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The Police Tree is Rotten
The problem is institutional
I was walking home the other night after an enjoyable evening of beer and music. By the time I got to the prom it was past midnight and no one else was around except for a police patrol. During lock-down we became accustomed to the police patrolling the prom. As rules were set in place curbing our liberties for justifiable reasons it was logical for the police to step in and ensure rules were kept. But even years ago when the police were more respected, a police presence when walking alone in the early hours of the morning made you feel like you were acting suspiciously.
As a man I feel pretty safe walking alone at that time of night and were the police to stop me I’m sure the conversation would have been short and non-confrontational. Having a guitar on my back was probably clue enough as to what I was about. But in the shadow of BLM and the stories of police harassment in both the USA and UK over the last couple of years their presence felt ominous. It wasn’t a sense of imminent danger but more like the imaginations that go through your head when it’s dark and you’re tired. I love dogs but I know that even the most placid of dogs can turn in a given situation.
One bad apple?
The brutal murder of Sarah Everard has horrified us all and the the policeman who carried…
