Americans from our earliest days as a nation have rejected authority, especially when it seems arbitrary and comes from government that seems out of touch with ordinary citizens.  Such a domain of authority is extremely delicate when it involves the powers of police to protect public order and safety.  Collective large group consciousness and unconsciousness embraces and grants permission for such use of force by the police.  The emotion-based group consensus that supports police use of authority and force becomes strained and fragile during times of intense political campaigns and ideological divisions accompanied by large group demonstrations that can shift quickly toward aggressive mob mentality, anarchic behavior, and chaos.

One elemental aspect of the normal dynamics of police power and authority is fear of arrest, detention, and possible citation or fine.  Policemen can be kind and helpful and embrace the best in community police values, but at a certain tipping point, their authority and exercise of it demand respect and submission.  Period!  Resisting arrest or assault of a police officer is and must be verboten in our society.

Appeal of a police action and recourse to overturning or obtaining reversal of the police action or detention, even reprimand or firing of the police officer, are legally possible after the fact.  However, psychosocially normal fear of police authority must be in the vital fabric of everyday life in a free society.  Citizens and police must have a sacred commitment and respect for this truism.  If citizens or police violate and disrespect this essential element of our society's social contract, unrest, chaos, and violence are inevitable and soon occur.  It is exceedingly dangerous for media, politicians, or organizations, left or right, to undermine or distort the normal and vital application of police authority in maintaining order, peaceful operation of businesses, and socializing in America.

Antifa, white supremacists, and some offshoots of Black Lives Matter co-opt, misuse, distort, and even politically weaponize ordinary American citizens' outrage over the murder of George Floyd by a sadistic and evil police officer.  These political interlopers conflate the bad cop with all cops and in the process distort and contort the desire of the majority of Americans to improve community policing policies and procedures with defunding, radically reducing police in the communities, and even eliminating police authority entirely.  These guided or misguided activities endanger safety and prosperity in America.

Police leaders must prevent the recruitment of bad cops and remove them.  Good citizens must respect, value, and appropriately fear the police as agents of order, peace, and safety on the streets of America.