"Consider Repealing Laws"

The Epoch Times has an article entitled "If Fewer Police Is the Goal, Consider Repealing Laws" which encapsulates an argument I have made to people in the past.

While the rule of law means that everyone is equal under the law, it also means a lot more. It means that the initiation of force against someone is only justified to enforce the law, and that every time such force is used or threatened, there is an unfortunate and inherent risk of escalation, even to the point of lethality.

Municipal laws contain many of the most minor offences. In some cities, for example, it is an offence to spit on the sidewalk. Is this distasteful behaviour? Most definitely. But should it be outlawed, say with only a small fine? How might its enforcement play out?

I made this point during the Eric Garner situation. Recall that Garner was approached by police because he was breaking NYS laws. First by selling loose cigarettes, This rule is supposedly to "protect the children" who could obtain cigarettes by not having to go through an "authorized" seller. So Eric Garner ended up dead in part to "protect the children". Who put that law on the books? NY Representatives, Most of them Democrats.

Oh.

But also, more insidiously, the prohibition of loosies is to make sure that NYS gets its tobacco tax money. So Garner lost his life, in part in order for NYS to maintain its income.

Recently I was discussing the Raychard Brooks situation and the person said that all he was doing was sleeping in his car. Well no. By the laws passed, a person who operates a motor vehicle while ability impaired, including being drunk, is subject to immediate arrest. That he had driven to the Wendy's was evidence of a felony. The cops had to arrest him. If you don't like that, get the drunk driving laws repealed. Good luck with that.

And say, what if they had let him go and he drove off before having regained control of his body and killed someone. I would bet large sums of money that there would be calls for the heads of the police that let him go, knowing he was drunk.

There is one other way to reduce police presences, particularly in black communities, lower the rates of criminal behavior. Police are sent where the crime is. Reduce the crime, reduce the police presence. Bet you haven't heard that one from your local BLM.