The justice system in America is antiquated and fails most Americans. The courts have separate standards for the rich and powerful, and working class, low-income and impoverished Americans. Law enforcement treats African Americans and Hispanics far more harshly than whites. These are facts and undeniable.

The system must be entirely revamped. One of the most important changes must be the manner in which law enforcement officers are trained. First of all, they must undergo psychiatric evaluation before they are issued a firearm. Secondly, their training must include lengthy instruction focused on community relations. There is no room for bias and prejudice.

New Jersey’s state assembly sees the situation differently. Instead of retraining their state’s police officers, they want to train their children to act like Hitler’s ‘youth army.’ By a vote of 76-0, they passed a bill which would require indoctrination of children ‘K’ thru 12, teaching them to act “in a manner marked by mutual cooperation and respect.”

I have no complaint about the basic idea behind this bill, but a one-sided action of this type is unrealistic, and will not provide the results intended.

Are the members of the assembly ignorant by choice? There is no possibility that they are unaware that from a very early age young boys and girls are involved in social media. They have seen the unwarranted shootings of black men and women recorded on wireless phones, body cameras, and dash-cams. Attempting to brainwash them in the classroom by telling them that all law enforcement deserves their respect is idiocy.

The basic idea has a chance to be somewhat effective, but only if the police are re-educated, and cease to shoot first.

It’s past time for real judicial reform, and the effort must be extended to all cities and all entities involved.

Please re-post; thank you.

Op-ed by James Turnage

SOURCE

Photo courtesy of Social Justice…Bruce Emmerling

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