Forum Post: OWS and the Police

Dear Fellow Americans I feel helpless when I watch the OWS gathering being subject to police brutality. I know I would feel less helpless if I were a teacher or member of the clergy. They tend to engage in constructive and reasonable discourse (leaving fanatics aside) on two matters that are of most import these days. The two matters are civil disobedience and respect for the other. I believe if Mayors and Governor were contacted by a teacher's association and or clergy association with intent to sensitize the police to these two matters future scenes of violence may be less. The associations may have to come up with an original template but knowing what is at stake I imagine they could put it together in a few hours. I suggest the ‘sensitivity training’ last a few days so the officers have the chance to sleep on it and slowly 'make it their own'. I in no way believe every officer would need this training. The higher-ups would have to decide if it be 'across the board' or for ones with less tolerance of the differences in others and more aggressive than the rest. For what it is worth, here are further thoughts: When violence occurs against non-threatening citizens the police are not doing their job. They need help in understanding their role in our society. The ‘sensitivity training’ can offer an opportunity for 'role play' where the officer is the 50 year old male or female who is homeless due to unemployment running out, he or she has 500 work applications to name and the unemployed person wants to be part of a chorus sounding the alarm of falling through the cracks, all the way, because unemployment extensions have not been voted in favor of. The officer is the youth who is gaining a disturbing perspective on the U.S. economy through courses on contemporary economics and Wall Street corruption. The officer is asked to understand the student’s frustration at our regulatory agencies falling down on the job and legislators not up to the task of demanding accountability due to some ‘beholding’ issues.
Give the officer some of that 'background' and personalize the anger of having your Uncle’s 401K depleted, your Aunt with a cancerous tumor and no health insurance, your best friend who you always called upon to fix or update your computer and even with high grades cannot get a job due to corporate 'insourcing or outsourcing' and the 'liberal' Grandmother who always wondered why millions of her fellow citizens are living in poverty in this great country and seizes the opportunity to be part of OWS( takes the subway from her home in Queens) hoping to make a difference. One of the last things she does is raise her hand in solidarity with fellow OWS gatherers for a fairer, equal and caring society. God forbid you be the officer or officers who subject her to violence and deny her the Constitutional right to protest.
If at this point you're thinking of violence on the part of protestors and police needing to respond, I have no issues with police providing the response that is appropriate and lawful. But what I see and understand is police having issues with civil disobedience and some unable to control anger because OWS dares to questions the ‘System’.
I know concerns run both ways and a real dialog needs to begin. The ‘sensitivity training’ can’t help but allow apprehensions to be voiced. It is staggering, the amount of positive energy lost in the unwillingness of the powerful to reassess our system of government. When you think of roughly 50 million Americans without health insurance how do you not think of ‘Medicare for All’. When you think of roughly 40 million Americans below the poverty line how do you not think of a ‘living wage’ where government subsidy for food and shelter may not be necessary. When you think of a just and fair society how do you not think of legislators willing to work honorably and compassionately for its vulnerable citizenry. When you think of our neighbors living on the street and begging for jobs and food how do you not think of demanding an end to homelessness, job ‘outsourcing’ and food insecurity (hunger). And in a country where the majority takes pride in the belief of a ‘Higher Power’ how can you not think grave disappointment attends our inaction.
Sincerely, A Fellow American