Some people even exclude cops from their
>>definition of working class.
>
>Cops are, like scabs, traitors to the class:
>
This is silly. THey're mostly just working class people who want a civil service job with decent pay and benefits. The working classis not organized and self-conscious enough right now for it to make sense to speak of an entity to which class member owe allegience or which they would betray. Besides, cops are necessary. I have been busy drafting opinions denying the habeas petitions of leaders of the Gangster Disciples, a 6,000 strong Chicago drug gang on the South Side that had $100,000,000 a year business in the 90s, and ruled through fear, murder, intimidation, and torture. These are _really_ bad guys.
Rather a waste: the leaders are all obviously very smart and able. If they had had the chance to go to college and B-school, they'd be under indictment for insider trading now, and facing 5-10 years rather than doing life. But in the mentime you would NOT want them running around loose shoting people, training children to replace them--they all are convicted for use of minors in a drug conspiracy--torturing their subordinates, and generally laying waste to huge urban neighborhoods. ANd how will you stop them without the cops?
Incidentally we have a cop in our chambers who is a first year law student at U of I, 10 years on the force and a detective, a great guy, very smart and able. He probably agrees with every concrete thing we have to say about how upgefuckt everything is. I imagine he's rather untypical. A traitor to his class? I don't think so. In a way it's too bad he's leaving the force. We need more cops like him. If they were mostly like that, there wouldn't be any police brutality lawsuits, forced confessions, frameups, testilying, and other police misconduct.
jks
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