The president of Cleveland’s police union, Jeffrey Follmer, was on Chris Hayes's show on MSNBC last night and what he had to say, coupled with how he said it, was frightening. With the bravado of a George W. Bush - and the articulation of a Sarah Palin - he declared for all the world to hear that the police "run t'ings" and it will be their way or the highway.
Watch this video and get a glimpse into the mindset that informs the actions of law enforcement officers when they interact with the public. I have a hard time believing that Follmer was directing his diatribe at white men, so this was really a directive to people of color to know their places. Know who's judge, jury, and executioner and don't they dare question their superiors. I thought that Ari Melber did a good job, but he could have done much better.
Watch the interview for yourself:
It may be time that the police unions and their members be reminded that we live in a democracy and not a police state. They work for us and not the other way around. It seems that they got it a bit twisted, wouldn't you say?