Being a cop isn't an immutable characteristic like race. Mamdani, candidate, regrets regular guy Mamdani snarking about cops long ago. But you are asking me what's reasonable to infer and, honestly, American policing is a mess. So if someone snarks about it, I infer they are outraged about that.
Yes, it's not an immutable characteristic, which makes prejudice against that characteristic far more acceptable, but in both cases, it's evidence of prejudice, yes? Anyway, while I still haven't read Balko yet, I do wonder this: If Balko is right, why do Americans not believe him?
I feel a lot less need to disprove him when I find out that the majority of Americans don't want police funding to go down, and Black Democrats want more police spending that White Democrats! (slightly out of date tho) Maybe you could argue most Americans have bad judgement. I guess it's plausible.
Look, man, any time you want to stop running around moving the goal posts and read a book would be fine with me. But it's your life.
Do you think it's evidence of prejudice that he has written a book that argues policing needs reform? Do you think the very act of journalistically policing the police is 'policist'? Or something?
You are welcome to believe anything you want about Mamdani. You can believe he is burning up with irrational hatred for cops. Just don't ask me to agree that the burden is on me to rebut that.