WTF is going on in our society where arresting people for not social distancing is acceptable?
Who thought it would be a good idea to make a law?
Who thought it would be a good idea to tell others enforce that law?
Who is calling the police to enforce this law?
Who is dispatching law enforcement to this?
And who is actually enforcing this law?
When the memes first started popping up of people getting arrested for not social distancing, I thought it was a joke. I thought someone is just trying to stir up crap to get their face time with the media.
Turns out I was wrong. People are actually having law enforcement called, fines are being written, and arrests are being made.
As an old Marine NCO, I just want to go sideways to everyone involved. I want to chew people out with harsh, unapproved language, and do “wall-to-wall” counselling on all these people involved.
Here is a breakdown of the chewing out and a build up on the other side. Sometimes in the military this was the only way to reach people…
From top to bottom:
Politicians making these laws – I know you are stupid to begin with. You think leadership and the way to help society, people, or any other term you want to use for the masses is to make laws so that you can say, see we are doing something about this. Your leadership is to have other people go out and use a gun to enforce your will for the “greater good”.
You are no leader! You are worthless and a waist of air if you think you are doing something to help people. I would love to get into a room with you and tell you what I really think with no one else around. Let’s see how your leadership works on me if there is no one to use a gun to enforce your stupidity on me. I wonder how long it will take for you to beg me through tears to stop yelling at you.
You want to lead people? Put out suggestions, guidelines, education, and information. You will gain people’s respect, and from that you can lead them with influence. If you figure this out people will follow you to the bowels of hell and back.
This is an incredibly trying time and we need real leadership from you. We need information, guidelines, and education. We don’t need your stupid laws mucking things up.
Fix yourself!
Law Enforcement Leadership – Why on God’s green Earth would you waist your manpower and put your officers in danger by trying to enforce this? I’m just following orders and enforcing the law like I’m supposed to is the same answer all those soldiers at German Concentration camps gave. Don’t tell me that you roll over on little violations of the Constitution and tell me that when big things happen, I’ll do the right thing. No, you will take care of yourself just like you are now while sending your officers out to enforce an unconstitutional law and putting them in danger. And if you are threatening them with anything… you are a bully that needs to be punched in the nose!
The laws are there. Selective enforcement is what we pay you for. I can get a machine to see violation, write ticket. Decision making is the number one trait you are looking for in your officers. I suggest that you look in the mirror and make a good decision. It might be a hard one. And every decision you make or don’t make has consequences. I teach that to my 10-year-old son.
Fix yourself before someone else has to! Be the leader your officers need right now. They are scared out of their mind. They want to be the heroes we all believe them to be. But even heroes need a push in the right direction from a great leader from time to time. Push your officers to do the right thing. To keep people safe. To keep themselves safe. Answer the big calls. Please be that thin blue line that stands between the people and the wolves among us. I know those wolves will turn on us the first time you are not looking. Make sure you and your officers are looking in the right direction to keep the wolves at bay. We, the People or your community, need You!
People calling 911 for social distancing – I have nothing to give to you. You are a piece of crap. You’re attitude of calling the cops is the reason the Germans could exterminate Jews during WWII. You would have called the SS on your neighbor that was Jewish trying to hide. You would let the slave hunters know where Harriet Tubman was hiding. You would have cheered when Japanize Americans were interned during WWII on the west coast.
You are hiding behind a self-righteousness vail trying to tattle on your neighbors to get them in trouble. You push off any responsibility for anything. You think you are just being a good citizen, but you are broken inside. If you can’t push yourself out of this just know that sooner or later you will get yours. Eventually you will call on the wrong person and if/when the cops truly can’t come, those people will deal with you.
Normally I’d stand between those people and you, but not this time. You have shown who you truly are, and I want no part of it.
Stop calling 911 for crap that isn’t hurting anyone! Figure out what is truly a crime and the people you can help. Then go help them.
Dispatchers sending Police Officer to BS Calls – Why the freak would you do this? This is a horrible time in America. Our police need to be seen serving and protecting our communities. They don’t need to be seen harassing little kids that are riding their bikes in the street too close to each other!
