Law enforcement are engaging in excessive brutality against the Black Lives Matter protesters,and that is not okay. Right wing pundits are insisting that the police and National Guard are cracking down on looting and vandalism, but that is not the case. All you have to do is be standing there. Even if the people that the police are beating on are committing some sort of crime, it is not appropriate to beat that person or otherwise harm them.
The United Nations has developed guidelines for ethical police conduct. Read them here.
Here are some excerpts:
Non-violent means are to be attempted first
OHCHR
Force is to be used only when strictly necessary
Force is to be used only for lawful law enforcement
purposes
No exceptions or excuses shall be allowed for unlawful
use of force
Well, whatever the police are doing out there, it is not conforming to UN guidelines. The videos prove it. Oh there is more:
Accountability for the use of force and firearms
OHCHR
All incidents of the use of force or firearms shall be
reported to and reviewed by superior officials
Superior officials shall be held responsible for the
actions of police under their command if the superior
official knew or should have known of abuses but failed
to take concrete action
Officials who refuse unlawful superior orders shall be
given immunity
Officials who commit abuses of these rules shall not be
excused on the grounds that they were following superior order
So the UN believes that police shouldn’t use excessive force, but if they do, they and their superiors should be held accountable. Oh and it is the responsibility of the individual to resist against unlawful orders. Hmm. Do you think there would be less police brutality if people were held responsible?
Let’s look at some examples. Did the cops who pushed this man down and then refused to allow another cop provide assistance engage in ethical behavior? It doesn’t seem so.
It’s not the first time either. A few days ago, police shoved another elderly man to the ground, for no reason:
No wonder people are protesting.
