Moulitsas: In GOP, no justice no peace

After years of being relegated to the inner cities, the issues of police brutality and the general militarization of police have exploded nationally in just a few short months. Police slayings of unarmed African-Americans from Ferguson, Mo., to Beavercreek, Ohio, to New York City have opened American eyes in every corner of the country. 

Civil libertarians and civil rights advocates have led the debate, decrying a police culture that seems to have forgotten that its role is to serve and protect, not play judge, jury and executioner. And while thousands march against this unaccountable and unpunishable brutality, cops appear to be digging in and playing the role of occupying army.

{mosads}At PoliceOne, an online forum for police officers, a real siege mentality has developed. Comments proliferate like, “Having watched this video, it’s clearly another case of someone being non-compliant. Why can’t people do as they are asked and take their disagreement to a court of law instead of with a street cop,” and, “It has become extremely difficult to be a good police officer these days. We have to work around race baiters, cop haters,” and, “Looks like another week or so of chasing around these thugs, letting them have their way. You know this kind of lawlessness wouldn’t have lasted two days in the 80”s -90”s god, [sic] I miss those days.”

The Baltimore police union was defiant, calling for a literal police state: “The bloodshed will most likely continue until those in positions of power realize that the unequivocal support of law enforcement is required to preserve our nation.” Unequivocal support — no matter how corrupt or wantonly murderous the cops — or the nation perishes! 

In New York City, police staged a work slowdown, promising to stop issuing tickets and arrests unless absolutely necessary. Yet life continued as normal in the city. Better, actually. Mayor Bill de Blasio might want to think about shrinking the city’s apparently bloated police force. 

Still, where there is civil, social and racial strife, Republicans are sure to try and profit, and this is no different. In New York, the legal travails of GOP Rep. Michael Grimm have opened up his Staten Island-based congressional seat. And surprise, surprise, Republicans are set to nominate District Attorney Daniel Donovan, who managed the failed indictment of the police officers who killed Eric Garner for the apparent capital crime of selling cigarettes without a license. 

Donovan claims he doesn’t want the Garner issue to enter the campaign. “I would hope that [Democrats] would respect the fact that there was a man who died, a mother who lost her son and there’s a wife who lost her husband and some children who lost their dad,” he said on conservative talk radio over the weekend. Odd that he cares so much about this father, son and husband, given how effectively he worked to ensure that Garner’s killer escaped justice. 

The fact is, Donovan probably wants Democrats to make it an issue, given that only 10 percent of Staten Island is African-American and the borough has a history of racial animosity. (The district also includes a mostly ethnic European sliver of Brooklyn.) There’s a reason it remains the GOP’s friendliest New York City borough. 

It would be fitting for Republicans to reward a district attorney with a promotion to Congress for protecting a killer cop in a racially charged case. It’s the modern GOP. He’d fit right in.

Moulitsas is the founder and publisher of Daily Kos.