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I took the afternoon off, drove to the condo, looks like I've got the place to myself for a day or two :-) I've seen K here several weekends in a row? It's OK to have a weekend off from K Time, although I would also enjoy seeing him, that sexy fucker :o)
T and I did not have a big blowup this morning! Yay! So I'm more relaxed here than I was last weekend. Yay!
I'm keeping an eye on work emails until 5pm or so, but otherwise I'm starting my Bug Night routine -- porn, toys, and (for now mild) intoxication.
There are protests here in downtown DC today, but so far I haven't seen them directly. I've seen the helicopters overhead, and the unusually congested side streets, but I think the main action is closer to the Mall.
I know a lot of people's patience with cops shooting black people is at an end. Not that patience was ever the correct response. Over the years I've often thought, why does nobody care that police shoot people every day, and that the entire "justice" system treats POC unfairly?
My main beef with the protesters this year is that there's not much of a unified voice about what to do to fix things. I keep making suggestions to people, and in my journal. Create elected community police boards, like school boards, for more direct community oversight of police departments. Create Civilian/Police Associations, like we have Parent/Teacher Associations -- so regular folks can meet every month with police to build common ground. Racial quotas for police stops, arrests, and criminal charges to prevent overpolicing POC. Decriminalization of drugs. A "one shooting and you're out" rule for police officers --> your career as a police officer is over if you shoot somebody, even if you think it was justified. No prison time for nonviolent offenders. Fully fund public defenders for indigent defendants.
But also, as I argued with somebody the other day -- when you encounter a police officer: act respectfully, do not insult them, do not criticize them, follow their instructions, let them do their jobs. Don't make somebody with a gun mad at you! It's just common sense. Don't provoke them. Don't threaten them.
Even if you think this police stop, or this arrest, or these criminal charges were incorrectly applied to you, this is why we have a judicial process. You're innocent until proven guilty, but the police have the right to arrest you, they have the right to make mistakes. Don't resist arrest. Just remain silent until you can contact an attorney, and then let your attorney handle it.
Also, eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders -- release people after charging them.
The increasing polarization between civilians and police isn't helping matters. What we need is police reform, by electing people who will implement it for us. The police are really just working class people following the rules for a paycheck -- put different bosses in charge of them, that's the better way to fix things.
T and I did not have a big blowup this morning! Yay! So I'm more relaxed here than I was last weekend. Yay!
I'm keeping an eye on work emails until 5pm or so, but otherwise I'm starting my Bug Night routine -- porn, toys, and (for now mild) intoxication.
There are protests here in downtown DC today, but so far I haven't seen them directly. I've seen the helicopters overhead, and the unusually congested side streets, but I think the main action is closer to the Mall.
I know a lot of people's patience with cops shooting black people is at an end. Not that patience was ever the correct response. Over the years I've often thought, why does nobody care that police shoot people every day, and that the entire "justice" system treats POC unfairly?
My main beef with the protesters this year is that there's not much of a unified voice about what to do to fix things. I keep making suggestions to people, and in my journal. Create elected community police boards, like school boards, for more direct community oversight of police departments. Create Civilian/Police Associations, like we have Parent/Teacher Associations -- so regular folks can meet every month with police to build common ground. Racial quotas for police stops, arrests, and criminal charges to prevent overpolicing POC. Decriminalization of drugs. A "one shooting and you're out" rule for police officers --> your career as a police officer is over if you shoot somebody, even if you think it was justified. No prison time for nonviolent offenders. Fully fund public defenders for indigent defendants.
But also, as I argued with somebody the other day -- when you encounter a police officer: act respectfully, do not insult them, do not criticize them, follow their instructions, let them do their jobs. Don't make somebody with a gun mad at you! It's just common sense. Don't provoke them. Don't threaten them.
Even if you think this police stop, or this arrest, or these criminal charges were incorrectly applied to you, this is why we have a judicial process. You're innocent until proven guilty, but the police have the right to arrest you, they have the right to make mistakes. Don't resist arrest. Just remain silent until you can contact an attorney, and then let your attorney handle it.
Also, eliminate cash bail for nonviolent offenders -- release people after charging them.
The increasing polarization between civilians and police isn't helping matters. What we need is police reform, by electing people who will implement it for us. The police are really just working class people following the rules for a paycheck -- put different bosses in charge of them, that's the better way to fix things.
