Deconstructing Police Brutality

There is a ton of complexity on the police brutality issue. Military industrial complex using police forces as a place to dump “old” equipment because they need to spend our tax money to keep churning out more as well as to use this equipment to flex dominance on the world stage (I’m being kind in that last phrase); the training of our police departments by Israel in police exchange programs funded with tax dollars – learning militarized police tactics (racial profiling, violent suppression of protest, massive surveillance and other ) like we see in the occupied territories (since 1992, at least 32 states participated, Minnesota included to some degree- in Chicago actually); white supremacist extremist unions like in Minneapolis or racist PD force leadership infecting the force and also creating an environment for good cops to be silenced or fearful; and others- please add to the list.

To not face this reality is a disservice to ourselves and to society at the very least- as well as to the majority good cops caught up in a system that they didn’t create but have to navigate through.

And just because you might live in a diverse city or region with amazing police forces that do not display racism and militarization of their force- or your dad was a cop for 39 years … doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist in this country and that it’s not spreading and that it’s not very dangerous.

I can see this issue through a Muslim American lens. When the media and well-funded institutions that have a vested interest in making Muslims the “boogeyman” run a consistent campaign of broad-brushing all Muslims as “terrorists”, people DEMANDED that we Muslims speak out and explain ourselves. Explain our intentions, and demand condemnation of the bad guys. We’ve done that ad nauseum- and still do it. EVEN THOUGH WHITE SUPREMACY DOMESTIC EXTREMISM is a much much higher threat to our country and to the globe! (We literally protect white terrorists over other terrorists- that’s how racist our collective, societal world-view is.)

Are all whites racist? No.
Are all white Americans domestic terrorists? No.
Are all Muslims terrorists? No.
Are all police racist? No.
Are all police involved with or supportive of police brutality against black people? No.

Are some whites racist? Yes.
Should we call it out and condemn them? Yes.
Are some white Americans domestic terrorists? Yes.
Should we call it out and condemn them? Yes.
Are some Muslims terrorists? Yes.
Should we call it out and condemn them? Yes.
Are some police involved with or supportive of police brutality against black people? Yes.
Should we call it out and condemn them? Yes.

Putting up banners right now that Muslim lives matter and Police lives matter and all lives matter only serves to silence the CALLING OUT AND CONDEMNATION PART that is the definitive ACTION that NEEDS TO HAPPEN against any persons or institutions that are racist or take part in dangerous racist and violent policy.

CONDEMNING BAD COPS should be a relief to good cops. If you are a good cop, by default, you should condemn bad cops. In fact, I already know in my heart that the majority good cops condemn bad cops.

Policing was never supposed to be militarized.
Military was never supposed to be turned against our own people on our own soil.
We must fix these cancers in our society. And if you care about the good cops— condemning the bad ones should be FIRST on your action list- so that you can protect and sustain the good ones- their good character- to not be blamed or broad-brush-stroked as racist. Like Muslims get broad-brush-stroked as terrorists.

About the Author

About the Author: I'm a Writer, Speaker and Muslim Activist. I'm a former Board Member of the #MyJihad Public Education Campaign. Follow my blog at yasminareality.com or follow me on Twitter: @yasmina_reality. I'm also now on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YasminaReality Peace! More from this author.

Tagged With: black lives matter, BLM, domestic terrorism, police brutality, racism, systemic racism, white supremacy