Holy Crap. Thank you. Thank you, Chief Cunningham.
There have been times when law enforcement officers, because of the laws enacted by federal, state, and local governments, have been the face of oppression for far too many of our fellow citizens. In the past, the laws adopted by our society have required police officers to perform many unpalatable tasks, such as ensuring legalized discrimination or even denying the basic rights of citizenship to many of our fellow Americans.
Though not indicated directly, I will take this statement to also apply to the mistreatment of the LGBTQ community. Would that be a fair assumption? Or �
While we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future. We must move forward together to build a shared understanding. We must forge a path that allows us to move beyond our history and identify common solutions to better protect our communities.
I believe you will find willing partners if you prove you are sincere, sir.
You must have read a different speech than the one I read.
Wow. I didnât see this coming. Probably my own ignorance but still totally caught me off guard. Thanks.
They shouldâve condemned the irresponsible, inflammatory rhetoric of Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke while they were at it.
Actually, I like the way this was handled. It speaks to all and seems to cover all â including that asshole from Milwaukee. This statement is so much larger than him and his pitchforks. To me, this is all-encompassing. This comes out nowhere (at least from where I sit) but is so very welcomed. Itâs a good sign, a very positive sign.
Well THATâS going to set well with certain police union leaders!
This is impressive, and a good first step.
But.
He says diddly-squat about the actions of the present. It will be a lot easier to stop blaming officers for the bad behavior of the past if they stop engaging in ongoing bad behavior.
The police unions are going to be pissed about this. Good.
- Everything has to start somewhere.
- Complex issues are not resolved instantly.
- Thank you, Chief Cunningham, for putting a foot upon the path forward.
What he is acknowledging is only that in the âpastâ the uniformed officers were enforcing bad, discriminatory law and that some current officers donât understand that foundation for the communities of color to distrust them. It does not speak one whit about the abuse current officers have done in the very recent history that has nothing to do with enforcing âbadâ law. So it does not even acknowledge current abuses, nor does it condemn those extra legal abuses. That said, I shake my head and say itâs a start⌠paltry, but a start⌠Oh, I thought it would be so much better by now. Itâs getting harder to speak to each other not easierâŚ
âWhile we obviously cannot change the past, it is clear that we must change the future.
At the same time, those who denounce the police must also acknowledge that todayâs officers are not to blame for the injustices of the past.
Overcoming this historic mistrust requires that we must move forward together in an atmosphere of mutual respect.
It is my hope that, by working together, we can break this historic cycle of mistrust and build a better and safer future for us all.â
This clearly is a major step forward for the HoPChiefs Org. I sincerely hope this statement bears fruit in multiple police organizations (a very tall order). While I understand it would be difficult to make this statement in the present tense, the quick word on the street is likely "Whatâs up with this âin the pastâ BS?
Better than the President of the NYPD Union.
Does Sheriff Dave Clarke belong to this organization?
I am pigment- challenged, Iâm about as âwhiteâ as you can be without being albino. And yeah, blue-eyestrong textd.
People of color are my students, neighbors, friends, and family. So are those also pigment-challenged.
To police officer A traffic violation stop should involve the words, âExcuse me, are you aware thatâŚ?â And that needs to be said before you call for backup or pull out your penis-substitute. I actually fear you because I vote for responsible people.
To everybody else: STOP SHOOTING PEOPLE.
In 2016, I will take any grounds for optimism available â the speech and its reception by the attendees.
I wanted to say that the refrerences to âthe pastâ and the sentiment, that âHey, we were just doing our duty and enforcing the bad laws that bad politicians made and weâre sorry for thatâ are minor quibbles. I want to applaud the sentiment and say itâs a start, but the more I think about it, this entire statement is passing the blame while not acknowledging that there are current issues.
Even indicating that critics have to stop blaming todayâs police for historical problems is blind and tone deaf to what is going on today.
I really wanted to âlikeâ this and I find that I canât. Have I become so jaded that I canât see enough sincerity here? 
This is so refreshing to hear, and coming from a major LEO organization, I think, makes it very meaningful.
Hopefully this means an olive branch has been extended and the various groups can get together to enact meaningful change.
And if certain Republican and police union leaders heads explode, all the better.
Well, this is certainly a step in the right direction. A problem that is not acknowledged cannot be solved.
This story came out this afternoon in the Washington Post. I was glad to read that there is at least movement in the right direction, though I detected some blame shifting. What I was not prepared for were the majority (?) of the readersâ comments that appeared almost immediately, so filled with hate were they toward people of color for causing all the problems. Ugh. At the Washington Post?! Thanks, TPM readers, for your enlightened commentary. I read it most every day and learn a lot from it.