Seems clear to me that he is saying that we, as a nation, should not allow the police to be viewed as an "occupying force."
What's the fuss?
Regards,
I had the same reaction. Much ado about nothing.
I suppose you are joking, but it’s clear that “cannot be” and “cannot be seen” are of a piece, and he means that they ARE, and ARE seen to be an O.F. , and if you don’t believe the first, the second is enough to certify that they need to “change”, i.e. be swept away by the forces of righteousness.
Perhaps the occupying force of police should pull completely out of the black neighborhoods and see how they like it.
“Our police officers cannot be, and cannot be seen as an occupying force disconnected from their communities that they serve.”
But it is true that SOME police departments and some individual cops act with disrespect towards the public and are not mindful of our constitutional rights and dignity. I’ve experienced it and witnessed it. It’s not only blacks these few bad departments and individual cops abuse without correction - but whites and everyone else, too.
If you are a good police officer, you are a good person. A good police officer is smart socially in dealing with individual people they come into contact with. They are thoughtful and not cruel. You protect human life from bad guys without regard to race because you love human life and justice. This will not be mentioned in Holder’s “reform.”
Likewise, historically, Americans loved police officers and are protective of their lives, work and dignity by showing respect and trust for them. This led to a culture that respected justice and the rule of law. This won’t be mentioned by Holder in his “reform.”