Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Sep 14 2022 10:53am)
The real reason police exist is to enforce property rights.
Prior to the advent of capitalism standing police forces were basically non-existant, and where they did exist they were arms of the military.
In England the police began from the old system of thief-takers, who would get paid bounties to find and return items. In the United States they started as slave patrols who would return escaped slaves to the plantations.
It was only after our economies started to focus on mass production and markets of exclusion that the world decided to rely on police forces.
For the vast majority of human history people were fed pretty easily. The grain dole in Rome was fundamental to the stability of the empire and ensured everybody was adequately fed. In biblical times it was expected that those who were poor could eat from the fields without penalty.
Contrast that with today where we have enough food to feed every food insecure person rotting in the fields because the price drops to a point that it isn't economical to pick and package it, but you would still be arrested for trespassing if you were to go pick and eat it. Where grocery stores throw out food just because it looks bad but you aren't allowed to give it away even if it's within the expiration date.
This is because our current laws and law enforcement are not predicated on justice, rehabilitation, or anything else. It is predicated on keeping capital in the hands of the people who already have it using the police as the mechanism to do that.
Which is why if you steal from a store it's a criminal offense, but if you are defrauded or wrongly foreclosed on it's a civil offense. It's why lawyers are insanely expensive, so the less capital you have the less likely you are to get justice.
and finally, it's why police won't even enter a room full of kids being murdered no matter how many hundred state, local, and federal officers are on the scene.
Police are not there to protect or serve you. They are not there to stop your kids from getting slaughtered. They are not there to keep you safe. The most fundamental duty of the police is to keep capital in the hands of those who already have it, and keep the ones who don't have it from getting any more of it.
you're a moron
police protect property rights yes, but their principle purpose is to protect the right to life and safety.
there have ALWAYS been police throughout history, even in barbarian tribes, no matter if provided by the local military or a distinct police entity (modern police)