Vox Populi

A curated webspace for Poetry, Politics, and Nature with over 20,000 daily subscribers and over 8,000 archived posts.

Marc Jampole: Warrior Cops

Warrior cops continue to destroy civil liberties and the lives of innocent people. I’ve been suffering a slight case of cognitive dissonance lately, a disorientation that stems from residing in … Continue reading

January 15, 2015 · Leave a comment

Origins of the police

Originally posted on Works in theory:
The Five Points district of lower Manhattan, painted by George Catlin in 1827. New York’s first free Black settlement, Five Points was also a…

December 28, 2014 · Leave a comment

Marc Jampole: On the recent assassination of two police officers

To stop future assassinations of police, we must toughen gun laws & end police brutality against minorities No sane person would condone or try to justify the execution-style killings of … Continue reading

December 26, 2014 · Leave a comment

Daniel Burston: Racism, Policing and the Exuberance of Power

“Justice, justice shall you pursue . . .” Deuteronomy 16:18   “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke   Trayvon … Continue reading

December 24, 2014 · 1 Comment

Lauren McCauley: ‘The Alarm Bells are Ringing’ — From Athletes to Environmentalists, a Universal Call for Racial Justice Emerges

While the protests over deaths of Eric Garner and Mike Brown refuse to stand down, leading environmentalists, labor protesters and others show their solidarity saying: “These issues are not separate.” … Continue reading

December 11, 2014 · 1 Comment

Sarah Lazare: As Protests Sweep Nation, DOJ Confirms Cleveland Police ‘Chaotic and Dangerous’

Last month, amid mounting nationwide outrage at deadly law enforcement violence against black people, Tamir Rice—12 years old, African-American, and unarmed—was shot and killed by Cleveland police officer Timothy Loehmann … Continue reading

December 6, 2014 · Leave a comment

Patricia A. Nugent: The Good, the Bad and…the Scared

  There are bad cops. Trigger-happy. Vengeful. Crooked. Prejudiced. There are also bad teachers and bad priests. When the public trust is broken by “bad apples” in any helping profession, … Continue reading

December 3, 2014 · 5 Comments

Jose Padua: Coming Home

Originally posted on Shenandoah Breakdown:
When the policeman tells me to pull over to the curb because the woman with the pearly white smile just told him that I nearly…

November 22, 2014 · Leave a comment

Sarah Lazare: Severe Racial Disparities In Arrests the Norm In America

At least 1,581 police departments across the country arrest black people at greater rates than in Ferguson, according to USA Today analysis. Ferguson, Missouri has become a flashpoint of anger … Continue reading

November 22, 2014 · Leave a comment

Kara Dansky: How Many People Must Be Maimed or Killed Before We End the Militarization of Our Police Forces?

Father “Bou” Phonesavanh showers his son “Bou Bou” Phonesavanh with love after the young toddler braved a battle for his life, one month after police in Georgia dropped a “flash bang” … Continue reading

October 13, 2014 · Leave a comment

Barbara Elovic: An Encounter with the Police

A few years ago on a Saturday afternoon in late fall I had a surprisingly unpleasant encounter with one of New York’s finest. As I was starting to cross the … Continue reading

September 22, 2014 · 2 Comments

Who Polices the Police?

Originally posted on The Contrary Perspective:
Surplus MRAPs: Coming soon to a police force near you? (Photo: U.S. Air Force/Senior Master Sgt. George Thompson) S. and B. Lett Every day…

September 3, 2014 · Leave a comment

How I Escaped the Drug-Sniffing Dog from Holland and Other Tales of the Night

Originally posted on Shenandoah Breakdown:
When we heard that Souled Out was providing the music at last month’s National Night Out activities at the gazebo, we decided right away to…

September 2, 2014 · Leave a comment

Robert C. Koehler: The Courage to Disarm

The Ferguson tragedy, like all those that preceded it and all that will follow — involving the trivial and panicky use of lethal force, by the police or anyone else … Continue reading

August 30, 2014 · Leave a comment

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