Imagine a case with me in which police (all else being equal) do everything by the book, do it right, and are protected by the Courts for doing so. I want to start here so we can begin to understand what has become this big problem with police immunity.
Read MoreAmericans have recently been introduced to a new legal phrase “qualified immunity” in the wake of the string of police murders, abuses, and subsequent protests and riots. Many returned not only furrowed brows at the phrase, but some level of surprise that it means police are usually not held accountable for violating the law, including many clear abuses. For the first time in a long time, a phrase and troublesome policy generally only discussed in minority corners has been vaulted into mainstream discourse, with several people now calling to end it. The problem is, this demon is legion. It has many tentacles stretching into every sphere of government, the criminal justice system, and much of life. “Ending” it will require radical changes across the board or else we will see some kind of piecemeal, lip-service fix which does little to nothing.
Read MoreA significant problem in American society is that armed state enforcers are the de facto solution to every last issue in society. The police are the first people to be called in countless non-emergency and non-violent situations.
Read MoreThe reason is simple. These police apologists wear blue-colored glasses in which a man with a badge can do no wrong and they have already made up their mind. When faced with contrary evidence, these otherwise rational individuals will twist facts and give an endless line of excuses. They esteem a certain class of men to the point they are unable to see any wrong in them, even when the evidence is hard and numerous.
Read MoreChristians do much good at a lot of good things. The problem comes when they become good at a lot of bad things. This principle is illustrated vividly in the case of Aaron Dean, the police officer who shot and killed 28-year-old Atatiana Jefferson in her home, in front of her 8-year-old nephew.
Read MoreBy now many people in the Reformed and “theonomic” or “reconstructionist” community are becoming aware that a professing member of our broader worldview is in fact the former police officer involved in a high-profile shooting of an innocent woman. As of at least 2014, he was also a member of Redeemer Church..
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