Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
Over the weekend Christa happened to notice, affixed to the back windshields of several official police vehicles in her home state of South Carolina, “Don’t Tread on Me” stickers. In the US this symbol, the Gadsden flag, has historical significance: it was used during the American Revolution as a standard for the nascent navy, established to intercept British warships. Moreover, it originated with a member of the Continental Congress, Col. Christopher Gadsden, who hailed from South Carolina.
The Gadsden flag has always represented American patriotism, but most recently has been co-opted as the flag for the conservative Tea Party. Which brought to mind the number of police officers online who are hardly shy about posting their political views, both conservative and liberal. And so we’re led to wonder:
Police: As public servants, should you care about how citizens view your political persuasions? Is a political view any different from a religious belief (or lack thereof) or sexual orientation? And can it, or does it, affect how you police people?
Civilians: Does knowing how your police vote affect whether you trust them for help when you need them? Or does it make you worry about jackbooted thuggery, whatever your own persuasion?
Join #copchat on Wednesday, November 14 at 9 p.m. Eastern as we discuss the answers to these questions and more!
