NFL National Anthem Protests: The police brutality that started it all

It looks more and more like the NFL and Roger Goodell are going to do something about the NFL players’ National Anthem protests. The questions today are should they be forced to stand? Do they have a point about police brutality? Now, I think this cause affects us all–it is not just a black and white issue. Let’s look at the police brutality issue first.

Police brutality

To get a fair look at police brutality I figured I will just type it into a google search and see what comes up. This was the first article I found. So, I decided to keep searching and the number of these cases is truly mind blowing.

At the start of this video, the cops say they have to wait for more officers to arrest this teen. Are cops not trained well enough that three officers can’t arrest this kid? Why are they upset that someone is recording them?

This is really disgusting they grab him and beat the hell out of him for no reason as he wasn’t resisting arrest. WAIT THIS GUY IS WHITE!

5 Worst Cases of Police Brutality Caught on Tape

Once again, these cases show that it doesn’t matter what color you are, everybody is affected by police brutality.

Another Day of Police Brutality in America: Minnesota Motorist Assault

I know a lot of people will say you must comply with the police. What about this case? This man was never given a chance to comply.

Is police brutality a problem?

I’m sorry but yes, it is, and a quick search of police brutality videos on YouTube brings way too many images to ignore. The mainstream media will continue to sell this as a black vs. white issue but it is happening to white people also, to Hispanic people, to Asian people. Let’s face it, is a problem for all races. Now if you are a rich man like Jerry Jones then no, you won’t face a problem like this and the same goes for Roger Goodell.

Now I say that it has become a problem for all races, but I believe it is more prevalent in the African-American community. Despite the obviousness of the problem Colin Kaepernick diagnosed, the quarterback has been attacked by no less than the likes of Donald Trump the President of the United States—for being somehow disrespectful to America. Wait a minute, Mr. Trump. Aren’t you the nominee whose entire candidacy was based on the notion that America is no longer great? Maybe it all of the sudden became great just by electing Mr. Trump?

I agree with Mr. Trump in the sense that America is not great and a lot of problems exist, and the biggest problem is not Mexicans crossing the border to take our jobs! A big problem is the Police State we are all now living in. As I stated before, you can routinely google police brutality every day and find new cases. No, not all cops are bad, but it seems they are becoming increasingly worse.

How to combat police brutality

1) Decriminalization

The state of California, for instance, has created 1,000 new crimes in the past 25 years, while Michigan currently has 3,102 crimes on the books. New York City alone has 10,000 crimes, rules and codes the police can enforce. In many cities these crimes include innocuous activities like being in a park after hours, drinking alcohol in public, panhandling, spitting and sleeping on the subway. Some cities have even criminalized the wearing of saggy pants (true story). Police officers spend 90% of their time dealing with minor infractions like these and just 10% on violent crimes, resulting in a system where people of color are disproportionately summoned to court for low-level offenses—80% of these summons are for blacks and Latinos, to be specific.

I think we should also put measures in place to reduce the collateral consequences of these offenses. Employment, immigration, parenting and public housing status should not be affected. A low-level (non-violent) crime can make it almost impossible for poor people to even live their lives. I know what a lot of you are saying: People shouldn’t be able to live off my hard-earned money through public assistance, and yes that would be true if we lived in a fair society where everybody had an equal opportunity. The problem is we don’t. If you live in the inner-city you have rundowns schools, lesser textbooks and teachers are not as good as they would be in a well-to-do neighborhood. I think a lot of times a person with money is out of touch with this reality.

2) Stop putting people in jail for not paying tickets

Most courts can issue an arrest warrant if you don’t show up for a court date for a summons or ticketed violation. The result is people spending time in jail for not paying parking tickets. This is INSANE! Why are we putting people in jail for simple offense which, once again, are non-violent?

How about doing this instead: Issue reminder phone calls, or offer to go pick people up and bring them to the court house if they don’t have a way there? Offer poor people community service as a way to pay back their debts if they can’t afford it, but don’t over-crowd jails with people who can’t pay a ticket.

