Has White Supremacism Infected Our Police Forces Or Is It Just An Illusion?

[TheMastersNemesis]

Seems like every day an incident comes up of abuse or brutality towards someone who is non white. There are too many stories for it to be an exception. What about incidents that are under the radar or never get reported? How endemic is this problem.

Now that we have white supremacist Trump in office we can expect civil right violations will become a serious pandemic.

[tazkcmo]

1. Yes

Some time around when the first police force was assembled. Also racism and white privledge .

[Wellstone ruled]

2. One of our Nations ugly issues.

[meadowlark5]

3. I think they are infecting the police force

No centralized recruitment process or set of national standards exists for the 18,000 law enforcement agencies in the United States, many of which have deep historical connections to racist ideologies. As a result, state and local police as well as sheriff’s departments present ample opportunities for white supremacists and other right-wing extremists looking to expand their power base.

In a heavily redacted version of an October 2006 FBI internal intelligence assessment, the agency raised the alarm over white supremacist groups’ “historical” interest in “infiltrating law enforcement communities or recruiting law enforcement personnel.” The effort, the memo noted, “can lead to investigative breaches and can jeopardize the safety of law enforcement sources or personnel.” The memo also states that law enforcement had recently become aware of the term “ghost skins,” used among white supremacists to describe “those who avoid overt displays of their beliefs to blend into society and covertly advance white supremacist causes.” In at least one case, the FBI learned of a skinhead group encouraging ghost skins to seek employment with law enforcement agencies in order to warn crews of any investigations.

https://theintercept.com/2017/01/31/the-fbi-has-quietly-investigated-white-supremacist-infiltration-of-law-enforcement/

[PJMcK]

4. I'll answer your question with another question

How many unarmed white people have been shot by black policemen?

[PatSeg]

5. I think the nature of the job

attracts certain types of people, who might be prone to discrimination and/or have a need to exert power over others they perceive as less than them. Even people who aren't inherently racist, could start to have racist tendencies being surrounded by people who are quick to profile suspects. I've seen this in people I've known over the years. The job often can affect people in negative ways and make them more aggressive and suspicious.

Law enforcement is the type of profession that requires continuous ongoing training and monitoring, but sadly we don't see a lot of that and the rot can start at the top and work its way down.

[Johnny2X2X]

6. Infected isn't the right word

Infected implies the police force in this country was once free from White Supremacy. The police has always had racist members.

Remember, the only reason we are witnessing any of this now is because cell phones come with video cameras on them. This has been happening to minorities at the hands of the police for generations. The only reason a police officer gets convicted now and then today is because someone literally has them on film killing someone without cause, even many of those cases they still get acquitted because they and their fellow officers lie about what wasn't on camera.

Ask yourself this, how many of the hundreds of police killings that happen every year that aren't filmed result in any discipline for the officer? Probably close to zero. When a person is killed by the police, the only version of the events that ever get heard is the police version. The people who join the police force often have authoritarian tendencies and this compounds the problem.

Little will change until police forces start weeding out racists using advanced psychological tests for applicants.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Yes, and ICE is the Holy Grail of racist policy enforcement...

[bluestarone]

9. THIS!!!!!!!!!!

[oasis]

8. I'm sure there would be many more abuses if it wasn't for cellphones. Imagine

how bad it was before visual documentation is presented for evidence. (even though most of it gets rejected).

[msongs]

10. if the mob won't have you there is always the local PD nt

[tonyt53]

11. Police departments that are hiring those that want nothing more than to have power over others

Every now and then, you will see a state policeman doing something that most people would consider racist, insane or just plain stupid. The reason between those people and what cities and counties hire? They weed out most of the nuts that want to carry a gun and have power over others.