What is the purpose of Police

When you watch Westerns, which are basically the American Mythology of the formation of our country, the American version of King Arthur, you will always have some Sheriff or other talking about the importance of the Law. That the Law isn't perfect, or fair, but these sort of Knights in Shining armor fantasy are a representation of Justice.

Even the family of Michael Brown are saying they don't want violence just Justice. This means that even though there son was shot to death, unarmed by a police officer, that they still believe in Justice. 

What most people find wrong or horrible about this shooting is that from these Westerns we grew up on, and other shows, we believe that Justice (and imperfect Justice) comes to us through the law (an imperfect law) and that the people who serve and protect that law are the police (who are human and also imperfect). But that in general, this is the goal or the ideal that society is striving toward.

I'm sure most police believe in this. That is why they became police. Elected legislators believe in the importance of the law probably. Otherwise they would have to believe that their official elected position, is a falsehood.

By why are their police? You know back with the Articles of Confederation we didn't even have an army, we had a volunteer militia. We also had voluntary taxes. That didn't work out.

So later we have an army. And we had neighborhood watch for domestic stuff. And I think at least in Boston we decided on a standing army to "keep the peace" which would wear blue and wouldn't look like our other army (because that would scare "citizens") but basically we (or they) needed a standing army to keep the growing Irish Immigrant population in check. To keep their drunken behavior from moving to the wealthier property and "disturbing the  peace" or destroying the property, of the rich non-Irish population.

So basically, the police are really here to protect the property and other interests of the rich. To protect business, (big business) to protect business owned goods, that sort of thing. To prevent drunken behavior like what the Sons of Liberty took part in at the founding of the country. To prevent some other people from doing that again. We already did that. You're not allowed to do it twice.

Let's peek into the mind or at least the logic of why someone would approach Michael Brown. Look there is a kid near some destroyed property. A burnt down gas station. Maybe he had something to do with it. Whoever owns this property was pressuring police because they (the police) are supposed to be doing their job protecting said property of a business. 

 

So approach Michael Brown in a threatening way. Like a Sheep dog keeping wolves away. Or a scarecrow keeping crows away. 

Except Michael Brown is human, and is young. He is about to start college. This type of person believes in Justice and ideals and that sort of thing. He believes in rights. Especially as an American, he believes in Liberty. Maybe he says this in hot words taking some steps toward the officer.

The officer shoots him dead because he is threatened, because despite what he tells himself in the morning about serving and protecting the law, somewhere in at least his subconscious, he is a scarecrow with a gun and people are crows and Law is the myth that helps him go to work every morning.

An old man told me the other day,

"You can not make someone understand, if to not understand is the only way they can exist."

That's why when we killed and displaced the people that were living here before we colonized there was  talking of saving souls and civilizing. That's why slave owners had to make up some bs about how they were somehow helping blacks. That's why Nazis concentration camp guards had to somehow rationalize in their mind that though what was happening was horrible, in the end it was for the benefit of Germany and it was just something unfortunate that had to be done.

Let's go back to those people who populated America before colonization. Well some of them. Anyway I studied on class in college about Native American Law. And believe it or not, just because the current American way with Police seems to be the same as almost every other country with the difference being that perhaps Justice is more real in this country than in others, it's not the only way.

There is Community Justice. Not lynch law. But for instance what if the police officer was more like a parent  or a teacher or other caregiver, and citizens were more like children. And property was like property in the kindergarten classroom. So a burnt down gas station would be like someone's blocks that were destroyed, or even worse, the teachers computer. So how would the police officer approach Michael Brown now? Wouldn't he first ask him some questions? He wouldn't necessarily assume right off the bat he was guilty. Maybe he would just strike up a conversation about sports or something. Because in this scenario, the gas station is important, but not as important as the life and indeed success of Michael Brown. In this scenario, in this pretend society, the police would still have power, perhaps more than they do now. But their training and focus and ideals would be completely different. And most likely Michael Brown would not only still be alive. But him and many others would be thriving.

Just a thought to ponder. They idea wouldn't be revolutionary. Okay maybe it would be. But would changing the way we police as a country be that hard? Now of course there are police that think this way, but are they trained as teachers? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this is just an isolated incident. An individual cop who did the wrong thing. But somehow I don't think so. 

Just saying waht if the focus wasn't on law, but on the community growing together and police were not just guardians of that community but teachers, guides and mentors in it. What if that was their role. How would they be trained differently? How would they be seen differently?