Joe's rant was pretty epic and knocked me in the head hard. It made some things click. I wrote an article about said things, Medium says its a 6 minute read. I'd love to hear your thoughts. https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__medium.com_-40ariintheair_inquiring-2Dabout-2Dall-2Dlives-2Dmatter-2D3a248f6e568&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=1nPhh9I2G6sNcfQdNXTlBXMG1P33L3umcXo8VIJrIXI&e= With love, Ari On Thu, Jun 11, 2020 at 9:44 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx < [log in to unmask]> wrote: > Joe, > > Thanks for this analysis. Very helpful in clarifying the sociological > issues. > > > Best, > Gregg > > > > *From:* tree of knowledge system discussion < > [log in to unmask]> *On Behalf Of *Joseph Michalski > *Sent:* Thursday, June 11, 2020 12:04 PM > *To:* [log in to unmask] > *Subject:* Re: Two articles on Policing > > > > Dear Colleagues: > > > > > > With all due respect, I simply cannot support a "50-50, he said, she said" > approach to the analysis the state of policing and justification systems > invoked to support particular agendas. Please feel free to ignore the > following "rant" from a stereotypical "left-wing" sociologist, yours truly. > I don't agree w/ that characterization, but what choice do I have? > > > > Even if one could step outside of the political firestorm, the social > scientific theories and certainly the empirical evidence - including that > which Heather MacDonald (author, btw, of a book that I read a couple years > ago titled *The War on Cops*) cites - points to deep-seated biases & > differential treatment, as well as real-life differential outcomes for what > happens to "real people" in "real communities." But the discourse is so > tilted in the U.S. (even moreso than in Canada where I live) that it would > take far too much time to make the case for why even much of the discourse > even in the current framing tends to be far more "right-wing" and > conservative, as well as at odds with the social scientific literature. > MacDonald states that "I urge this committee to reject the proposition that > law enforcement today is systemically biased. The evidence does not support > that charge." And yet her own highly distorted & limited presentation of > the numbers *still* provides evidence of biases in policing and > disproportionate surveillance & criminalization of African-American (and > racialized minorities) in general. And, of course, she ignores the far > wider range of evidence that's even more damning and that would subvert her > claims entirely. > > > > But here's the bigger point. Most people ignore the fact that if you want > "more crime," then hold constant civilian behavior and simply increase the > number of police. More surveillance alone leads to more crime, all else > constant. More people looking for "bad behavior" will lead to more > observations, more arrests, etc. And who's in positions to "identify" and > "observe" and then "sanction" perceived crime? Those in positions of social > advantage and power. And that story has not changed all that much, despite > the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Law enforcement continues to be > highly skewed and biased, almost regardless of the metric that you use. > Tons of empirical stuff does not even get counted, such as the # of times > that people who are stopped for "identical reasons" if you could hold all > else constant (e.g., speeding) end up being treated *differently* on the > basis of race, ethnicity, gender, or any # of other social factors, to say > nothing of human psychology, that might affect how transactions & > interactions unfold. Where's all that data? Nowhere. And yet, do a thought > experiment with me. Imagine if you were to test all the police in terms of > their propensities for implicit bias or even overt manifestations of > racism? What if you did comprehensive personality profiles? What would you > find? And, then take that a step further. Despite the training they receive > (often only 12 weeks or less), how might they end up interacting with > "random" samples of people from the general public? What do you think you > *might* find if you were to really study these issues in-depth and > scientifically? Do you think you might see various forms of differential > treatment, especially if "unfiltered" (although, apparently in the case of > some officers like Derek Chauvin, it really doesn't even matter if the > camera is rolling)? What would be the distribution in terms of the general > police force, even if 90% were totally enlightened, fair-minded individuals > committed to the highest aspirations of the "protect and serve" philosophy > (btw, the evidence on who the police "are" from social scientific research > paints a vastly different picture)? So, if "only" 10% act on their biases, > what effect would that have & who would disproportionately