John Oliver tackles the history of racist police violence and routes to reform, such as defunding the police, on LastWeekTonight
For Oliver, this fact doesn’t negate any anger towards the police, as he went on to highlight the major obstacle to genuine law enforcement reforms: police unions. Unions, as Oliver noted, are capable of stymieing everything from repercussions for racist behavior to rules meant to decrease police violence.
“Ok, first, the idea that the risk of paperwork is a greater deterrent to police officers drawing their gun than the risk of killing someone is legitimately terrifying,” Oliver spat. “And it’s hard to take that glib dismissal from anyone, let alone someone who looks like a boiled Mr. Potato Head or an angry egg with a mustache. And I know those comparisons probably make him mad, but what’s he gonna do, shoot me? I don’t think so — think of the paperwork involved.
Oliver touched on other facets hampering accountability, such as consent decrees, which rely on action from the federal government, and qualified immunity, which essentially makes cops immune to civil suits. But even getting rid of something like qualified immunity would only mark one step, and Oliver closed the episode by examining plans to completely reimagine and restructure policing.
“[This is] about a structure built on systemic racism that this country created intentionally and now needs to dismantle intentionally, and replace with one that takes into account the needs of the people that it actually serves,” Oliver said. “And this is going to take sustained pressure and attention over a long period of time, from all of us.
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