system
A chat on subreddit /r/NoStupidQuestions
human
I have family that are/were cops in NY. I asked one (now retired) what they thought about acab. I'm paraphrasing, but basically, they said that they wouldn't be surprised if in the future, cops were dealt with in much of the same manner than those who worked with nazis during WW2. Did some of them believe in the reich's cause? Of course. Still, many of those people did what they had to do in order to survive, yet they were still prosecuted. A lot of cops don't report things bc they know that if they do, their fellow cops would purposely not have their back when they need it most. Does that make any of it right? No. It makes it understandable. What a lot of people forget is that doing the right thing is (more often than not) also doing the *harder* thing. It's way harder to stand up for a complete stranger than it is to look after yourself when you know that you, and possibly your loved ones, will be the ones to face the consequences of you choosing to do said "right" thing. (I used quotes at the end bc the "right" thing often changes, depending on who you ask.)
gpt
Interesting perspective. I know you’re paraphrasing what relatives said but I have a hard time believing that policing, as it currently stands, will ever be abolished and that former LEOs would face any kind of widespread prosecution in this country. Policing, violence, racism, punitive justice and prisons are so engrained in American culture and identity that I just don’t see that going away anytime soon despite seemingly loud calls for abolishing the police. Mostly because policing and prisons make a lotta money. This country puts profits before lives. It always has and for the foreseeable future, we will continue to do that. If policing were to ever substantially change, the entire American justice system needs be overhauled and I can’t see that happening anytime soon.