your history. We’ve been here before, and we’ve heard promises from law enforcement agencies that there were problems to be acknowledged and that things would be different this time. Seriously-run some google searches and learn the history of the various jurisdictions you live in. Well, things are certainly different now, aren’t they? Cops respond to noise complaints by pepper spraying whole families and pistol-whipping the parents in front of their kids. Shootings of unarmed citizens have been on the rise, and are happening pretty much daily right now. While German police fired 85 rounds in a year, American police fired 85 rounds into just one of the hundreds of suspects shot at in that same year. Swat teams are throwing flash bang grenades into cribs and pistol-whipping toddlers over small or nonexistent amounts of marijuana. We’ve imprisoned more people than China and Russia combined! Oh yes, things are definitely different now. America is number one. Great job, guys.

Yes-the very establishment that has historically protected corporate and government interests with attempts at brutal suppression every time there has been a movement toward progress, has several times promised to embrace progress when they lost the struggle, and they have lied. Every. Damn. Time. The master’s tools will never tear down the master's house.

That’s why we are headed toward the exact same dialogue again, which they will manipulate into an escape hatch through their massive lobbies, bought-and-paid for politicians, and PR machines. Do a little digging and see for yourself how massive and crooked it all is, and you will be amazed.

For the record, I’m calling bullshit in advance. And I hope America is finally wise enough to do the same. Because I want us to push hard through peaceful means and put a stop to the games LEO’s play, so that real accountability measures can be put in place and racist practices in Law Enforcement can end. That way I can maybe chill the hell out and have time to do something significant with my music.

Because if you think confronting this thing is a bitch now, just wait until another decade if we let them play us and get away with this “business as usual” bullshit.

See what I did there? I just called bullshit again.

Just saying.

In response to Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau's cancellation of a community listening session due to vaguely asserted claims of "threats" to the chief and her officers, Communities United Against Police Brutality has called B.S. and filed a data practices request demanding all internal communications between members of the Minneapolis Police Department in regards to this matter. In addition, they are also demanding all communications between members of the city council, the mayor's office, and the city attorney's office in regard to this matter.

Typically, a government entity is expected to respond within 10 days' time. If the city of Minneapolis fails to provide the records, Communities United Against Police Brutality has legal recourse, which they are prepared to follow.

The actual Government Data Practices Act has been included with this article.

I have been skeptical from the outset, as she refused to show any clear and credible indication of threats from the outset, other than a reference to "direct action" on the Critical Change Coalition Facebook Page, which I was able to easily refute. This demand for proof is very appropriate and neccesary

We at ifoughtthelaw.info will be following this matter closely, and will report on new events as they occur.

Stay tuned.

In response to Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau's dodging of the community listening session on Thursday, September 19th at The Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis due to vague references to "threats to the the physical safety" of her and her officers, Communities United Against Police Brutality has issued a public response condemning her slander of concerned community members planning on attending the event. In their press release, they called shenanigans by stating that they have submitted a legal request for data pertaining to all communications related to the supposed threats. they have also challenged her to reschedule a session allowing the community to finally address her and have long standing questions of trust answered, since the "public safety concerns" were proven to be unfounded by the peaceful conduct of all who attended, even in spite of her brazen slap in their faces.

In an earlier article, I gave my own harsh analysis of her behavior and why I think her claims are false. I am very happy to see Communities United Against Police Brutality stepping up and throwing down the gauntlet on this one, and I look forward to what the city of Minneapolis provides in response. I am guessing will probably be excuses and stalling tactics, ultimately proving them-and all of us who are concerned about the lack of transparency and accountability-correct.

I have included the full press release in its original form below.

As I have become involved with the struggle against the evils running rampant in American Justice, I have heard and learned a lot about the role racism plays in this, and trust me-it is a big one. I have conservative leanings, and many of my white conservative friends are just not aware of how big of a problem racism actually is. This article is really for them.
 

I don't like talking about racism. As a white person, I will never be able to truly understand the frustrations black people have to live with daily, and since I know that I lack the knowledge experience provides, I don't want to sound like someone who thinks he does. I think black people deal with enough insult-intentional and unintentional-on a daily basis. Plus, as a white person who lived for many years in ignorance of how truly pervasive and widespread this problem is, it's just plain uncomfortable to hear about. I let this happen, through willful ignorance. Hell no, I do not want to talk about that. Also, I get a headache just thinking about certain angry conservatives who are going to accuse me of "race baiting" just for talking about it. Great job of avoiding the issue, guys...but this white boy doesn't give a damn. You can accuse me of whatever you like.