be targeted? And > so on. > > > > And so the problems are far more deep-seated. If you want certain groups > to be targeted, then increase police presence & see what happens. For > example, what happens to "peaceful protesters" if there are more police > around to "watch"? Forget the rioting and looting - how many arrests of > looters have been caught on tape (and even then there are other issues to > consider)? How many peaceful protesters have been beaten, or tear-gassed, > or abused in one way or another? > > > > If there's a call to "de-fund" the police, does that mean no policing > services? Or does that mean shifting some of the funding to investments in > other types of services, education, health, infrastructure, opportunities, > and investments in "poor" communities? Even among self-identified > "liberals," how many want to live among and work with the poorest of the > poor, be the awesome teachers I had in Fairfax County in the 1970s (white, > privileged, wealthy, and largely segregated outside of TC Williams!) for > young people "at risk" in those communities, move their families & live > among & befriend those in the poorest neighbourhoods, and invest in small > businesses or have their larger corporations relocate in those communities > to create work incentives? And who's providing the health and social > services, working with those suffering from substance abuse problems, or > coaching the kids in sports and extra-curricular activities? No, none of > THAT stuff can really be "legislated" and you certainly cannot force people > to live in more integrated or diverse 'hoods, but at least recognize that > much of the funding and tax relief directly benefits the wealthy (as Billie > Eilish might sing, "Duh") and those in positions of power, including the > police & the military. Far more money is spent on the U.S. military (yes, > that's *directly* relevant to this discussion) and to U.S. policing than > to all other publicly-funded health and human services. Not even close, > especially if you set aside social security (which no one seems to define > as "socialism" in the U.S., but I digress...) But what's the narrative > being advanced in halls of power and certainly by the Trumpian leadership > on the right? > > > > I cannot even begin to do justice to the thousands of scientific research > studies that demonstrate the full range of biases and inequalities built > into the systems of advanced-industrial democracies in general, to say > nothing of what's happening in the most extremely polarized & militarized > system on the face of the planet: the U.S. military-industrial complex, > who funding exceeds the next 10 countries in the world combined. I'm sorry, > but I have spent my life trying to understand human behavior and, > specifically crime, violence, and social control - and none of that (or the > best of the work by the top leaders and pioneers in the field) gets > noticed, acknowledged, or built into most of the discussions. Speaking only > for myself, I think I may have reached the end of my career in even trying > to have intelligent conversations about any of this stuff any longer. I'm > sure I sound like a raving idiot. I just wish people could see at least > *some* of the arguments and evidence as to how far to the right the > discourse & justifications have shifted to the right. The one small kernel > of hope? Some white protesters getting beaten again randomly & for no > reason being detained are starting to ask, "Hey, I can't believe I'm being > attacked for simply 'living my life' and 'being here'." No shit. That's > what African-Americans and Indigenous peoples and racialized minorities > have been saying for centuries. Duh. > > > > Or, as a right-wing nutcase brother of mine once complained, "I can't > believe a group of young black kids stopped & yelled at me 'hey Honky' > while I was playing tennis in LA." He was so angry that these youngsters > would throw that epithet in his direction, unprovoked & without knowing > him. I thought: Great, a teachable moment. I asked him to reflect on how > angry he got that this happened to him exactly once and as a successful, > wealthy, 40-something lawyer w/ a multi-million dollar home. And could he > imagine how his African-American counterpart might feel who experienced > this type of prejudice, bias, and discrimination regularly from the time of > being a child right on up throughout one's life. No, not *everyone* would > act that way toward the African-American walking among them. MOST people > would be kind and treat each person fairly and with respect. But, that > said, how many in the population would treat the racialized minority or the > "other" differently, negatively, and/or with hostility? And how many times > would that have happened over the many years? And what impact would that > have on one's self-esteem, confidence, or general feeling of