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Why Policing in American is an Historic Failure of Epic Proportions [1]

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Date: 2023-01-30

The infamous police terror beating of Rodney King.

There’s a satirical expression as to what the definition of insanity is, the following is one version:

It’s enacting the same failed policing policies over and over

again, and arguing that the next time they will actually work.

Times article in the 90s.

Maybe it’s not really insanity once you realize ruling circles long ago decided that police are not actually intended to fight crime in poor and working-class communities, especially ones of color. The publicly given reasons regarding policing have been “to protect and serve” but since the advent of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century, the true purpose has been “to contain and control” the nation’s concentrated areas of urban poor people. To keep crime out of middle class and wealthier areas, called “good” neighborhoods by most of us, and not to protect citizens or prevent crime.

“Tough on Crime” B.S.

If I had a dollar for every time a politician looking for votes promised “to be tough on crime” or that they wouldn’t be “soft on crime” like their opponent, I’d be rich by now. It has never been a secret that poverty conditions will tend to be economically confined together into “bad” neighborhoods where crime can be better contained, the poorest of which are called “ghettos.” The dictionary has two main definitions of “ghetto”:

a poor urban area occupied primarily by a minority group or groups.

the Jewish quarter in a city in Nazi Germany. Which tells us all we need to know about how society views the poor. I grew up in a poor area of Brooklyn learning the types of things that would happen there as opposed to my better off friend’s block. Even we talked of “good and bad” neighborhoods and blocks. And me and my poor friends wanted to move if only we could afford to.

I have little faith that meaningful police reform can be achieved given the political impossibility of any politician supporting economic and policy measures to combat poverty and crime, the only way to resolve the many problems poor people face.

Policing: Not a Job

Philadelphia “policing” in the 70s,

Police “work” is sold to prospective officers as if it’s a job like any other. I have no doubt that police often treat it the same way. I’m sure many who become police are decent sorts but once on the “job” they realize that what is key to survival, which is to be able to go home to your family each night in a different world. Those assigned to poor areas are confined for long shifts and get to experience many of the same crisis and problems the poor face daily. Where the job more often than not is to apprehend, arrest and confront.

I know from my own experience growing up that people in my neighborhood, especially the youth and the ones from gangs, did not consider the cops protectors and were looked upon as an armed and dangerous person to be avoided. Gang kids were often kidnapped from the streets and taken to deserted areas by the cemetery or waterfront and worked over in the back of a patrol car to be shown who was boss. My own brother, then a gang leader, was picked up like this a number of times.

A Qualitative Difference

There is a huge difference in the way policing is conducted in better off white communities and the way they conduct themselves in poorer communities of color. It’s fair to say that compared to some of the poorest and most destabilized communities of color, the poor block I grew up on was minor league compared to the type of police behavior in communities of color. We also learned from recent events in Memphis that even Black police can be cruel and barbaric.

A National Commitment to Address Poverty?

American has more than 2 million in prisons.

Our Nation’s “commitment” to poverty has primarily, in recent years, been mass incarceration and expulsion from the inner cities by gentrification. In some states, upwards of 80 — 90 % of sentenced prisoners come from poor areas of color. In all states it is disproportionately poor people of color. These are decisions ultimately made at the highest levels of power. In fairness to the police officer, they have been put in an impossible situation. Some make the best of it, some the worst.

But none can make a dent in poverty and the conditions that cause street crime. Nor will the police ever be trusted in as long as America lacks a commitment to address poverty at its roots. Police, regardless of their personal beliefs and character, represent the state and it’s failed policies in relation to poverty and will be viewed as an outside foreign force. Even with the best of intentions, police can accomplish little the way things currently are. Attempts at police reform will be purely cosmetic until major socio-economic commitments are carried out.

People in prison are overwhelmingly people of color.

The only crimes authorities seem interested in punishing people for are those of the poor. The economic crimes of Wall Street and the upper classes are largely overlooked. Either by a failure to prosecute or by actual legalization of many practices which should be outlawed. Trump, who definitely qualifies as a rich white man, has committed countless crimes, including instigating an armed violent attack on our own Congress and so far has escaped an indictment!

Rather than economically address hundreds of years of exploitation of the poor, who are in most cases sentenced to perpetual poverty and live apart from the rest of America, we substitute “policing.” Our market capitalist system not only has failed in this regard, it actually manufactures poverty and taxes the public to pay for policing it.

A Few Words on Tyre Nichols Torture and Murder



Taken in Harlem after police killed a 15-year-old.

The inhumanity of policing that took Tyre Nichol’s life was on full display. Who should also be on trial, in addition to the perpetrators, are the authorities who implemented the unit they came from. Named “Scorpion” it was an armed shock group intended to terrorize the community and spread fear and submission to police authority. It will very likely come out that they selected this poor young man for completely bogus reasons on a “slow night” when they wanted to show the higher ups that they were doing something and maybe also get themselves off the street.

Interesting that the video part that proceeded the stopping of Nichols was never shown. Perhaps it showed no basis to stop him? The police acted like a group of psychopaths and surrounded him as they dragged him from the car.

They obviously had already terrified the young man, who was fearing for his life and did not want to lie down and perhaps be suffocated like George Floyd. He broke free and ran for his life. The police craziness caused him to run. When they caught him, they were pissed he made these likely out of shape cops run after him. So they beat him without mercy.

This is one of a number of Memphis Police programs designed to terrorize poor communities. Those who created these extreme policies deserve to also be indicted, but probably never will be. This is why American policing has been notorious failure since before any of us were born.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/30/2150065/-Why-Policing-in-American-is-an-Historic-Failure-of-Epic-Proportions

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