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Will Leftists Like What Replaces the Police They Just Defunded?
I have a patient who grew up on Staten Island before they built the bridge. His father farmed turnips, and his neighbor farmed potatoes. He said it was the middle of nowhere, just a few families lived there, and they seldom left the island. Once they built the bridge, everything changed. It became a very nice place to live, and according to him, half of the mafia in New York City moved to Staten Island. My patient then moved away from home and started his own family, but his sister still lives in the house they grew up in. Many of her neighbors are mafia, including the house directly across the street from her.
Some years ago, her car was broken into on the street right in front of her house. They stole the radio and a small amount of money she had in the car and broke a window. She called the police, who came out and took a statement, inspected the car, and told her they would call her if they found anything. The very moment that the policeman drove away, two large men wearing dark suits emerged from the house across the street and walked briskly across the street to her front door. They asked her, “Ma’am, we saw the police here at your house. Is anything wrong?”
She answered, “Yes, some kids broke into my car and stole my radio. I just told the police about it. They were very nice and said they would try to help.”
One of the large men shook his head regretfully and said, “Oh ma’am, I’m so sorry that happened in our nice little neighborhood here. But please understand, you don’t need to bother the police with such petty concerns. If anything like that ever happens in the future, we hope that you’ll just walk across the street, knock on our door, and we’ll be eager to help you with any problems like that you might have. We’re happy to help, and the police are very busy men, and they don’t need to be troubling themselves in our little neighborhood. Our employer likes to take care of his neighbors, and if there’s ever anything that you need in the future, we hope you’ll let us know right away. Neighbors helping neighbors, right?”
She thanked them and went back into her house. At first, she was very appreciative of their offer of help. It’s good for neighbors to help neighbors, right?
Then she remembered what that particular neighbor did for a living and realized that perhaps it was better that she called the police instead of her neighbor. Better for the kid who broke into her car, at least.
And then she realized that while her neighbor was probably just being nice, there was probably another reason that he didn’t want to “trouble the police” with coming to their little neighborhood. He didn’t want to bother busy men like the police. But he also didn’t want the police in his neighborhood any more than absolutely necessary. For various reasons. Some of which she might find distasteful.
She made all these realizations within about 30 seconds and felt a little nervous for a bit, until she realized that she probably lived in one of the safest neighborhoods in New York. Her neighborhood was quiet and safe because her neighbors wanted it that way. And they were the kind of people who did what was necessary to achieve that. Some of those things they did were probably the sort of things she would rather not hear about. But even if she intentionally maintained her ignorance of the details, she could still enjoy the fruits of their, um, labor.
So she consciously decided to carry on in blissful ignorance. It was nice.
No one ever bothered her car again.
Our cities are falling apart.
America is falling apart, as a whole, as well. But the cities are leading the way. Police departments have been defunded, and what’s left of police departments are focusing their efforts on the poor areas of the city, as one might expect. So what used to be nice, quiet, wealthy, safe neighborhoods are experiencing sudden spikes in violent crime. That’s where the money is, and there’s no police, and criminals aren’t stupid, and that’s what’s happening. Naturally.
American leftists believe that crime is simply a symptom of poverty and inequality, and thus should not be punished. Particularly if the criminals are members of privileged groups, like Blacks.
But that leftist belief in blameless criminals often changes when the victims of the crimes are leftists themselves.
As the police withdraw from the wealthy neighborhoods, it won’t take long for those with means to establish other forms of security. And some of the things that these people will do are the type of things that we would rather not hear about. But even if we intentionally maintain the ignorance of the details, we can still happily enjoy the fruits of their labor.
It will be nice. Right?
Neighbor: Hey, doc!
Me: Howdy, neighbor!
Neighbor: Boy, there’s a lot of crime moving into wealthy neighborhoods! Like ours!
Me: Beautiful weather today, huh?
Neighbor: What would happen if the criminals came into our neighborhood?
Me: There’s probably more closet rednecks in here than you think. I’ll bet that a lot of these fancy houses probably were paid for by a bunch of farm boys who did good, and who have gun safes that could start a war if they wanted to. I have nothing to do with people like that, of course. But depending on how things go, they could be handy to have around. Even though I, of course, would have nothing to do with people like that. Unless something goes wrong. Rednecks, you know …
Neighbor: Didn’t you move here from the mountains of Tennessee?
