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Jillian Johnson, Durham City Council
[FACEBOOK] This is a clarifying statement on the post on my personal page yesterday that has created some concern in the community.I believe that state-sanctioned violence causes more harm, and is therefore more dangerous, than non state-sanctioned violence. I believe this is true both because the approval of those in authority and often the general public gives a veneer of acceptability to actions we would otherwise condemn, but also because states have the capacity to spend huge resources equipping and funding people to use force in defense of their interests. The US spends as much on our military as all other countries combined. We have the highest police homicide rates in the developed world and we incarcerate 25% of the world’s prisoners. We should not ignore these facts, or wrongly assume that those who believe that this situation is fundamentally unjust and should not continue are harboring a hatred for police and soldiers. I certainly find a great many of the actions taken by militaries and police forces here in the US and around the world extremely troubling, and I also respect the humanity of those who do not share this disagreement. Please feel free to comment, but I will delete posts if I feel they do not contribute to a productive conversation. Posted by: Fred 2016-06-24 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=460237 |