Not to disrespect people here but please don’t answer if you’re just looking to say a comment that doesn’t give a good explanation or context. Honestly I’m a bit tired of responses like “cause they’re corrupt” or “because they’re fascists”.
I’m hoping someone with experience in law enforcement or law can chime in and show what the actual laws are and why they could be skirting things. What ROE Ice agents might have. I’m also looking at why I don’t see any large law societies bringing these violations if there are any to the courts. I remember years ago there were entire law firms with staff dedicated to areas like this. Why is that not happening today?
I was in the CJ field for 10 years, which opened my eyes to a lot. I know you think “they’re fascists who ignore the law” is reductionist or untrue, but that is literally it. It is that simple. It is also not new, regular law enforcement in the US has been exactly like this for pretty much our entire history.
When you break the law, and you have powerful deeply ingrained cultures and institutions backing you that will look away or refuse to apply the law to you, then the law effectively does not exist. Laws are social contracts that are invented entirely by us, and literally do not exist if not enforced. The universe does not care. There is no karmic balance that steps in to even things out.
I think many are just ignoring this or trying to rationalize it some other way, because it is terrifying to come to terms with when you are told your entire life that these institutions, police and courts and laws and checks and balances, are in place to protect you. Law enforcement in the US has fascism and nationalism baked into its core, and most of them are actively wanting what ICE is doing. Many law enforcement are in their ranks or are assisting in ways that most people don’t even realize. And beyond that, the rest of our judicial and political systems are also being manipulated or just blatantly ignored to pave the way for this.
Ultimately the question being posed to the US at this point is, what happens when the people in power do not care or feel empathy, except for their own goals, and there is no sufficient opposition. There are no easy answers to this. When two opposing forces collide, one or the other has to give in some way. ICE has had basically zero consequences for their actions, despite how blatantly illegal and wrong they are. So far, their side is applying more force and it shows.
But CSI told me cops are the good guys.
Well said. Much of the overzealous action by LEOs seen since the ICE immigration operation kicked off is notably similar to that seen during the Civil Rights era in the U.S. They can run people down in the street, club the everloving shit out of them, break their wrists and shoulders during arrest, and kick their feet up at home later that night without a thought of concern about catching charges.
The manner in which demonstrators have been engaged strikes a similar chord to that same mid-century era, where hippies/beatniks/peaceniks could be fucked up and railroaded any number of ways without a hint of worry about blowback (unless their parents were loaded, of course). Nothing meaningful will happen to make them scale back their abuses, legal or otherwise, maybe not even once Democrats are back in office.
The Democrats have no interest in prosecuting cops because they’re all on the same team. It’s Capitalists vs Us, and the sooner we all realize that, the sooner we can actually start improving the world.