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A viral Twitter thread from a former police officer is giving eye-opening new insight into America's epidemic of police brutality.
In the thread, Justin Brown-Woods, a sixth-grade teacher in California, described his 10 day tenure as a police officer and the things he experienced that made him leave the force so quickly.
The thread gives a fairly bracing look into the tactics used by police and their attitude toward civilians.
Brown-Woods explains in his thread that his motivation for joining the force was a desire to help children in the system.
I thought I would actually be able to help some kids before it got too bad. But, I have a friend who convinced me to try law enforcement. I thought “hmmm maybe I can truly help people by being a cop.”
So, get hired by a department and put into the academy.
Paid to train. (2/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
He wrote:
"I thought I would actually be able to help some kids before it got too bad... I thought 'hmmm maybe I can truly help people by being a cop.'"
But Brown-Woods says he noticed almost immediately upon his entry into the police academy that the police force's practices seemed less than ethical, and at times outright dishonest.
But throughout the academy, little things started to not make sense. Some of the tactics felt gross, and like pure trickery to simply manifest crime. And, like, dumb stuff. Instructors would celebrate the dumbest things they’d ever been able to pin on someone.
(4/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
This included officers entrapping people and celebrating the pettiest crimes they'd been able to falsely pin on people.
Brown-Woods went on to recount his first day on the force as an actual cop, on which he was actually counseled to be violent and was threatened by another cop.
We also were threatened by a sergeant that if we let something happen to his family in town, he’d kill us. I mean, I get the sentiment, but why are you saying that to new recruits day 1?
Oh, and that guy? Sued in federal court - no longer a cop. Stealing drugs and money.
(12/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
Brown-Woods wrote:
"Day 1 we’re working on being violent. How do I know?"
"The trainer told us 'every action has a more violent reaction.'"
"Whew…Okie dokie."
Brown-Woods' thread goes on to describe all sorts of disturbing incidents, including racist comments and transphobic abuse.
Car makes an illegal move so they are hyped to pull them over. They do, and then return to the car after no ticket.
They brag about using the birth assigned pronouns for both of them. They call the woman “dude/man” and the male “lady”
Disgusting.
(15/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
In the end, it was an act of astonishing cruelty that made Brown-Woods quit on just his seventh day of active duty, in which his fellow officers openly mocked a distressed woman with misogynistic abuse.
One of the guys has slept with the girl who he now was kicking out of her car, and he was laughing at her and her boyfriend on the side of the road. Called them every name under the sun for folks struggling with drug addiction. It was the most heartless thing. Zero class.
(21/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
Brown-woods finished his thread by describing how much better teaching is than being a police officer, especially given his goals of helping kids.
I went home and told my wife I wasn’t going back. She told me I should start to sub when I was recovered from it all. I did, and then realized how much better being a teacher is. I actually do impact and change lives for the better. It was everything I wanted.
(23/24)
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
He wrote:
"I... realized how much better being a teacher is. I actually do impact and change lives for the better. It was everything I wanted."
On Twitter, Brown-Woods' thread left many angry and dismayed.
Policing can't be "reformed", because policing is designed to produce brutality right from the very first days of training. https://t.co/AnubaehscQ
— Aditya Mukerjee, the Otterrific 🦦 🏳️🌈 (@chimeracoder) May 31, 2022
Just another one on the pile for “there are no good cops, the good ones don’t stay cops”. https://t.co/X3tsIFvnZg
— Xy, Heterochromatic 🌈🦊 Lesbian (@XylariaVG) May 31, 2022
Reading this thread makes me sad....all the people who might have been the "good cops" are weeded or are self weeding themselves out of the system. Gonna be hard to change a system with no one on the inside.
— Barbara McNeill (@BarbaraAMcNeill) May 31, 2022
Thank you for your courage to not reproduce oppression. In the 60s there was a saying “what if there was a war and nobody came.” What if no one wanted to be a cop! Nice fantasy, I know. At least I know your story and it gives me hope.
— Aida Hurtado (@hurtado_aida) May 30, 2022
Good apples won't last in a rotten barrel. https://t.co/Dn0OQDVEx9
— The Moon (@Moonerz) May 31, 2022
And many weren't a bit surprised by Brown-Woods' story given their own experiences with cops and America's extensive issues with policing and police brutality.
Personal opinion: As crimes' gotten more violent, enforcement tech more complex & recruiting for aggressive traits & obedience to order following, seems the culture of policing has gotten further from "protect & serve" to one of default suspicion, retaliation & excess brutality?!
— Dave - USAF Veteran (@dzaragon) May 31, 2022
When my father was homeless, he had a lot of interactions with the police and would always tell me about them. The cops that harassed him and stole from him were the ones that stayed cops. The ones that were kind and respectful were never around very long.
— Edward L. Platt is @elplatt@greatjustice.net (@elplatt) May 31, 2022
i failed my first interview for Fremont PD, I suspect because I was too hesitant to use my weapon in their scenario.
I grew up in the town next to Ferguson and this was about two years after. They refuse to solve problems without violence.
— midwestern mothman (@kilo_1337) May 30, 2022
I passed the NYPD test with a 98 % but they didn't employ me because I was to compassionate. Police forces don't want people to deescalte they want people who they believe will uphold values of what policing was established. Such as oppression and upholding capitalist views.
— FYB (@GunsterW) May 30, 2022
In a follow-up tweet, Brown-Woods added that he met many who were trying to improve the police force from within.
I feel pulled to mention: others in the academy were tremendous humans who are genuinely trying to help. I struggle with the ACAB stance because I’ve met humans, just like me, who are trying so hard to make it better from the inside.
But I recognize others have strong feelings. https://t.co/yhltbOu6zJ
— Justin Brown-Woods (@jbrownwoods) May 29, 2022
Here's hoping the good cops one day win out.