well-being? > And yet look at what impact, my dear brother, just ONE incident had upon > your mental health and well-being as a successful grown man. He still > doesn't get it, and never will. > > > > So much more to say, but I'll move along as an "old guy" now. But, in > contrast to a lot of others in my generation, I have a different sign on my > lawn. It's not "get off my lawn", but rather "all are welcome - come and > hang out on my lawn & I'll even get you a drink if you're thirsty..." Best, > -joe > > > > Dr. Joseph H. Michalski > > King’s University College at Western University > > 266 Epworth Avenue, DL-201 > > London, Ontario, Canada N6A 2M3 > > Tel: (519) 433-3491 > > Email: [log in to unmask] > > ______________________ > > *ei*π + 1 = 0 > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* tree of knowledge system discussion < > [log in to unmask]> on behalf of Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx < > [log in to unmask]> > *Sent:* Thursday, June 11, 2020 7:47 AM > *To:* [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> > *Subject:* Two articles on Policing > > > > Dear TOK List, > > > > For folks who are interested in understanding the divergent > “justification systems” that are operating about the state of policing in > this country, I recommend the following articles: > > > > Heather MacDonald is a conservative scholar who has long argued that the > fundamental progressive narrative about brutal cops as an aggregate is > misguided. This is a transcript of her testimony to congress yesterday: > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.city-2Djournal.org_repudiate-2Dthe-2Danti-2Dpolice-2Dnarrative&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=wYQBIUYwkgQ3vxhFrcP487FoU-ckz0Fttuk5XMXukE4&e= > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.city-2Djournal.org_repudiate-2Dthe-2Danti-2Dpolice-2Dnarrative&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=h6kB7iQCbvdCGiWf2dX8DsIsU4IDPEmOLWq59xpgmxA&s=2s_tONfe_Ppbxvo1_VFMw_2AtomzpYiwXjJUPwpWx2E&e=> > > > > Nicholas Kristof is a liberal NY Times columnist who has long advocated > for social justice causes. This is his call for how to effectively think > about “defunding the police”: > > > https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_06_10_opinion_defund-2Dpolice-2Dfloyd-2Dprotests.html-3Fcampaign-5Fid-3D2-26emc-3Dedit-5Fth-5F200611-26instance-5Fid-3D19255-26nl-3Dtodaysheadlines-26regi-5Fid-3D35223894-26segment-5Fid-3D30632-26user-5Fid-3D8e4f03af2447d5adeb5069c9fb9bdf47&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=WZLHzCX_JMpVoTzppFi1cfYugH6rK8tbGawdfp3RfQs&e= > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nytimes.com_2020_06_10_opinion_defund-2Dpolice-2Dfloyd-2Dprotests.html-3Fcampaign-5Fid-3D2-26emc-3Dedit-5Fth-5F200611-26instance-5Fid-3D19255-26nl-3Dtodaysheadlines-26regi-5Fid-3D35223894-26segment-5Fid-3D30632-26user-5Fid-3D8e4f03af2447d5adeb5069c9fb9bdf47&d=DwMF-w&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=h6kB7iQCbvdCGiWf2dX8DsIsU4IDPEmOLWq59xpgmxA&s=pmUhEi7QK-PfiU3_NKYdXNTORTXOCsIISOzgZPnoEXI&e=> > > > > > > NEXT MONDAY at 5:30 pm EDT we will be having Professor Mike Mascolo > offer his insightful framework for understanding conflict, and bridging > divides to create common ground. A formal announcement will be coming soon. > > > Best, > Gregg > > > > > > > > > > ############################ > > To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the > following link: > http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 > > ############################ > > To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the > following link: > http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 > ############################ > > To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: > mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the > following link: > http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1 > -- [image: photo] *Ari in the Air* Athlete & Filmmaker 4582926933 Bend Oregon <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.youtube.com_channel_UCLdxnh60DzDlR-5FAYhF3CzlQ-3Fview-5Fas-3Dsubscriber&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=O89dNW0xRW7L4-xJj56GO54LUXCCu8PE2vW0n0WBhjs&e= > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__instagram.com_ariintheair&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=fA4PKO22v7mqA91xMbR1DnTGUi8TNVEkPVWmb9E1GdA&e= > Create your own WiseStamp email signature <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.wisestamp.com_signature-2Din-2Demail_-3Futm-5Fsource-3Dpromotion-26utm-5Fmedium-3Dsignature-26utm-5Fcampaign-3Dcreate-5Fyour-5Fown-26srcid-3D6097410891841536&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=zBJ6lBDpCiQ4Bhq3euXX5MZVnTU26c6Dwa6pgV0hj3Q&s=R7ezOAhiMuwIU7MVO9orENT8biPp2-q85EAxoRARvhk&e= > ############################ To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1