Me: Yeah, it’s just like your hometown of Greenwich, Connecticut. Except a little different …
Neighbor: Um …
Me: I was in college until the age of 30. I believe in what I’m supposed to believe in. And you can believe that. Our neighbors, though, may be some people that don’t necessarily believe in the things you’re supposed to believe in. Unless something goes wrong. In which case, you should absolutely believe in whatever they believe in. But I don’t associate with people like that, of course. You can believe me. Unless something goes wrong, of course.
Neighbor: I believe that!
Me: Of course, if anything goes wrong, the safest place in this state is right behind me.
Neighbor: Yeah, that’s what I figured.
Me: But I don’t approve of any of this, of course. I, personally, disapprove of firearms. And officially, I don’t own any guns. Of course. I don’t believe in that.
Neighbor: I believe you! Of course! Although you do believe in good scotch, right?
Me: Of course I do.
Neighbor: I’m glad we understand each other.
Me: Me too! Golly, I’m thirsty …
I’m not sure that leftists have thought this through. Once the police withdraw, they will be replaced (must be replaced) by a system of justice that many of us might find distasteful. It may even be wrong. Although at that point, it won’t really matter whether it’s right or wrong. At that point, we’ll have other problems.
Unconstrained liberalism is simply libertarianism.
Conservatism is the antidote to libertarianism. Conservatism protects us from those acting only in their own self-interest.
Because nobody wants that.
Getting rid of the police is fun! But what replaces the police will not be fun. Even if I win, in that circumstance, it will not be fun.
Nobody wants that. I will win, and even I don’t want that.
Please, leftists, think about the consequences of what you say you want.
Are you sure you want to defund the police? Do you really think you’ll like what replaces the police? Have you even thought about this?
Because I’ve thought about it. And I’m very well equipped to handle it.
And I already don’t like it …
Published in General
How many leftists have watched the Godfather movies, I wonder?
“I have always depended on the kindness of strangers” has never been a particularly reliable security policy.
Ha! I live in Staten Island, and yes it’s a much lower crime area than the rest of NYC and yes a fair amount of mobsters live here. But the correlation ends there. They don’t keep crime low in the neighborhoods. They’re only going to take on risks that have a meaning to their lives. They’re not going to protect your property. In fact, it’s risky living next to mobsters because you don’t know what infringement you may accidently cause to them. As in John Gotti’s neighbor who accidently killed Gotti’s son. You can read about what is publicly known about the facts, here and what is the insider story here.
Your point is well taken Doc. Without the police people will form their own gangs to control crime. Or the mafia will charge you to keep the neighborhood crime free. At a price you can’t refuse.
I love your little dialog in the middle there. Boy, howdy!
My mom grew up in a nice working class neighborhood in Newark, NJ. She never took us back to see where she used to live. By the 1980’s, Mom’s old neighborhood had become a dangerous crime-ridden hellhole.
Meanwhile we had a family friend who also grew up in Newark. His neighborhood never went downhill and had almost no crime. The difference, he came from an Italian neighborhood where the . . . legitimate businessmen kept things safe. Sounds good but I am not sure what kind of due process those guys offer.
Seems like it wouldn’t matter, as long as you don’t get their attention by being one of the bad guys.
Another plus I can see to this is that black neighborhood would have black… security… and couldn’t possibly complain about “racism.”
“Please, leftists, think about the consequences of what you say you want.”
I’m assuming that this is a rhetorical question. I’ve been observing Leftists since the 60s and I don’t believe I’ve seen them do very much thinking when it comes to the consequences of their actions.
The leftists are not immune to trouble, of course, as Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (?) found out. But on average, they are already positioned to benefit from a power trainsition to organized crime. I don’t mean big money mobsters. I mean corrupt thugs with a boss.
They will use disorder to further their desired power structures. They’re not rioting for anarchy. They’re rioting for tribes.
I have wondered about this sort of thing as I drive by the house in Austin I had long lived in. The area is still pretty sweet, but can that last? The new owner is undertaking extensive renovations, and these are taking a long time. Nobody has lived in the house for over 2 years. Homeless people are astonishingly uninhibited. I wonder what the new owner would do if any started camping out in the long-neglected yard. Or under the roof itself.
Although I spoke with her once on the phone, and exchanged some texts, I never met this new owner. And in point of fact, she isn’t exactly that: some family trust is. In that family, there has got to be a lot of It-can’t-happen-here. But if-it-does-happen-here, does such a family simply throw money at private security services? Probably. But can such services roust intruders? I really doubt that. The architect’s rendering on the little billboard out front shows no fence or perimeter wall, and the city of Austin would not instantly approve one…but more and more houses in the area have ’em. The future in places like Austin may hold not little local armies defending rich folks’ properties, but such properties’ hardening. Showing as little as possible to the world – just graffiti. I’m just riffing here, but in the middle term I see Austin landowners conceding the exteriors of their fortresses to vibrant local artists. Actual crime may stay low but the ugliness will be so dreary.
