NYPD Will Always Be Opps

I’d like to begin by acknowledging that police officers are human beings, just like you and me. They’re individuals who navigate a demanding and, at times, rigid system. In their line of work, they often find themselves in situations where they must make choices, often within the confines of a system that grants them unique privileges. It’s an established fact that, more often than not, police officers have more leeway when facing potential consequences than an ordinary civilian. This system allows them to exercise discretion and turn a blind eye to minor offenses, but it also provides opportunities for prejudice, bias, and the “blue wall of silence” to perpetuate injustices.

Furthermore, it appears that the concept of law and order primarily applies to individuals who are frequently associated, whether truly or not, with a specific class or status, often within or near poverty. Similarly, it appears that the system is devoting more effort to criminalizing anti-social behavior in response to failing policies than to effectively policing the entities and individuals who perpetuate anti-social behavior. For example, wage theft is twice as expensive as robbery, burglary, and vehicle theft combined, displacing billions of dollars from our community into the pockets of shareholders. A more enigmatic example is how late capitalism finances anti-social music, which serves as a carrot for gang-related success in music and drugs. Finally, an immediate example of this perpetuation that our system and police appear to ignore are parties raising rent while keeping wages low.

Human beings are capable of love and compassion, and it’s this very capacity for empathy and understanding that I deeply admire in our species. I recognize that within the police force, there are individuals who demonstrate kindness, consideration, and compassion, both in the course of their duties and in their personal lives. It would be a mistake to assert that every police officer is devoid of these human qualities. To depict them all with the same brush as heartless or unfeeling is an oversimplification that doesn’t align with the principles of abolitionism. And I am an abolitionist.

Accounts of police corruption, misconduct, and brutality have severely harmed the police force’s reputation and brand. This brand consists of several elements, including the distinctive police uniform, insignia, and historical legacy. The police uniform is a clear representation of authority and power. It is crucial to understand that authority and power are not inherent qualities of the uniform but rather projections made by those who wear it. And those who’ve worn it have, in fact, displayed the authority and power to overlook victims, exploit the vulnerable, and/or corrupt justice. The uniform is meant to symbolize the institution’s dedication to justice, fairness, and community protection. Unfortunately, it has been at the center of ruining lives despite any of the positive stories; it’s been closely associated with oppression, intimidation, and excessive use of force. The brand, like any corporate branding, is the catalyst to the service. If you pour red in a bucket of blue, you can not take that paint back out.

And now, the “system,” characterized primarily by late-capitalist society, exacerbates class and status, which have a significant influence on our financial behavior in this system, perpetuating disparities that manifest as wide chasms between those social classes. These disparities demonstrate unequivocally how our financial priorities frequently trump human initiatives and the pursuit of justice. This is why the police have to go to great lengths to act neutral when, by design, the system oppose uprisings. It is not a matter of a few bad apples; in fact, they are all bad apples, and then there are those who face eminent tainting.