The problem with our approach to police brutality

Edit 3/7/21: My feelings on this have evolved quite a bit and there will be an update coming

The militarization of some aspects of the police force is a necessary thing, though it's being treated in the media like it's the end of civilization as we know it. Police forces have been dealing with increasingly well-armed and well-trained criminals since the '80s, and the weapons and tactics that were in use then became obsolete, and were resulting in the deaths of lots of law enforcement officers. This led to the spread of SWAT teams (which started in the '60s in LA) to more cities. A well-armed, well-trained SWAT team is an essential part of any large police force. This isn't going to change, and it shouldn't unless the proliferation of automatic weapons and dangerous gangs goes away too.

A big part of the problem that we're facing is that people need to stop confusing the issue of militarized SWAT teams with excessive police violence (and outright brutality); they're very different things. When SWAT teams are used, and how they are used is absolutely a problem. Law enforcement agencies need to have more accountability for their actions (cameras monitoring them would be a good start), and more awareness in general about the institutional racism and classism rampant in the system. Police officers have gone from being well-liked, respected members of the community to outsiders who are watching and waiting for you to step out of line.

The problem isn't the gear that specialized units have, whether it's fire hoses and nightsticks or tear gas and rubber bullets; it's racism, classism, misuse and abuse of power, lack of accountability, lack of awareness, privatization of SWAT teams, and the slow but steady criminalization of everyday life, which is a whole conversation in itself.

What can we do about this? For starters, if you're looking for a new career, go into law enforcement, work hard, have integrity, and be part of the change. Write to your city and state officials, and demand that they take measures to ensure accountability for police action, and ask for legislation to punish police brutality. Raise awareness in your local community; reach out to the police and make them feel like part of it. Speak out against the atrocities that are happening all too frequently. Very importantly, stop voting for legislators that are tolerating this. Inaction on a politicians' part makes them part of the problem. This is not going to change on its own, so take responsibility and do something.

Most police officers are good, honest, caring people, who go into law enforcement with the best of intentions. Police work is essential, dangerous, thankless work. Nobody pays attention to it (police work) until they screw up. Police officers are your brothers, sisters, parents, children, and friends. Talk to them; encourage them to act, too. Just as in any other segment of society, there are horrible people who will do horrible things when put in a position of power. Law enforcement is supposed to be there to protect you, not oppress you. Don't make them your enemy. Hold them accountable and make sure they do their job. All over the world, including here, police have had the courage to join protesters in times of civil unrest. We need to encourage them to stand up for what's right, not demonize them for their profession.

Why I can't be quiet about the Israel/Palestine conflict

I've been in quite a few heated debates recently about the Israel/Palestine conflict. Almost universally, the people I talk to fall into two categories: they either fully support Israel and think Israel can do no wrong, or they agree with me that there's a huge violation of human rights happening, and there are lots of innocent people suffering. I'm not going to go into a huge rant about what's happening there, but I do want to cover a few facts that nobody, not even Israel, is arguing with.

• Hamas is a terrorist organization that wants the destruction of Israel and doesn't care about the welfare of the Palestinian people.
• Israel helped create Hamas to counter the PLO and its dominant faction, Fatah. It did this by supporting Sheikh Ahmed Yassin while he laid the groundwork for the organization, and casting a blind eye to the activities of a fledgling Hamas while it suited Israel's purpose.
• The rocket attacks that Hamas is launching at Israel are incredibly ineffective and pose very little threat because of the outdated rockets and the Iron Dome.
• There are currently 1.8 million Palestinians without electricity, running water, or sewage facilities.

Nobody is defending Hamas. When I talk about the Palestinian people, I am not including their terrorist government.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd like to lay out the main justifications for Israel's actions that I'm hearing, and the problems that I have with them.

Justification: Palestinians elected Hamas, and now Hamas is using them as human shields, and launching rockets from civilian areas, so it's their own fault.

Bullshit. What you're really saying is that since their own government doesn't value their lives, neither should we, and that it's okay to slaughter them and punish the population of their entire country. When Hamas was elected, the Palestinians had to choose between Fatah, Hamas, and the PFLP. Two of the three are considered terrorist organizations by multiple countries, so what was a better choice? There wasn't one. Palestinians don't have a say in the operations of Hamas, and are threatened with violence if they break party lines.

Justification: Israel needs to defend itself, and it has tolerated the attacks far longer than any other country would have.

I agree, 100%. Israel has every right to exist without being under constant attack. That said, there is no justification for the way they are handling this. The Iron Dome is incredibly effective, and the unguided rockets do very little damage even when they land. In 2013, there were only 52 rockets and 18 mortar rounds fired against Israel, with zero casualties or injuries (this was the fewest number of attacks since 2001). Israel may not be trying to maximize civilian casualties, but it certainly isn't trying to minimize them, either. In Iraq, the Marines used precision strikes and went house to house to minimize civilian casualties while fighting the insurgents. Israel is indiscriminately flattening neighborhoods.

Justification: Over the last decade, tens of millions of dollars in aid have been sent to Gaza, but Hamas spends it on tunnels and rockets.

This has to be the most feeble argument of all. Everyone knows Hamas doesn't care about the Palestinian people. There are reportedly more than 1,200 millionaires among the ranks of Hamas, and they clearly aren't using the aid money for good. That's tens of millions over a decade. The United States gives more than three BILLION dollars every single year to Israel, along with lots of weapons and ammunition. The embargo that Israel has had on Gaza is in violation of the Fourth Geneva convention (of which Israel is a signatory), and it prevents economic growth or infrastructure development. Israel is essentially forcing Gaza to scrape by as a third world country with little hope of improvement.

I don't understand blind nationalism. It is possible to love your country but hate what it's doing. Speaking out against the actions of Israel does not make me anti-Semitic, and it doesn't make me pro-Hamas. I am pro human rights.

It is your civic duty to be critical of your government and question authority. If what your government is doing won't stand up to critical examination, then it's probably doing something wrong. The US is still reeling from scandals with the NSA spying, CIA torture, and the corruption of the war in Iraq (among other things). I'm a proud US Marine veteran and I love my country, but I am not blind to, or accepting of, the evils it commits, and I am ashamed of our lack of action in preventing the suffering of the Palestinian people. If you're an Israeli, you should be every bit as critical of your own nation.

There are atrocities happening all over the world right now. The Islamic State (ISIS), North Korea, South Sudan, Burma, Syria, and more. The situation with Israel/Palestine hits close to home, and I'm taking the time to write about this because I'm a Jew, I have friends on both sides of the conflict, and my government is supporting Israel in the collective punishment of 1.8 million people.

Don't be blind to human suffering. The Palestinian people are hostages of a terrorist government and the hostile state surrounding them, and there is no justification for the extreme harms being imposed upon them.