The fact remains, one simply cannot talk about the problems in the criminal justice system without talking about racism. This is because while the system does prey on all of us, it really seems to prefer the flavor of dark meat.

In a minute, I will get into some actual statistics from a very credible source that illustrate not just the existence of racism in the criminal justice system, but also the awe-inspiring magnitude of it. But first, I would like to share with you a tale of two Texans, as reported by The Free Thought Project. It is a web site that is rapidly becoming one of my favorite, actually. Give it a look.

View the full article here.

It reports how two men, in very similar scenarios, were subject to "no-knock" raids by police in the early morning hours while sleeping-for suspicion of minor drug offenses. Both of these men, responding to armed, masked intruders invading their homes, opened fire on the officers. In each case, an officer was tragically killed.

One of them  was cleared of all charges due to the state of Texas's "castle doctrine", a law which allows for the use of lethal force in protecting oneself in one's home.

The other is facing the death penalty.

Can you guess which one is black?

Please, read the article. I want you to understand that these two cases are very parallel, except for the legal outcome.

In addition, look at the pictures of the two men in said article. It is there to illustrate how these two men were portrayed in the media. One was lovingly holding his kid on the playground, looking all kinds of apple pie, the other had his mug shot featured. Again, before you look, can you guess which one was white?

You see, this is why black people are so pissed. It is also why you are going to hear a lot about racism when taking an honest look at this issue.

"But Steve", you tell me. That is an isolated incident. You can't use an isolated incident to say that racism is commonplace!"

Correct you are. I was simply using a poignant example to illustrate my point and grab peoples' attention. What it takes to show the widespread nature of the problem, is hard data. So sit down, because I am going to share with you some very sobering statistics that were shared with me by Nancy Heitzeg, a sociology professor at Saint Catherine University and author of the weekly series Criminal Injustice. It's a great series, well written with a lot to think about. These statistics are by The Sentencing Project and the full report can be read here:

• More than 60% of people in prison today are people of color. Yes, minorities makeup the majority in prison!
• Black men are 6 times more likely to be imprisoned than white men and 2.5 times more likely than hispanics.
• One in ten black men is in jail on any given day.

But wait, it gets worse! (unless you're white). Of the 1 in 9 men in America likely to experience imprisonment:

• 1 in 17 are white.
• 1 in 6 are latino.
• Aaaaaand...drumroll please! 1 in 3 are black.

This is really just the tip of the iceberg. I haven't even touched police practices like profiling and racial disparity on use of force. The information is readily available from many unbiased sources. Do some homework.

Now I know somebody out there is going to say it...so I'm just going to face palm over their stupidity in advance, then say it first so I can address it: "Well, maybe black people should stop being criminals!"

Okay, here's the thing: if you really think that, you are an idiot. Yes. An idiot. You see, I know a lot more about black people than you do. I'm in their neighborhoods. I'm at events with them. I have many black friends, and have dated black girls. And once you get to know a significant number of black people-even black people in the rough parts of town-you discover that they are not lazy or dangerous. They are quite pleasant to be around, actually. And I'm not just talking about the ones who live in the suburbs and dress nice.

Yes, white America-your televisions are lying to you. The black ghettos have a small criminal element but are no worse than white trailer parks, which actually aren't that bad either. You see, while black people have their own TV station and magazines now, the way they are treated in media as a whole is designed to scare us. And while it's a complex issue, here's a very simplified explanation of why:

The system makes money off black people. It made money off of enslaving them. When slavery was done away with, it made money off limiting them to the jobs that sucked and paying them less for their labor than a white person would earn, along with other discriminatory methods that I am only now being made aware of. When civil rights reform did away with that, the system started fining and arresting them. The system has always extorted black people, and it continues to find ways to do so. It succeeds because white America is not evil, but ignorant due to basic human nature: everyone wants to think that if it's not happening to them, it's not happening at all. The system needs for white America to continue this train of thought, because white complicity has slowed the train of racial equality time, and time, and time again.

But white people, it is our problem. If you don't understand why one race systematically mistreating another race is a big problem-even if members of the mistreating race are simply going with the flow-you can stop reading now. Go listen to talk radio or arm up for the race war, or whatever it is you do. I just don't have time to try and reason with you.

