> Yeah and these "perceived threats" include kids with toy guns, unarmed people with their hands up, and people lying on the ground dying.
Yes, unfortunately, those people were perceived as threats and the officers involved weren't taking any chances.
Those are, for the most part, accidents. How many children are run over because people are carelessly driving? Would you ban cars for everyone?
> Many cops have learned, whether through training or culture, to point their guns first and ask questions later, at a huge cost to society.
Yes, many people have had bad training or are just not made for the job. These are still people whose lives are at the frontline and they aren't even paid that well. I don't think the solution is to defund or disarm everyone involved.
> It seems you don't have sympathy for the people affected by this, but many of us do.
This is a disingenuous statement. You have to look beyond some exceptional and sensationalized cases, at the day-to-day reality of policing. If you disarm the police, they will stop policing those areas that are affected by crime the most. Criminals with guns will get free reign. More people will get shot, just not by cops.
More affluent people will not be affected by this, they could have it either way, it wouldn't make a difference. Their sympathy may be real, their intentions may be good, the outcome will still be bad.
> I have a lot of sympathy for police too. They have a dangerous and thankless job, and we all rely on them. But my sympathy ends at those who abuse their power, and those who protect the abusers in their midst.
I think we can all agree on this.