Police nearly the greatest threat to civil society in US: Analyst

After right-wing terrorist organizations such as the KKK, neo-Nazi groups and others white nationalist groups, the police in the United States are the greatest threat to civil society today, according to Myles Hoenig, an American political analyst and activist. 

A white police officer in the US state of Georgia was recorded during a traffic stop last year saying officers "only kill black people," bringing the issue of US police brutality and racial discrimination to the limelight again.

Cobb County police lieutenant Greg Abbott, a 27-year veteran of the police department, will be fired, Cobb County Police Chief Mike Register said at a news conference Thursday.

“Every day in the United States there are stories, often documented with videos, of how brutal police forces are,” Hoenig, a former Green Party candidate for Congress, told Press TV on Saturday.

“Facebook pages are dedicated to disseminating the news about police brutality and overall criminality. This is not a new phenomenon. What’s new is that social media is able to capture live what has always been simple tales the men (and women) in blue tell at their family picnics or at the bars or at the precinct houses,” he added.

“Whether the Georgian policeman was just trying to reassure a white driver to cooperate so as not to escalate a situation or even being sarcastic, that he referenced cop on black killings has made it an acceptable fact in America. Although there are instances of white people being killed on a whim by the police, communities of color are all aware of the dangers they face when being confronted by the police,” he said.

PressTV-US officer: 'We only kill black people'

A veteran police officer in the US state of Georgia was caught on camera during a traffic stop last year saying officers "only kill black people."

“White families will tell their children at the dinner table before going out for the evening what to do when confronted by people, friends even, whose intentions or actions may be harmful: drugs, fast driving, petty crimes, etc. For many black families the talk is how to come home alive if in an exchange with the police,” Hoenig stated.

“The police in the US are the greatest threat to civil society today, only to be eclipsed by right wing terrorist organizations such as the KKK, neo-Nazi groups and others white nationalist groups, often with police among their ranks. The police are now being investigated and even charged for crimes that they have for decades been able to avoid but the conviction rate is minimal and most likely internal investigations go nowhere,” the analyst said.

'Cop on black' killing is accepted as the norm

“For this, the police are emboldened to violate the laws they’re sworn to protect with impunity. Regardless of their more recent exposures, the institution ranks very highly, along with the military, with the public. They are armed to the teeth,” he noted.  

“President Obama did minimize the amount of military hardware given to local forces but President Trump is looking to reverse it. Many local police forces are better armed than many nations. Even college campus police have tanks in their arsenal,” he said.

“Whenever there are ‘bad apples’ exposed, the overall feeling by the public is that they will be weeded out. But what of all their fellow officers who know how criminal or corrupt their colleagues are and do nothing about it? How can there be a ‘good cop’ when even they perpetuate police criminality, including cop on black killing’?” Hoenig asked.

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