But for the rest of us, we need to start thinking about this and start listening to our black brothers and sisters.

I'm not going to present solutions. I really don't want to be 'Captain White America', here to save the oppressed black man from injustice. I think that would be incredibly cavalier and patronizing. Because I still don't get it. None of us can get it, unless we experience the routine exploitation at the hands of the criminal justice system-and actually, the host of other injustices in other areas of American life-that black people experience. For now, I'm mostly going to shut up on this issue and listen to what black people have to say. I'm guessing that's the first and most important thing white America needs to do right now.

I'm just putting it out there for other white people to think about and recognize. I'm not trying to be a social justice warrior here, I'm just trying to inform. I think it matters, in the fight against the prison-industrial complex and in America, period.

Because in our fight against the U.S. criminal justice system run amok it's possibly the biggest part of this whole puzzle, and we are going to have to deal with it. It's also our responsibility as conscientious Americans to be aware of injustice in its many forms.

Keep that in mind.

*UPDATE: According to Fox 9 News, Chief Harteau specifically referenced the Coalition For Critical Change, saying there was a call for "direct action" on its Facebook page. She plays the politics game very well. The "direct action" she referred to was spelled out clearly: red arm bands and signs protesting police brutality, as well as making sure it remained a discussion, and not a one-sided PR session. Which, actually, must be pretty terrifying to the Minneapolis Police Department, now that I think of it.


I try to be fair and level-headed, but sometimes you just have to call a duck a duck. Or, in this case, a chicken.

Tonight at the Sabathani Community Center; A community listening session was scheduled at which Chief Harteau was expected to attend. It is my humble oppinion that Chief Harteau's idea of a community listening session is mostly her talking and the community listening. This of course solves nothing, as police have been talking to the community and not letting the community talk to them for a long time now. At this community listening session people were actually able to speak to the panel, presenting their questions and comments. I think that once she learned that this session may involve actually answering for her department's actions, she backed chickened out.

This behavior from a public servant, whose job is to face the community her department allegedly serves, is despicable. However, it's only the beginning. The reason she gave was she had reason to believe that people attending were planning on disrupting the meeting, and said people would potentially pose a safety threat for her and her officers.

Yes-that's right. She weaseled out of a listening session, where she would have to face the very public her department routinely terrorizes, by slandering said public. Two birds, one stone. It's brilliant, but despicable.

First, let's be clear on something that Chief Harteau as the chief of police, knows very well: This community of activists has a well-established track record of safe and peaceful events. I refuse to believe that Chief Harteau, as the head of an agency we are protesting, is unaware of this.

Second, the reason we are out here doing what we do is because we have a very keen awareness of the fact that police are killing and brutalizing people in increasing numbers. We know that many in the law enforcement community are looking for reasons to brutalize and kill people. Why would we give them a reason. We know how it would end and we don't want that. I refuse to believe that Chief Harteau got her job by being too stupid to use elementary logic.

Third, the nature of what I do has me with my ear to the ground in this community. I hear about things. If something so foolish as aggressive action was actually being planned, I would have heard about it and I would have been heard speaking out against it, because I-like others-am of the firm belief that violence is not the answer to violence.

I do believe that people who are tired of being told to listen to their community servants when their community servants refuse to listen to them were prepared for Chief Harteau to attempt to control the conversation-and as such were prepared to disrupt the proceedings with real questions and a demand for answers. This is not a threat to anyone.

That is, unless it results in the police chief having to face the community on even ground and finally answer our questions. Questions like:

• Why do you allow cops with a clear history of brutality and aggression to remain on the street, when this costs cost the city Hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawsuits?
• Why are victims of police brutality prosecuted more harshly than those who aren't victims of police brutality?
• Why do police have military weapons when they have clearly demonstrated that they lack the restraint and professionalism of the armed forces they inherit said weapons from?
• Why do victims of police brutality have to sue to gain any sort of justice?
• Why are paramilitary raids used to execute search warrants on non-violent offenders?
• Why do patterns of racism show themselves in law enforcement, to the point of drawing criticism from the U.N.? 

Chief Harteau has illustrated one of the major facets of the problem we are addressing: Law enforcement's fear of the same accountability they claim the rest of us should be held to.

Or, as I am just going to come out and say: She's chicken.

Or maybe I have it wrong. As I read through this article again, I'm wondering if maybe she's a weasel.

Yeah...I said it.