ACAB

Tags:

I've internalized the All Cops Are Bastards (ACAB) meme/idea/motto for some time.

Rodney King was a starting point way back in 1991, but I was still very...white in my outlook. I wasn't on the side of the cops but I was still on the fence about the protests and rioting afterwards.

My awareness of police violence against blacks and people of color just kept growing. I would say that since 2001 I have not trusted authority much.

Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd are just the latest in a long line of Black people killed by the police.

The protests of the last few weeks just brought it home to almost everyone. Even to my kids.

My spouse wanted me to be aware of my rhetoric and language around the kids. Mostly to let them come up with their own thoughts on it without me injecting to much of my dislike of the police. We do talk about this with them but I am much more strident than my spouse.

My spouse said that she knows that I am willing to judge people on what they do and generally not make a generalization for an entire class of people. They made me want to think about my thoughts about police.

In a nutshell, I reframed it in my mind that it was the institution more than the people. The institution made those people bastards.

Several days ago, just a few days after I did my bit of self-reflection, someone created some images that capture my framing almost perfectly.

how I have been explaining ACAB to white family members art by @furbyrose on twitter and @mrosearts on instagram. head1 holding ACAB sign. head2 asking 'What does ACAB mean?' art by @furbyrose on twitter and @mrosearts on instagram. head1 saying 'ACAB stans for All Cops Are Bastards. This does not negate that individual cops are not capable of good, rather it highlights that the system is corrupt and beyond reform. There are no "good" cops as tehy stand beside the unjust actions of the institution adn continue to harm black people.' art by @furbyrose on twitter and @mrosearts on instagram. head1 saying 'Your positive experiences with cops, who may be relatives or friends, does not negate the fact that the institution is violent and unjust. It is built on systematic racism and must be remade for the safety of our communities' — micha BLM (@furbyrose) 12:28 PM, Jun 4, 2020