The SFPD hiring?

Go ahead and apply...

cops are cops, of course, and who would want to work as one?

but i do believe the sfpd already has transgendered cops in its service.

The SFPD and SFFD needs less straight, white, men and right-wingers on the payroll. Unfortunately, these are the very folks who gravitate towards the job. It has also been shown that having more diversity on the force doesn't mean you have better cops (a better police chief or a better mayor). I can think of several gay cops who have been just as sadistic as their straight counterparts, as well as some racist black cops who ticket white people for petty offenses they let black people off the hook for.

It would be great to have more progressive people join the force and make it less reactionary, but the system is set up to weed out or co-opt the very people who could make a difference.

There is your Catch 22.

The best thing we can do to change the force is not join it, but strengthen outside agency's abilities to prosecute sadistic and murderous cops. I also am a strong believer in requiring police and fire fighters to live in the communities they serve, and that government should accomodate this demand as best as they can.

black people can't be "racist" towards white people

folks of color can sure be assholes too.

James, just so you know, anybody can be racist regardless of their race. Ya might want to look up the definition.

black people can't be "racist" towards white people
james only pertends to be black.

Everybody is a racist. Thats the fact. A lie is when a black person says they aren't racist.

if racism was just about people being mean, petty assholes to each other then black people could be racist towards white people. unfortunately it's about institutionalized power BACKING UP peoples' mean petty prejudices. and here in the lovely old US country built off slavery, black people do not have that power here. neither do latinos, asians, or native americans. everyone is prejudiced but white power runs this country.

yeah, i've heard that it hurts less if you get beat by a trannie cop.


c'mon, the only true change would be to abolish cops, and the capitalist system that requires them.

yeah, i've heard that it hurts less if you get beat by a trannie cop.


c'mon, the only true change would be to abolish cops, and the capitalist system that requires them.

Read this while you can, before it's deleted.

"if racism was just about people being mean, petty assholes to each other then black people could be racist towards white people. unfortunately it's about institutionalized power BACKING UP peoples' mean petty prejudices."

The police force is institutionalized power and a police officer acts with the full force of that authority. So therefore by your definition, acting with this authority, a black cop could technically be racist to a non-black civilian, right?

No, you say, because the cop is acting on behalf of the institution.

But if not, then any police officer working under a black or asian police chief cannot be guilty of racism, regardless of his/her skin color, because the skin color of the person s/he answers to in the institutional hierarchy is ultimately, according to your reasoning, the deciding factor between racism as you define it and mere "prejudice".

No, you say again, not if the individual cop is white.

So then, it's really not about the institution, but the individual. So is it about the institution or the individual?

"and here in the lovely old US country built off slavery, black people do not have that power here."

One word: Condoleeza. OK, two words: Michael Powell. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas? Ward Connerly? P-Diddy? Oprah? MJ? OJ? It's amazing how many folks you can think of off the top of your head, especially when black people only make up only 12 percent of the total population. It's impossible to name every wealthy and powerful African-American who isn't famous, but it doesn't mean they don't exist. And surely they don't exist in the numbers that their white counterparts do, but statistically that does not a conspiracy make.

"neither do latinos, asians, or native americans. everyone is prejudiced but white power runs this country."

And with this reasoning, Jews could never be racist towards Palestinians, just "mean and petty". In your analysis, a Japanese Peruvian could be "racist" in Peru, but not if s/he moved to the US. S/he would then, as if by transfiguration, become "prejudiced".

Isn't it about time we subvert this tired paradigm? Isn't it about time we start thinking for ourselves, instead of letting politically correct others do it for us?

i guess the people commenting here are 1. either not a cop.
or 2. not a fireman.
im an asian firefighter, for the city of san francisco, this city is the most diverse, from the blacks,whites,asian,hispanics.
what does the gender have to do with the hiring process.
personally i dont care if a monkey or a transgender works with me, as long as they can get the job done right.
as long as their working for the city they pay taxes right?!
so what are you guys worried about?