I'm reading Content with my Wages by Gregory Murry atm. His time in Vietnam overlapped my father's time in the A-1-16 Infantry, and he was in one of the same battles. The police you describe remind me of American soldiers in Vietnam atm. No clear mission, poor leadership that disregards the facts on the ground, poor training, and a population that is afraid and resentful. It's a recipe for disaster. It seems that Detroit has better police force leadership atm. I harbor absolutely no cathartic anticipation of burning it down. After years of hardship and violence and rape, we'll have nothing gained. I don't expect the arc of history to pull us to the promise land. I expect things to go as they normally do, especially with more guns than people. 10% of the population that is determined to be counter-productive will prevent any organization but authoritarian terror.
I think many places will pass comprehensive police reform in the next few years. I think it will show that firing the worst, most violent officers decreases use of force drastically. I think we'll find that having an unarmed non uniformed first responder that specializes in mental health crisis response reduces use of force and realized better outcomes for everyone. Reducing the use of swat teams for warent service and taking away some of the extreme weaponry might make a difference. Police probably don't need to use tear gas. I think think the future of law enforcement in the U.S. look sunny, it's just going to take a bunch of busted heads and gassed kids to get there.
They run this country. They always have, and always will because they keep it just bad enough that the rest of us tire and give up, give in, and stop being Good. 10% of the population that is determined to be counter-productive will prevent any organization but authoritarian terror.
That's not the 10% I am talking about. The 10% in power you reference is actually maintaining a pretty good thing on a global comparison, although we've declined significantly in terms of taking care of the working and middle class in the last 20 years. But there is a peaceful path for improving upon it. Like AOC, the people that need it fixed can even join it. IMO if we had as many people seek to be an AOC as have given up hope, we would have a much better thing in a short amount of time. The 10% I am referencing is any faction that isn't aligned with the new order after we've pulled the old one apart. It's even easier to join, and the only thing that will prevent a constant churn of a new destructive 10% will be authoritarian terror.