From: Michael F. Kamprath <kamprath@space-grant.sprl.umich.edu>
Subject: Re: racism on campus and off: the police.
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 92 04:28:33 EST
Organization: University of Michigan, Aerospace Engineering
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In article <1gj6o2INN1du@cat.cis.Brown.EDU> carole e mah,
ST701852@brownvm.brown.edu writes:
>REcently on our campus there was a huge debate about whether
>or not to arm the campus police with guns.  People argued
>against it on the grounds that the police already harrass
>people of color, gays and lesbians, and anyone else who
>doesn't fit their image of a "good guy" enough as it is,
>without guns.  With guns, violence would only escalate,
>and some poor cambodian immigrant or some black teenager
>with an umbrella or something that LOOKED like a gun
>would get a bullet in the back just because he looked
>"suspicious" to the campus cop.
>  I agreed with this reasoning. Black friends of mine get
>stopped all the time by the police and asked for their ID's
>because if you are black, in many cops' eyes, you have
>to be a criminal and you CERTAINLY can't be an IVY LEAGUE
>STUDENT -- you must be some drug dealer or young
>ruffian from the high school up the street.
>  Similarly, while they claim arming the police will make
>it easier for the cops to "protect" the students, what
>are they protecting us from, and who is "us" ?


Given: Crime is increasing in this nation.

Given: The violence of these crimes is also increasing.

These sound like very sound arguments to empower the goverment to "deal" with
these problems.  You can not deny that either of the above givens exist and
that they must be dealt with.  But is giving the governemnt more power in controling
our lives the answer?  I *shout* "NO."  Government exists to serve soceity and
provide it with the insitutions that allow it to better itself.  Government
is not bad, but a government that attempts to "control" people will ultimately
fail in providing the services soceity does need.  This is because if the people
tell their government to get rid of the crime problem by controling the "criminals,"
institutions will be created for the sole purpose of controling people, _all_
people (you never know who'll commit a crime next).  This will draw the governments
attention, resources, and commitment from solving the problem at its root, and
providing the services that would prevent this situations from arising.  What
services do I speak?  Education, building the infrastructure that allows
businesses to operate effeciantly (and thus employ more people), and more education
(especially job re-training for those who *need* to learn new skills).

So, although this problem does have a "racial aspect" to it, I view it more
as a "soceity vs. government" issue.  Everyone should appose "Campus Cops."
Universities exist for education, not policing.  I'm not saying students don't
need protection, but can't the city force supply it, or least have the city
come when guns are needed (and they may be, but definately not on a regular
basis which would justify arming campus cops).  

======================================================================
|Michael F. Kamprath                   | The University of Michigan  |
|  kamprath@space-grant.sprl.umich.edu |      Aerospace Engineering  |
|  kamprath@engin.umich.edu            |      Graduate Student       |
======================================================================