[fritzw]

I absolutely agree with everything you said with one exception.

> "Protect and Serve"

Everyone thinks that the police's job is their motto. It was some strategic messaging, but they came up with that. Police weren't created to protect and serve. Going back to the foundations of the country's policing strategy, police exist to maintain order. That's why they arrest protesters, shoot unarmed guys who are noncompliant, arrest people for selling cigarette singles. That subtle shift in how we perseve their job explains vertically all of their behavior as of late.

[infosample]

Interesting you chose those specific examples. Police killing black men in those instances did the opposite of what you claim. They turned orderly to disorderly.

[NoGravitas]

That's because they don't exist to protect order as such. They exist to protect a particular social order.

[pjc50]

> Going back to the foundations of the country's policing strategy, police exist to maintain order

Very un-Peelian policing. Could you give more background on how and when the foundations of US policing strategy were laid, because it seems to be very fragmentary and local?

[fritzw]

I hate to cheap out and just send you to a history podcast, but it really is a great collection of remarks on the history of policing in the US.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/serve-protect-a-history-...

It's well worth a listen, the entire series is great as well