The way I feel towards these agencies is similar to the way I feel about the police in general with a bit of a twist.
On the basic level there are always good and bad in every avenue, every aspect, every department, every organization. To deny this is to be naïve. Schools, churches, hospitals, government, car dealerships, fast food joints, everywhere where people exist. Because as much as we want to blame institutions, institutions are simply larger organisms of organized cells. Those cells? Are the people.
Ultimately, we fear ourselves. That's why we fear the government. That's why people believe in conspiracy theories and fear the wealthy. That's why the rich fear the poor. That's why whites fear blacks and blacks fear the police. Do you see?
I choose, for myself, as my own path, not to be afraid. I overcame religiosity mainly because I stopped being afraid of death and therefore I stopped being afraid of God and so-called devils. Often fear makes you dangerous; makes you something or someone to be feared and therefore increasing the likelihood of an altercation. Although I'm big and somewhat muscular I don't project fear or fright. I still fear for my children's sake and I don't take too many unnecessary risks, but the point is that fear is the greater enemy and threat.
The reason why black people fear the police is because the police fear us. It's very simple. And there is no reason to fear a different color on that very basis or premise if you aren't racist. And since racists exists in every avenue, it gives form to the concept of white supremacy and that form looks more organized... or rather... it BEHAVES in an organized fashion, not because white people agree with each other to be racist and have meetings, but rather that racists are everywhere and present similar behaviors based on similar fears.
So as I said in the beginning, there are good and bad people everywhere. There are righteous and corrupt people everywhere. When corruption becomes normalized the identity of the organ(ism) is defined by corrupt members. This depends on the degree of normalization. This is invariably impacted by the requirement of individuals to take orders from a superior. Because now... when you have a chain of command the fear and racism doesn't have to come from an individual simply acting alone. It could come from a supervisor. And racists can spread their influence by telling each other and reinforcing the fact that its mostly black people they lock up. But if that fact creates prejudice then obvious to some, the police will seek out blacks more than whites, therefore making the work of policing itself racist, and therefore reinforcing racists stereotypes.
Who they target becomes a self-fulling prophecy. Meanwhile, white criminals constantly break the law and get away with it because no one's really looking for them. That's why heroin and other drugs have been devastating white communities because the police act like they come into possession of these drugs by magic; as if whites aren't selling drugs because their image of a drug dealer is fed by movies and stories from other officers. Gangs are thought of as black while positive tv shows and movies depict white crime families as relatable and honorable in their suits and classy life styles. Italians, especially. They get played by the likes of Pacino, De Niro, and call them "good fellas". So we empathize with their stories. We even see stories like The Shield where we empathize with dirty corrupt cops.
But the branding.... and the perception... is against black people.
So therefore, the branding and perception thing works both ways. It's a two way street. I don't automatically assume anyone is bad but the branding for these agencies isn't good; especially the CIA. But does that mean there aren't good people in these agencies? Of course there are good people. I've met at least one. And I've actually been interviewed by the FBI before so unlike a lot of people judging I've had some personal experience.
That being said, do we respect the over all work of protection? I do because not only is corruption everywhere so it's not fair to act like its only in these institutions, but being everywhere, we need these institutions to protect us from corrupt and enforce laws. Without laws providing order there would be a lot more chaos. We just had a corrupt president beloved by many, who showed us a taste of how dark and unsafe the country could be if we let fear and corruption rule. The FBI even tried to go after that man, even though he was the most powerful man in the world. I respect that. I respect the people who stood up to Trump and spoke truth to power. They might still be racists or agents of white supremacy but I doubt it because if they were they would probably love Trump.
So I don't love or hate these institutions. They, as the bible said, "lukewarm" to me. And being lukewarm is irritating. In some ways you'd rather them be cold or hot so you know where they stand. But you don't. You can't. They're not a monolith. Whites are not a monolith. Black people are not a monolith. These guys stop plots against the US that no one outside their ranks has ever heard of. They often stop people from terrorizing whole communities before they actually commit the crime. And the point Caveman made about surveillance is valid. It's all about information. And yes... that's probably a very good thing, but you have to weigh the pros vs the cons. And that's different for each community. Information, in perspective, works in the favor of black people when used correctly. Why? Because the police don't use information for the most part. They are less informed and therefore act and react out of ignorance. FBI, CIA, ATF, Homeland Security, NSA, etc. they use information which tends to lead to actual criminal organizations and plots. Therefore, if they catch you, you're less likely to be innocent. And at least they're not randomly stopping you with their hands on their guns, issuing commands that you might die if you don't follow to their satisfaction. So it's a different kind of policing. And honestly I prefer that. So compared to the police, I like the FBI. As far as the CIA, different set of rules and objectives. I don't think it's all about protection as much as "American interests" which are nonspecific things that tend to benefit the wealthy. And many external threats are created by their actions in the first place.
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