Lawless Police Brutality I Have Lived With as a Gay Man
Personal stories illustrate violent police-state culture
Justice was finally served yesterday as a jury convicted Derick Chauvin of the brutal murder of George Floyd. I shouted with joy as the judge read out the verdict. But my news feeds are still full of stories about police racism and brutality. I fear the Chauvin verdict will change little unless we as a nation commit to fundamental, drastic restructuring of police culture. If you’re straight/cis/white, I understand you may not know how brutal and vicious American cops are, but marginalized people live with police-state culture. We know. We must tell our stories. We must demand change.
My experiences of police brutality can’t match the experiences of Black and Brown people, and I don’t want them to sound equivalent, but I need to add my voice to a growing chorus of Americans demanding an end to racist police brutality.
I hate cops. If that angers you, I’m sorry, but you need to hear this:
“But, Dad!” I protested in an 11-year-old soprano cracking with outrage. “The police have to be the good guys! They just HAVE to!”
I had just received my first lesson in police lawlessness, and it sickened me. My father’s Indianapolis police friend threw me a tight smile…
