America is supposed to be the land of law and order, at least according to my public school education. A more accurate description of America would be the land of privilege and subjugation. If you’re part of the state you are privileged and able to skirt or outright ignore the law. Everybody else is subjugated to the state’s will at the point of a gun. No more prefect example of this exists than the police office at the University of California Davis who pepper sprayed a peaceful student and was found innocent of all wrongdoing. But this is America, we either go big or go home. Merely clearing the officer of charges wasn’t enough of a disregard for law and order, he had to be given a reward because people were mean to him after he acted like a complete asshole:
Former UC Davis officer John Pike, famous for casually pepper spraying a group of students in the face during a 2011 protest, was awarded a $38,000 settlement for psychiatric injuries for the way he was treated afterwards. Pike, who was eventually fired, filed a workers compensation claim this summer.
It takes balls to pepper spray an innocent student, be cleared of wrongdoing, get fired, and demand workers compensation. In any just society Mr. Pike would be sharing the same fate as any random Joe off of the street would face for pepper spraying another person without reason. Instead he’s given $38,000 as compensation because people were mean to him.
Is there any wonder why I hold no regard for the justice system in this country?