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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
Yes but — we’re on this path like it or not.
In other words, if you defund the police, what you get is a police state.
Funny how that works.
Similar to Democrat’s effort to force socialized medicine on us by destroying the health insurance industry.
He protected her house? I doubt that but he probably kept young punks out of the neighborhood.
Police don’t protect homes by standing around them all the time either.
Yeah. The police saved his life.
Very bad. They set the cops up to be killed by the criminals, and used the half living ones for their prototype robocop. Unfortunately the only successful Robocop had dim memories of his catholic faith.
Which must be what George Soros really means by his “open society”.
SPOILER.
They used to walk a beat.
Yes but they weren’t stationed one cop per house or something, 3 shifts per day… it’s the overall presence that serves as a deterrent.
No, he didn’t “protect her house.” Don’t be silly.
Punks and thieves knew that retribution would be swift and certain. Remember, this would be in the late ’80s – early ’90s, in the midst of the crack “epidemic” and well before Giuliani started to clean up the City.
One can read about such a Hatfield/McCoy society in a novelization of the history of northeastern Brazil in Jorge Amado’s book, “The Violent Land”. Or watch a Liam Neeson movie.
Neither does the mafia. Nobody does that, unless you hire personal bodyguards. I’m not sure I understand your point. If there’s a crime in process at your home, you call the police and most will show up. If you call the gangster down the street, he ain’t coming unless he’s a relative or your connected with his crime family. It wouldn’t be a shock if the guy burglarizing your house was part of his crime family. The Godfather movie is not a true representation of the mafia. Most people in the mafia are low lives who failed out of school, were too lazy to work, took up petty crime, and then connected with a crime boss. They have no honor or morals.
He dies halfway through the movie and his female partner avenges his death. Better?