Civilization Works
Turns out we kind of need police officers.
Chris Rufo writes at City Journal about the wondrous utopia of CHAZ:
The CHAZ saga began on June 8, under the premise that capitalism, police brutality, and the "fascist regime" of Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan were upholding a social order that systemically oppressed African-Americans. Black Lives Matter and Antifa-affiliated activists hoped to create a new regime based on familiar social-justice principles of recent years: they established a social order based on a "reverse hierarchy of oppression," implemented race-based segregation in public spaces, and maintained a "police-free zone" that they believed would protect "people of color" from the depredations of the state.As it turns out, however, maintaining public order is a complex undertaking and can't be replaced by academic symbolism. BLM activists might despise George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, but a regime based on the principles of Nikole Hannah-Jones, Ibram X. Kendi, and Robin DiAngelo doesn't work too well. As CHAZ's experience demonstrates, when left-wing radicals shift from protest to governance, things fall apart.
Ultimately, the problem of violence--and a dangerously naive understanding of policing--doomed the CHAZ. Over its 24-day history, the autonomous zone saw two gun homicides and four additional shooting victims. All the identified victims were black men--precisely the demographic for whom the CHAZ had claimed to offer protection. In the absence of a legitimate police force, armed criminal gangs and untrained anarchist paramilitaries filled the void. Almost every night, gunshots rang through the streets. The first homicide victim was killed in an outburst of gang violence; the second, reportedly unarmed and joyriding in a stolen car, was gunned down by the "CHAZ security force."
In the end, the homicide rate in the CHAZ turned out to be 1,216 per 100,000--nearly 50 times greater than Chicago's. Though that's obviously not a strict apples-to-apples comparison--the small sample size of the CHAZ creates an exaggerated statistical effect--it's instructive nonetheless, as it invalidates the entire premise of the autonomous zone. By instituting a "police-free zone," the CHAZ didn't become peaceable; it became lawless, brutish, and violent.
Victimhood has cachet:
The "victimhood" hustle. https://t.co/0exK4DcV7j
— Amy Alkon (@amyalkon) July 3, 2020
I wonder when we will start having police no go zones in the country just like they do in Europe?
Assuming we don’t have that already?
If you were an average bright guy, either black, white or Asian, you would be insane to take a job in most of the inner cities of this country especially in the current anti police climate.
Policing in these places is going to get both really expensive, and really corrupt. Probably both at the same time.
Isab at July 4, 2020 4:01 AM
Need, don't need, that's not the issue. Every society has police. There is no police-less society. The difference just lies in who does the policing, how they are chosen, and who they serve.
NicoleK at July 4, 2020 8:05 AM
This is an important point that the "defund the police" folks seem to miss. Any power vacuum will be filled.
Conan the Grammarian at July 4, 2020 8:43 AM
Yes, civilization works, but police are not a feature of civilization, but of anti-civilization. Police are theft-funded hired guns for politicians, which people have been fooled to see as "essential" to society when their presence among you is a sign your society has failed.
The people in CHAZ were also anti-civilization.
Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Kent McManigal at July 4, 2020 8:55 AM
Police may not be a feature of civilization, Kent, but policing is. Behavior counter to the expectations of a society is policed by social opprobrium, force, or other means. No matter the civilization, behavior will be policed.
Conan the Grammarian at July 4, 2020 9:55 AM
Agreed Conan. The form of the police may vary but policing is universal.
Ben at July 4, 2020 10:17 AM
What also infuriates me about this situation is that Bloody Jenny (Seattle's mayor, Jenny Durkan) didn't see any need to involve herself until business owners and residents filed a class action lawsuit.
AR-15s being imported? No problem.
Shooting deaths? Bloody Jenny: "Oh, tee-hee-hee! Why it's just a big block party!"
Residents and business owners of Capitol Hill filing a class-action lawsuit alleging that the city of Seattle is complicit in denying the rightful owners use of their own property?
Bloody Jenny: "Oh, my God! We must do something right now!"
So Lord of the Flies being enacted in your city is just peachy-keen. Just don't sue the city. Got it.
Here's a video I would recommend. Viva Frei, a YouTube lawyer who, despite being based in Montreal, often discusses the legal aspect of incidents in the States, shares his insight into this issue and explains why Bloody Jenny basically won this case for the litigants.
Viva Frei is entertaining, intelligent and talks unbelievably fast.
Patrick at July 4, 2020 12:43 PM
The lawsuit wasn't what pushed Mayor Jenny to dismantle CHAZ/CHOP, Patrick. It was when CHAZ/CHOP showed up on her doorstep to protest her that she decided it was time to lay down the law.
I R A Darth Aggie at July 4, 2020 1:20 PM
The idea that there is only crime in the black community because of oppression is insane. If anything, it is due to "help" from the dems: welfare which breaks up families leads to young men without direction. As to the oppression, it is true that police can be capricious but it is also true that crime exists and the police try to arrest the perps. The current attitude of throwing stuff at cops when they show up after a shooting is not a clever strategy. It does not put any shooters behind bars.
cc at July 4, 2020 3:02 PM
> we will start having police no
> go zones
> Any power vacuum will be filled.
This is known as "Brazilianification": Elites will pay for non-corrupt private security forces.
Here in Nortay Del'merico, we have a few more options for private defensive initiatives.
But still— Sucks.
PS- Donny called.
Crid at July 4, 2020 8:02 PM
"No matter the civilization, behavior will be policed."
As long as it is funded voluntarily (or not at all), and those doing the "policing" are held to the exact same standards of behavior anyone else in the same situation would be, that's fine. I'll still opt out of funding any gang employed for the purpose, though. I neither want nor "need" police of any sort.
Kent McManigal at July 6, 2020 9:02 AM
Kent, please point out all those successful places with 'no policing' or that otherwise meet your requirements. If you cannot reference one then why haven't you founded one yourself?
Ben at July 7, 2020 6:48 AM
I'll tentatively agree with "held to the exact same standards...," but funding voluntarily turns the police a private gang enforcing the wishes of the funders, not the laws of the community.
Conan the Grammarian at July 7, 2020 10:15 AM
There is no policing in my house-- this is the place I have founded. There is no crime here.
A private gang enforcing the wishes of the holders of the purse strings (who they treat as the funders) is exactly the situation as it exists now. No thanks. You can keep your legislation to yourself, too.
You can have police of any kind you want. Keep them away from me. I don't need gangs of theft-funded enforcers around me. You can pretend that's "society" or "civilization" if you must but I see it as it is. I want no part of it.
Kent McManigal at July 8, 2020 2:07 PM
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