Encore of Revival: America, April 19, 2021

America’s police brutality problems weren’t solved by shouting that “blue lives matter”. Police shoot unarmed civilians because of improper training. After a chase, everyone is more easily frightened, including the police. A work culture of servitude would do officers well and serve those who didn’t need to be killed by police even better. If an officer thinks he is in danger, he should not pursue until he has enough of whatever he needs in order to feel like he is not in danger. A badge is not a license to murder.

Military personnel know not to fire until fired upon. But, police kill anyone they want to—or don’t want to—then tell each other they did the right thing.

Even after all that has happened and keeps happening, police have not re-evaluated their own work culture. They haven’t considered that their attitudes all day long will define their spit-second decisions. A thirteen-year-old boy paid someone else’s consequences. He was White. But, apparently that doesn’t matter to a police force who think that everyone else is not important enough to cultivate a servant’s attitude every minute of every day.

Violence will increase as the public loses more and more trust in law enforcement and elections. Trust must be regained. But, it looks like we want things to get worse before we make them better.

Trump

Trumpism lives on in new thinktank – but critics say it’s ‘just a grift’ // Guardian

Trump goes after Pence, McConnell in speech to party donors // Times of India

Election

Matthew McConaughey may be a viable candidate for Texas governor; poll shows actor ahead of Abbott // Dallas Morning News

Democrats

Dems wrestle with whether to nudge a justice off the Supreme Court // Politico

Security & Public Safety

Adam Toledo: Chicago police say bodycam footage shows less than a second passes from when 13-year-old is seen holding a handgun and is shot by officer // CNN

Chicago releases graphic video of police shooting 13-year-old // Yahoo News