Originally Posted by
Bushwhacker
Barring a handful of examples, the myth that evil, racist cops are hunting down innocent people for sport is absolutely ridiculous. This is the lie that basically started BLM with Michael Brown. If anything, due to the PC overlords controlling every aspect of our lives these days, most officers in Canada are hesitant to draw their weapon. Every time they do they basically have to write an essay as to why. And they know the media and the SIU ('special investigation unit' for our American friend Joe) are breathing down their necks constantly.
There was an example recently in the U.S. of a young man being shot to death at very close range in a hotel hallway, while being told to crawl on his knees towards the cop. The man was in clear distress and the instructions from the officer were very confusing...the video is beyond disturbing. One of the worst examples of blatant incompetence and police brutality I've ever seen. I can agree with you that things like this are bad, and that the officer responsible should be prosecuted fully. I don't remember much national outrage over that however.
There was a similar situation to what happened with George Floyd back in 2016, but the suspect, Tony Timpa, did not receive any media coverage. No national cries of outrage. No monuments. No multi-million dollar settlement to his family. And I believe the case against the cops was dismissed. They pinned him down for 14 minutes.
Fact is, most police shootings are a result of negligence, resistance, or violence on the part of the suspect. The stats indicate that police are much more likely to be the victim in an altercation or routine stop than vice versa. There are hundreds of examples of people shooting at police in broad daylight, driving off and running them over, wrestling with the officer for their gun, etc. But it doesn't fit the narrative and doesn't get any coverage. There are good and bad cops, but if you act appropriately your risk of being harmed is extremely low.
Look what happened recently in Toronto with constable Jeffrey Northrup.
I know a lot of officers, and if you talk to them you would be astounded at their stories.