This is a country that was founded on racism. It was built on racism. It still continues to thrive through wealth disparity, and housing disparity is all built on the backs of racism.
W. Kamau BellRead
When we let cops talk about themselves as a separate community, then we are letting cops wall themselves off from the rest of us. We don't generally do that with any other jobs. We don't talk about the barista community or the Wal-Mart greeter community.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the division created when law enforcement identifies as a separate community, suggesting that they should be more integrated with society.
W. Kamau Bell's quote critiques the tendency to regard police officers as part of a distinct community, which can lead to an insular mindset that distances them from the general public. By comparing this phenomenon to how we don’t categorize other professions in similar terms, like baristas or retail workers, he emphasizes the need for transparency and accountability in law enforcement, arguing for a more unified approach to community interaction that fosters empathy and understanding rather than separation.
Themes
PoliceCommunitySeparationSocietyAccountability
In practice
Example use cases
Use this quote in a discussion about police reforms at a community meeting.
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People born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens - except for the teeny, tiny, mind-boggling fact that if you live in Puerto Rico, you are not allowed to cast a vote in the election for president. That tiny fact starts to get bigger when you realize that electing our own leaders is the whole reason that we have a country in the first place.
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I've turned the annoying questions that white people ask into a career, so I understand that's where I live.
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In communities of color, such as Ferguson, it often feels like the police are protecting the white community from us instead of protecting our communities from the criminal element.
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We can't throw the worst part of racism into the dustbin of history.
W. Kamau BellRead
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