To Serve and Protect

"The point to be made here is that the safety and well being of individual citizens is at best an incidental concern of the state. An institution that actually valued the lives of its citizens would train its officers to not escalate disobedience into a confrontation that endangers the lives and property of hundreds of people. Only when one considers the primary concern of the state -- preservation of its unquestioned power and authority -- does the tragedy make sense. The danger resulting from the chase of a traffic scofflaw is many times worse than any moving violations he may have committed. But to the institution of government, any resistance of its authority is an unforgivable crime punishable, if necessary, by death." Column by Bob Jackson.