zlacker

I live close to a small town in the Bay Area, called Los Gatos. Quaint, expensive, beautiful place.

It was Big Truck Day at the library and a lot of government employees were showing their vehicles. Fire trucks, trash compactors, a huge bulldozer, and there was a police car and a handful of officers around.

A little girl came and pointed at a rifle and asked the officer, “what is this for?”

He said, “to protect myself”, paused and caught his breath and said “and to protect you”.

This happened a couple years ago. I still think about his pause, the afterthought on why he needs the truck, the rifle and the gear.

>>inerte+(OP)
Wow, anecdotal but very telling. I tend to think that most cops are "good people", but that doesn't mean that the majority also doesn't go around envisioning their job primarily as a combat deployment to a war zone, and only secondarily as an exercise in protecting and strengthening their communities.

The bellicose see war everywhere...

>>inerte+(OP)
The (presumably white) little girl probably needs someone to explain to that the police have a duty to the public to protect order, not any given individual