The proof is in the posting. That’s what a recent study revealed about some police officers’ racist and violent views against citizens they are supposed to protect and serve.
Researchers from The Plain View Project scrutinized approximately 3,500 Facebook accounts of current and retired police officers. To say the findings are disturbing is an understatement.
Of the officers identified, about 1 in 5 of the current officers, and 2 in 5 of the retired officers, made public posts or comments that displayed bias, applauded violence, scoffed at due process, or used dehumanizing language, reported BuzzFeed News and Injustice Watch.
Officers examined made inflammatory posts, comments and memes about Blacks, Mexicans, Muslims and women as well as held a high esteem for the Confederate flag.
Dallas sergeant Booker Smith Jr. wrote, “Just another savage that needs to be exterminated,” while St. Louis officer Thomas Mabrey wrote “F these muslem turd goat humpers,” one of his numerous anti-Muslim posts. And those are just the beginning.
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It is proof that many officers hold deep disdain for minority groups. The Project’s findings give further credence to the belief held by Black, Muslim and other minority communities that the police are not there to help them, but to hurt them.
Philly attorney Emily Baker-White and colleagues created the project because they believe “fairness, equal treatment and integrity are essential to the legitimacy of policing.” Since so many officers have blatantly exhibited racist, discriminatory online behavior, the project seeks to expose them and prompt departments to investigate them.
The findings also undermine the ability of officers who are good cops actually trying to do the job they took an oath to do. It thwarts efforts to build trust and rapport with diverse communities – because citizens who have been historically discriminated against don’t know which officers are actually for or against them.
While the findings may be shocking to some, they are no news flash for the Black and brown people who live the harsh reality of police bias, racism and violence every day.
It’s no wonder N.W.A wrote “F**k The Police.”
