US thugs' unofficial motto is "comply or die"; but even if you comply, they may still kill you.

Most thugs would not, I suppose, do the vicious things described in the article (and in many political notes here). But nearly all of them would support a fellow thug that has done those things, by lying in court if necessary, and that is why they deserve to be called "thugs". The few who refuse to support thugs are those who merit the title of "police officer".

To change this, we must go against the social pressure to presume all thugs are admirable except those who have been proved to beat, kill or frame someone. We must refuse to speak with deference about them or presume that they are in the right in a dispute. When thugs make accusations, we should distrust what they say about the facts.