Suspended

I history teacher in New Jersey has been suspended for being a proponent of armed teachers. Isn't that a bit much? It's actions like these that make gun owners and conservatives in general worry about their gun rights being infringed.

Gateway Pundit has more.

MPD150: Thoughts on Crime

As mentioned before, there is a group in Minneapolis, called MPD150, that opposes expanding the local police force. You can find that earlier post here.

Here are some of MPD150's thoughts on crime and how to solve it.

Property Crime

Most property crime is driven not by malice, but by desperation. A capitalist economy forces each of us to fend for ourselves with little social support or aid. In a time of historically high income inequality, it’s no mystery why some people turn to theft, burglary, and other property crime to provide for themselves. The best way to reduce property crime isn’t to jail everyone who is poor, or try to scare community members into obedience: it’s to invest in communities so that people have less of a need to steal from each other in the first place.

Drugs

The war on drugs has been very effective in systematically criminalizing communities of color, locking millions of people up, and making billions of dollars for private prison corporations.

 Domestic Violence 

What do you do when you’re in a relationship that turns violent? People experiencing domestic violence may need someone to step in, may need a safe place to go, may need a loved one to leave, and may need emotional support. Calling the police means they will be met with violent force in a situation where they are already facing violence. They may be putting a loved one’s life in danger, as well as their own life. Police officers are also two to four times more likely to commit domestic violence than other community members, making them a poor choice for survivors seeking help. 

Responding to Violence 

We can’t discuss how to respond to violence in our communities without acknowledging that police cause violence in our communities – directly, through beatings and shootings, and indirectly, through harassment and criminalization. If we want to end violence in our communities, ending police violence is a necessary step. 

I'll leave it at that. If time permits, in the coming weeks, I might revisit this and fact check the statistics.

 

A City Without Police

According to the Star-Tribune, some politicians in Minneapolis have been flirting with the idea of a city without police. In a pamphlet entitled, 'Enough is Enough' these politicians and activists examine the first 150 year of the Minneapolis Police Department.

I hate to judge a book by it's cover, but this organization, called MPD150, sounds rather naive. This is from their website:

Through historical investigation, interviews and research into viable alternatives we have produced a performance review that examines the department's past – its track record since 1867 including the failure of reform efforts; its present – its current practices and impact on community life; and the future – the necessity of dismantling its overbearing political and paramilitary power and the transfer of its resources into alternative models of community safety, well-being and resilience. [Emphasis added.] 

Evidently MPD150 and its supporters intend to oppose Mayor Frey's proposal to expand the Minneapolis Police Department. At present the department is so overstretched that it almost only responds to emergency calls.

MPD150 and its supporters on the city council, would rather see the money spent on community organizers, not sworn officers. They also believe that reducing the number of police on the streets would benefit black and Latino youths.

Minneapolis has 2.15 officers per 1,000 residents [the Star-Tribune rounded up]. Milwaukee--that infamous gulag--has 3.15 officer per 1,000 residents.

The local police union would like to see a force of 1,000 officers.

Three members of the Public Safety Committee, Messrs. Cano, Cunningham, and Ellison, hope for the day when Minneapolis no longer has a need for a police force.

Up next, excepts from MPD150's no doubt ridiculous report and perhaps a bit of satire.     

Micro-Aggression in the Commons

During the latest PMQ, the Leader of the Opposition, refused to refer to the Prime Minister by the proper pronoun, repeatedly saying he and his. Did Mr. Corbyn do this deliberately in an attempt of to belittle the Prime Minister? Or perhaps Mr. Corbyn's Freudian slip merely betrays his unenlightened thoughts concerning women and power. So, Mr. Corbyn, which is it? Speak up, man!

In other news, to the delight of conservatives the world over, it turns out the Mr. Corbyn unknowingly accepted money from Czechoslovakian intelligence officers during the Cold War. The Prime Minister teases him for this in reply to his last "question".

Enjoy!