“Keep Austin Dreary.”
Sounds right.
When the police are gone they will be replaced by the national police force. Biden even said so. Of course, there may be an interim period in which vigilantes operate, if that’s what it takes for people to call in the feds.
Sounds like Robocop.
Is that a television or movie thing? I suppose I should look it up.
Robocop is a cheesy movie that is surprisingly worth watching. I strongly recommend watching the movie ROBOCOP, and I do not AT ALL recommend watching any sequel or spin-off. Not Robocop 2014 or whatever, The genuine article is from 1988 or somethng like that.
Please forgive the movie some of its 1980s-isms. It has earned them.
There is an “uncut” version but I don’t know if it’s… dramatically?… better.
Yeah, you never know. I find that the “Director’s cut” of things generally only appeal to people who are already big nerds on the particular work. In general (not always), the suits know what will sell.
That said, once I am a fan, I always seek out the extended/director’s/special-edition cut of a movie.
Das Boot is a case in point. I love the movie, and I am glad I watched the hour-longer version. But MAN that’s a slog.
Robocop is great for this post as it shows a corporate post-police alternative, with the expected dystopian themes.
In the movie, Omni Corp, or some such, stirred up crime and crippled the police in Detroit so that they could tear down the city and build a new gleaming Delta City that they themselves would privately own.
In other democrat news…
Except too often the suits only know how many fewer theater showings they can have in a day, if the movie is 20 minutes longer.
The Extended Cut of Terminator 2, for example, is very worth searching out because a good deal more important material is included. Same with Alien, Alien 2/Aliens, and to a lesser extent with Alien 3 (what’s known as the “Assembly Cut”).
Robocop 2 was pretty good.
Was Omni Corp supposed to be the Good Guys or the Bad Guys?
I worked with a woman who lived in Howard Beach during the height of the Teflon Don’s power (actually a couple of streets over). She said that she never felt safer, even when she later moved to Ridgefield, CT.
People don’t realize that the thinking behind the Second Amendment is not just about being armed so as to take on a tyrannous government but perhaps more about the government failing to provide or strategically withdrawing its protection. In the same way, the First Amendment affirms the right to exercise moral obligations to honor deeply held beliefs, the Second affirms the right to discharge the moral duty to protect family, property, and community. For the framers, gun control would be an attack on a matter of conscience.
Hugo Chavez ordered the cops to stand down while his imported Cuban thugs attacked journalists. More relevantly, Ben Franklin was in the colonial assembly of Pennsylvania when its royal governor was reportedly negotiating a deal with the native tribes–don’t raid the established areas and we won’t send the militia to protect settlers who venture westward past the secretly agreed-upon line–we can’t forbid them from settling anywhere in the commonwealth but we can deny them protection and expect that would have the same effect.
Some communities are now approaching the worst possible state of affairs–withdrawal of police protection but active prosecution of acts of armed self-defense.
I think those guys that came across the street to talk to your patient were the blues brothers, right?
By the way, Dr. Bastiat, were you the guy that shot Liberty Valence?
It is sometimes said that the police aren’t there to protect the citizens from the criminals; they’re there to protect the criminals from the citizens.
Doc, you are putting “leftist” and “think” in the same sentence. You know better than that.
Totalitarianism takes a while. In the medium term one must put up with low level idiots that actually believe what they’re doing.
Sometimes that’s right. Richard Ramirez (the Night Stalker) was recognized on the street in Los Angeles after the papers ran his picture on the front page. Someone called the cops, and they got there just in time to prevent Ritchie from being stomped into paste by the enraged citizenry who had given chase and run him down.
I wondered why my computer’s autocorrect feature kept highlighting it…
Members of society agree to forego personal/familial retribution in exchange for an impartial system of justice. When that system is weakened or becomes illegitimate, society will revert to revenge killings, family/clan feuds, vigilantism, etc., none of which have much room for “innocent until proven guilty” or work to avoid “cruel and unusual punishments”.
Consider the recent story about the father who tracked down and killed the man he believed sold his daughter into sex slavery. Doubtless, the father didn’t trust that justice would have been done had he simply gone to the police, so he took matters into his own hands. As a father, I can sympathize. As an American, this is a dangerous path to go down.