Law Enforcement

[Apollodorus]

What is the attitude of the revolutionary left towards law enforcement and its agencies, namely the police? Should there be a police force? Should it be professional?

Please explain.

Edit: I am referring to a police force in a post-revolutionary situation.

[Holden Caulfield]

depends massively from what view you are looking at,

anarchists would say that no police force is needed and that communities would be able to keep dissenters in check by a form of societal pressure or isolation,

however as a marxist i think that in this socialist epoch after revolution (socialist as it is most viable to survive and prosper in our time) then a form of police force will be needed however one controlled strictly and fairly by a central system demoraticaly elected as this would be the best way to stop unnessasary abuses of civil liberty and to make sure that any law is respected by the people and only works in the interests of the people as a whole,

[Red October]

In a capitalist society, police are an instrument of the ruling class to repress the working class and protect class divisions. They are the front line of bourgeois control in our communities and are inherently enemies of the working class. You'll find no friends of the police here.

[F9]

hell no!Power only to the people!No pig with a suite is more able from people to do any job!

Fuserg9:star:

[professorchaos]

Fuck tha police comin' straight from the underground
A young nigga got it bad cause I'm brown
And not the other color so police think
They have the authority to kill a minority

[RNK]

Both Marx and Lenin wrote about that they called "special armed bodies of men at the service of the ruling class", and that is essentially what the police are, just like the army and other aspects of professional, state-controlled security services.

The most important aspect is the relationship between the police and the people.

A basic question to pose: If communities had a direct say in who could and could not be a police officer, do you think police officers would be as quick to abuse that community? Under the current system, police officers, and the institution, are in no way answerable to the masses; their authority is appointed from above, not from below. The socialist model, in which their authority would be granted from below would fundamentally change their relationship with the masses.

[Comrade Rage]

What is the attitude of the revolutionary left towards law enforcement and its agencies, namely the police? Should there be a police force? Should it be professional?

Please explain.
Context? Are you talking about a pre-revolutionary or post-revolutionary situation?

Prerevolutionary: The current law enforcement and injustice system are enemies of the working class. They must be fought against by any means necessary.

Postrevolutionary: The working class sets up a new justice system-laws, punishment are completely rethought. A smaller police force to patrol the streets is necessary, so we set one up that is democratically managed.

[last_angry_man]

What is the attitude of the revolutionary left towards law enforcement and its agencies, namely the police?


this site pretty much says it all:

www
.
copwatch
.
org

(someday soon I will be able to include links....)

[last_angry_man]

wait a minute, I can include links *right now*
(my 25th anniversary post)

woooo-hoooo!

www.copwatch.org (http://www.copwatch.org)

[( R )evolution]

As others have asked. Are you asking for pre or post revolution?

Currently the police are a complete form of bourgeoisie control and exploitation. They are a tool in the arsenal of the controlling faction. They are no friends of the workers or revolution. They are as the comrade above said inherently against the proletariat. They are here to keep the ruling faction in power and thats it. Police do nothing but enforce the corrupt unjust laws of the bourgeoisie.

Post- Comrades above me described it quite well. I love RNK contribution. I havent thought of it in such a way.

[Apollodorus]

Thank you for clarifying the issue, comrades. For those who were confused about whether I was referring to the current, pre-revolutionary law enforcement establishment or a post-revolutionary establishment: I was speaking of the post-revolutionary period.

For those who disagree with the concept of a professional law enforcement agency in a post-revolutionary society, for example the anarchists comrade hewhocontrolstheyouth mentioned, how would the community stamp out subtle, widespread organised crime?