3) Treat mentally ill people like they need help not jail, the same goes for drug addicts

If you get busted for possession of a hard drug like heroin or cocaine why are we putting these people in jails? Why would we not try to treat these people instead of locking them up, letting them out and have them appear again for the same “crime” in the future?

4) Make the police obey the 4th amendment

In 2013, blacks and Latinos in Chicago were four times more likely to be searched during a stop than whites. To rectify this problem, the police should have to alert people to their right to refuse a search — much as they are required to read people they arrest their Miranda Rights.

Police officers should have to present documentary proof of consent — whether in written, audio or video form. They should also guarantee that there will be no negative consequences if a person refuses a search. I believe an officer that cannot provide this proof should be immediately FIRED, as Donald Trump would say! I believe arrest rates would drop dramatically if the police would give the respect to the 4th amendment that it deserves. I believe the 4th amendment not being followed leads to more minority arrests. If the Police would be held accountable for this I think crime rates would go down significantly.

5) Body cameras should be mandatory

This is one that should not even be argued. No police officer can have a problem with this, unless they are doing something they don’t want us to know about.

6) Cases against the police should be prosecuted by independent investigators

Often in these cases the Police are investigated by people that are either their friends, or are on their side, this must stop! Each state should establish a fully authorized and independent Office of Police Investigations, with the authority to prosecute police officers in criminal court.

7) Police oversight in each community

How about each local neighborhood has a police overssight committee that polices the police? Maybe the Mayor of a town or a member of the oversight committee can randomly show up and do a ride along with an officer with no notice?

8) Demilitarize the police

The Police State has arrived and America is looking more and more like George Orwell’s book 1984! One thing we learned from Ferguson, Missouri, is that our police are disturbingly well-armed. Through a federal program called 1033, local police departments in all 50 states have been requesting–and receiving–military-grade weapons and equipment from none other than the Pentagon since the early 1990s.

More than 100 colleges and universities and over 20 school districts have access to this equipment as well. Its cumulative worth today stands at $727 million. That’s a lot of money to militarize our police.

9) Establish “Use of Force” guidelines for all police

It is hard to get an office for excessive force because there really is no national standard that applies. A national standard must be applied. After all, how can you prove excessive force in court when there is no standard to apply?

10) Police should be part of the community

A long time ago, a lot of cops were actually friends to the neighborhoods they patrolled. Today most are separate from their communities. Instead of just teaching officers to use force, maybe it should be required in their training to learn how to be a part of the community they are patrolling?

How Donald Trump’s statements undermine the constitution

Trump found it intolerable that NFL athletes would dare to act in ways he regarded as disrespectful of our national heritage. Now, remember: As the POTUS, Mr. Trump has vowed to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, yet the president and his defenders simultaneously express outrage when liberal activists oppose speakers they believe publicly disrespect minorities.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, for example, proclaimed at Georgetown University on Tuesday: “Protesters are now routinely shutting down speeches and debates across the country to silence voices that insufficiently conform with their views.” So if Trump gets outraged when he doesn’t like what he hears, he tweets and gets mad about it! Really? What happened to “I may not agree with what you say, but I will fight to the death for your right to say it?”

Is kneeling disrespecting the flag?

Colin Kaepernick has made it clear that is not what he was doing! But the media and over-zealous people want to turn this in to something it’s not! This is about police brutality and racial injustice which does, whether you like it or not, exist in this country. Mike Ditka said there has been no racial injustice in the last hundred years! Give me a break! He can’t be that stupid! “The Civil Rights Act” was passed in 1964 and a lot of us were still alive then! I know he apologized, but come on, he couldn’t really believe what he was saying. It was just another rich white man who is totally disconnected from the real world.

National anthem protests and true patriots

A true patriot approves of any protest when somebody thinks they are being wronged. An answer to police brutality is what needs to be found, not a mandate to stand for the National Anthem.