Re: Discussion of the 2020 American Federal Election
Defender, here's the fuller picture as I see it.
1. We know that systemic racism still exists in the United States.
2. As such, we know that sometimes people of colour feel they have very good reason to mistrust cops, even the so-called good ones. A police officer, instead of representing safety and order and protection, represents a symbol of oppression and potential divisiveness for some of these people.
3. Everyone, regardless of their political affiliation or other statuses, has a right to vote without fear of being oppressed, intimidated or interfered with, so long as they comply with all applicable laws.
4. History bears out that when you have people with guns and in uniform show up to polling places, some people are indeed intimidated enough that they don't vote. Take a look at what New Jersey's republican party did back in the 1980s; they tipped an election this way. Now admittedly, one single incident does not a mass-intimidation campaign make. It's small scale. But we know it can have an impact, so we should know not to do it. It's 2020. More sensitivity here is important.
5. Unfortunately, while I don't believe that the punishment should hinge at all upon the affiliation of the officer, the fact that he just so happens to support Trump - at least according to his mask - does complicate things a little further. Why, you ask? Because Trump has been asking right-wing activists to "stand back and stand by", and has told his supporters to "watch the polls very carefully". Historically it is usually republicans trying to suppress the vote, and Trump - with this dog-whistle and with several others, most of which include trying to erode faith in the voting process itself - is indirectly trying to get people not to vote. So when you have a Trump-supporting police officer in full uniform with a gun showing up at a polling place, it sends a bad message. What if this is one of those people who is heeding the call to "watch the polls very carefully"?
I can't read that officer's mind. At the best, he made a really poor judgment call and needs more than a slap on the wrist (maybe not outright firing, but some sort of punitive action). At the worst, he knew exactly what he was doing, knows he won't face serious kickbacks, and decided to flex a little muscle in defense of his chosen candidate.
I would be saying virtually the same thing if it were a uniformed, armed officer with a Joe Biden mask, by the way. The only small caveat I'd add there is that it's not democrats trying to suppress the vote. They're trying to encourage it, so I very strongly doubt you're going to hear any credible stories of left-leaning police officers or democrat supporters in general trying to menace people. However, if it does happen, I'll condemn it just as quickly. Nobody, absolutely nobody, has a right to impede your democratic right to cast your vote, so long as you're obeying the relevant laws. You shouldn't be harassed. You shouldn't feel threatened by bystanders with openly carried guns. You shouldn't be interrogated for no good reason. You shouldn't be forced to drive a hundred miles and wait in a fourteen-hour line because someone in your state decided to only put up one drop-box per county. You shouldn't have your name stricken from voting records because you're black, or for some other bullshit reason. You shouldn't have the system weaponized in any way to suppress either your ballot itself, or your ability to register to cast that ballot in the first place. All these things, and worse, have already happened, and in every single case, it's republicans doing it. I hate to be partisan about this, since it does affect everyone, but it's true. So I'm sorry, but when I see yet another situation where someone is misusing their power, I don't really care a whole lot about their intent. "to serve and protect". Walking into a polling place with a gun in police regalia is illegal for good reason, and as an officer of the law, this man should be held fully accountable for his actions.
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