I AGREE that unprejudiced police officers in Boston must speak up and complain about the rhetoric of disdain that has been found in its pages of their union newsletter (“Scowling at the public,” Editorial, July 7).
I know many good, caring, respectful police officers. I argue with them that not all of their kin are as unprejudiced in their actions as the “good cops.” But they see only through their own eyes, and not that of their less accepting kin.
Pax Centurion, the newsletter of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association, not only hurts the groups disparaged in its pages, but also good cops who want to be resources to the communities they serve. The BPPA newsletter also makes it so much easier for the groups it targets — minorities, those on welfare, immigrants — to then claim police prejudice.
The BPPA isn’t just any club or group. It represents “Boston’s Finest,” whether it wants to or not. Rantings such as those on its pages only make immigrants, Occupy Boston supporters, and the rest of the enemies of the newsletter authors distrust and fear those officers who seek to do good.