You, like others, can’t just follow orders. If I was your boss I would have you ask those people one simple question; is anyone being hurt right now? If the answer is no, tell them to stop calling 911 for stupid problems. We have real issues to deal with right now.
By doing this you are protecting your community, your officers, and yourself. Is there a higher calling? You have been programed to do what the book tells you. You have been programed not to think about right and wrong when you answer the phone. You have been programmed to do what the procedures say. If someone calls 911, you send an officer out there. I could program a computer to do that.
We pay you to use your judgement and experience to keep people safe. We want you to hang up on people like that. I don’t want you to be on the phone with someone reporting a Social Distance violation when someone else is trying to call 911 that is being raped, murdered, robber, or assaulted. I want you free to be able to take those calls. I want your mind sharp to handle those big things. I want you to put your best self into helping the people that are truly in need.
Please, take the lead and fix yourself. Make your community safer, your officers that depend on you safer, and be that person you were hired and put into that place to be. You are truly important and needed. Be that hero behind the scenes.
The Front-Line Officer – I have the most respect and patience with you. You have some idiot calling, some idiot sending you, and some idiot telling you better go or else. So, you go. It’s your calling. It’s what you do.
But when you get on scene you have a choice. Saw Social Distance violation and arrested same is not right. You are violating the Constitution of the United States, you are pissing on your oath to that Constitution and you are being a wimp and a bully. I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do is the same thing German officers said at Auschwitz.
You think you have a hard time standing up now, what will happen if this gets worse? Will you round people up and send them away for their own good? Will you lose your freaking mind and arrest a loan surfer because he isn’t social distancing? Will you put him in handcuffs and take him to jail where he can sit with others you’ve round up in a small cell?
At this time, America is letting prisoners out because of overcrowded jails and fear of them getting the virus, you are going out and picking up more people to put right back in the cells?
Stop doing stupid crap. We pay you to use good judgement in impossible situations. And yes, we expect you to make good decisions no matter what the odds or complications.
You need to stand up. You are the thin-blue line that stands between the good people and the bad. You need to be that citizen warrior. The one that stands up and does the right thing all the time.
You know arresting someone for not social distancing is just stupid on its face. They are too close to someone, so you are going to get close to them and put them in a cell close to a bunch of other people?
On top of that, if these people aren’t social distancing, that means they are doing stupid things and their chance of infection is much higher. And now you want to go near them? You are putting yourself at undo risk.
We need you right now. We need you standing on the line between chaos and order. We need you out there using your good judgment about what should be done, who should be going to jail, what risks you are going to take. But also evaluating the risk you are putting others in by just interacting with them. Times are different right now. Don’t get sick. Don’t get other sick.
You need to be the one that stands up and makes this world better with everything you do or don’t do. Your political leaders aren’t going to do it. We know that. Your supervisors probably won’t have your back, I know that as well as you do. But you need to do the right thing so that the citizens can have your back. We are the ones that will stand with you or against you. And it’s your action that will put us on one side or the other.
Times suck right now. On normal days we are asking almost impossible things from you. And now we ask more. You are the hero we are looking at to see how to act, how to react, and how to live. Set the best example you can and carry on.
Conclusion
We live in difficult times. If you aren’t doing what you can to help yourself, your family, and your community you are wrong. And you need to help people in that order. A dead hero can’t help anyone.
When you try to help anyone, you need to engage your brain before you engage your actions. Don’t go off half cocked because you heard some idiot on the news or read something on the internet. Take a breath, use your common sense and critical thinking skills before you act.
These are crazy times. We can’t totally believe any information from any source right now. We will not have perfect information until long after this thing is over. You need to do the best that you can with the information given to take care of yourself, your family, and your community.
If you want more about decision making and leadership during this time of crisis check out the post Combat Leadership During a Crisis and the podcast Leadership in a Crisis to learn more about leading through these tuff times.
Stay Safe, and Stay Healthy,
Ben