The recent riots over George Floyd’s murder serve as an example of how neither side of the bipartisan corporate media can attack the true cause of the problem: extreme State power. The political left always wants bigger government and wants the police to have all the guns, so they can’t now try to strip power from the government police. Instead they must assume the only problem with the police is racism, ignoring the vast majority of cases where police kill white people (R.I.P. Duncan Lemp). Therefore, their only solution is to make the police less racist, as if that will solve all the problems of police brutality.
The right theoretically supports smaller government, except when it comes to police and military. In cases of police brutality, they usually side with the police. There was some hope when many on the right condemned the brutality against Floyd, but the subsequent riots and looting only proved their point that a stronger government police force is needed. That will in turn ensure more police brutality in the future and less personal freedom, hurting people of all races. Neither side ever considers the possibility that the government running the police isn’t the best idea.
Consider Disney World, which is essentially a small city secured by a private police force. How many times do you hear about security guards in the Magic Kingdom killing or assaulting people? If they did, there would be immediate drastic changes to Disney’s security practices. If police forces at Disney World resorted to extreme tactics of force and violence, Disney would at the very least lose customers if not go out of business entirely. However, government police will never go out of business no matter how terrible they act as long as they can steal unlimited funding through taxes.
Furthermore, one instance of injustice by one private police force in one city will not result in protests of all police forces in all cities. The protest can be focused on the single private police force who committed injustice, and they will face repercussions from the market. In a free market, protestors can put an unjust police force out of business and they’ll be replaced by a police force that better serves the community. But in the current government monopoly of policing, the destruction caused by rioters and looters during protests only strengthens the government police. All damage caused by the protestors will be paid for later by the protestors themselves through taxes.
Private security companies provide safety to people and property without having to use violence against people and property. The private sector is incentivized to provide better security and defense more efficiently. Yet no matter how many times the government-monopolized police screw up, they continue to get funded by coercively stolen tax dollars. The cycle of police violence will never end as long as it’s powered by the State.