I just came across this - The Mount Vernon Police Tapes- as these stories are starting to circulate, of a Police Officer actively trying to make a difference and getting nowhere. People are trying, but when the system is corrupt on so many levels it's nearly impossible for individuals to enact any real or more importantly lasting change. The change must come from the federal level, through legislature and government mandated cleansing of these departments.
EDIT: Also just to add that from the perspective of someone who this year is on the tipping point of being closer to 40 than 30, it is very easy for younger people in their 20's to say "just quit" but restarting your entire career this late in life is no easy task. At this point you have responsibilities and bills and you can't just suddenly put life back on hold to go and re-educate yourself into another field, and then compete in it with fresh graduates in their 20's. It's a really tough situation.
I am above 40, and I know how hard it must be to leave a job. But your final comment captures the problem with this sentiment: "It's a really tough situation."
Yes, it's a really tough situation. Who has it worse? The cop who should leave his job, or the kid who keeps seeing black people die? On one hand, a dude needs to feed his kids and pay his mortgage. On the other hand, you have angry people who have no job, have lost family members to covid, and have nowhere to turn when police enforce indiscriminate violence on a whole population.
Since this situation will not change as-is, I would argue that the population has a larger grievance than cops have for the security of their jobs.
The cop has an ethical and moral requirement to quit.
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