On CopBlock.org’s new “Welcome LEOs” Page

The essay below was written to help frame, for me, why the “Welcome LEOs” page was created. As Cop Block is decentralized, I can’t speak for all involved. And, recognizing that there are many other opinions held than my own, I attempted to outline here why I think the new page is a good and necessary resource to be housed at Cop Block.

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Join the conversation at CopBlock.org/Forum/Welcome-LEOs

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Thanks for stopping-by.

Admittedly, some would never think an outlet with the URL “CopBlock.org” would host a “Welcome LEOs” page, but if you read on you’ll see that it is in fact a necessary component to advance the stated mission of this decentralized project.

Cop Block is not anti-cop.

You’ll likely never read an article written by a contributor that makes a blanket statement that “all cops are bastards” (ACAB) or who mindlessly advocates a “fuck the police” (FTP) mantra.

Perpetuating an “us versus them” mentality will never allow things to change for the better. The wall will only grow. The gulf will only increase. The thin blue line culture will entrench. And the discord of those impacted will exacerbate. Then where will we be?

I recognize that most who go into policing do so with good intentions. Yet, the simple truth is that the admirable goals put forth – to “serve and protect” – can never be met due to the perverse incentives inherent in the current structure.

You likely work with some individuals that are heavy-handed or corrupt, or at least, those you recognize don’t have a good work ethic. If you know that to be true, imagine being someone on the other end of the “services” they render. Acknowledging that helps to impart why some absolute strangers react negatively when they see you or someone wearing the same attire – they’re tired of being harassed for engaging in actions that caused no victim.

Some LEOs put forth that they’re all that stands between chaos and stability, as if to justify certain actions and allow for misdeeds. Yet, if a high standard is being met, why do almost all of your so-called customers get anxious when they see you in your cruiser in their rearview mirror?

Cop Block exists to share ideas. To introduce into the conversation of police accountability a paradigm I think will resonate with most folks. Most of us would prefer to live in a world free from violence. The key question then becomes, “What means are most-likely to achieve that end?”

It is individuals who act. Thus, it is they who are responsible. Claims of “just doing my job” doesn’t lessen one’s culpability, nor does conflating legislation to be law and abiding by the former over the latter.

If an action is wrong for someone who doesn’t wear a badge, does the same action become less wrong when done by a person wearing a badge? Today, many police employees somehow convince themselves that their own theft of their neighbors’ property is justified. That, to “protect” someone, it is first okay to steal from them.

If someone can supply the skill, aptitude, and work ethic that is in demand, a consensual interaction will be reached. It matters not whether the action is carpentry or policing. All goods and services can best be provided via voluntary interactions.

Today, the lack of competition in law enforcement means a lack of accountability. The lack of market signals means an inefficiently-supplied good. The externalization of costs naturally results in an oversupply. When any good or service is “provided” by a monopoly based on coercion, it’ll always be subpar.

I encourage you, out of love and a desire to make harmonious interactions the norm, to investigate the resources below and to think critically. Do your actions – the means – advance an end that resonates with your conscience?

Unlearn the programming of fear, peddled in public school indoctrination and the mainstream media. What reality are you actively molding for the next generation? Think for yourself.

Check out CopBlock.org/WelcomeLEOs