Harry Dunn, a U.S. Capitol Police officer who defended the building during the Jan. 6 riot, is joining a wide field seeking the seat being vacated by Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District.

Dunn, 40, who was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Citizens Medal and published a memoir last year called “Standing my Ground,” announced his candidacy for the Democratic primary on Friday, almost exactly three years after a day that he said took a toll on his emotional health.

“On January 6th, 2021, I did my duty as a police officer and as an American and defended our nation’s Capitol from violent insurrectionists,” Dunn said in a release on Friday. “Today, I’m running for Congress because the forces that spurred that violent attack are still at work and as a patriotic American, it is my duty to defend our democracy.”

  • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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    11 months ago

    It applies to a systemic issue not to individuals, that’s the entire point, we say there’s no good cops because the good cops aren’t given a voice and are silenced or pushed out by the justice system. If a cop seeks to actively fight against or improve the system and manages to do so visibly then they are helping to combat the systemic issues that result in a society that needs sayings like “acab” and “no such thing as a good cop”. Cops actually doing shit to address a problem by campaigning is the ideal result of pushing those messages, it’s the louder more obvious pushback against that system that we want to actually see from cops. It misses the point and defeats the purpose to use those sayings and terms maliciously just to shoot down specific public figures who are actually trying to do something. They’re best used as political slogans in response to “bu-but some cops are good people” quibbling when fighting for police reform, so they actually serve a purpose, rather than just being mindless whining.

    Now if he gets into office and doesn’t actually use his position to enact any improvements? Then by all means acab away, but otherwise you’re not helping at all.

    • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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      11 months ago

      No, we say it because they do not exist.

      It’s like having a good Nazi, you don’t. The premise is flawed.

      • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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        11 months ago

        Sad to see you’ve missed the point entirely and are just using them as toothless buzzwords.

        • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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          11 months ago

          No, you misunderstand the concept and have turned it into some lib “well maybe the system is okay and it’s just a few rotten eggs that are the problem” shit.

          • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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            11 months ago

            That is literally the opposite of what I said so thanks for proving that you weren’t paying attention at all.

            • Deceptichum@kbin.social
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              11 months ago

              If a cop seeks to actively fight against or improve the system and manages to do so visibly

              You very clearly think the system can be fixed and that it’s not the issue itself.

              The only fix is abolition.

              • Laticauda@lemmy.ca
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                11 months ago

                You very clearly think the system can be fixed and that it’s not the issue itself.

                Nowhere in my comment did I say any combination of those words, I very explicitly said that the system is the issue in the first sentence I wrote, and then reiterated that several times throughout the comment. The fact that you have to try to conjure up an imaginary argument from me that I didn’t make in the first place is not helping your case.

                And believe it or not, improvement of a flawed system can in itself be a step towards abolishing said system. But something tells me someone like you can’t grasp that concept.