General Discussion/February 18, 2026

The Civic Order Coalition: Legitimate concern or power protecting itself?

Posted by CentristDad_OH (@centrist_dad_oh)8,543 views8 replies

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The Civic Order Coalition just launched with $2M and a terrorism label for the REA. I want to have a genuine, good-faith discussion about this.

Here's my attempt at a fair summary of both positions:

The COC's case:

- Extralegal organizations are dangerous regardless of intent

- Showing up in tactical gear at protests is inherently intimidating

- Leaving envelopes at people's homes at 2AM is threatening behavior

- The "cell structure" mirrors domestic terrorism models

- Society can't function if everyone decides to enforce their own version of justice

The case against the COC:

- The COC is funded by the same police unions that protect the bad actors the REA exposes

- Calling the REA terrorists trivializes actual terrorism

- The proposed legislation could be used to criminalize any protest attire

- The COC hasn't proposed a single reform to address the accountability failures the REA is responding to

Can we discuss this without screaming at each other? I genuinely don't know what I think and I'd like to hear from all sides.

Replies (8)

RetiredCop_CA@retired_badge_ca

Feb 18

30-year veteran, retired from LAPD. I'll be honest: the COC's message sounds right on paper but it rings hollow. Where was this $2M when we were asking for funding for body cameras? Where was this urgency when IA investigations were getting buried? The COC isn't about public safety. It's about institutional self-preservation. I say this as someone who loves law enforcement and knows it needs to be better.

LEO_Wife_MO@leo_wife_mo

Feb 18

My husband is a good cop. He goes to work every day trying to do the right thing. When the REA publishes stolen personnel files, it doesn't just expose the bad cops — it creates an environment where ALL cops feel watched and threatened. My kids ask me if daddy is going to be on the news. Can anyone in this thread honestly tell me that's okay?

LibertarianBob@liberty_bob

Feb 18

Speaking as a libertarian: the COC is asking the government to protect government employees from accountability. That's literally the opposite of what government is supposed to do. If your officers aren't doing anything wrong, the REA has nothing to expose. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from the government, not the other way around.

ProChoice_ProGun_TX@complexity_tx

Feb 18

I'm pro-choice and pro-gun. I voted third party last election. And I think BOTH the COC and the REA have valid points. The REA is exposing real corruption. The COC is right that unaccountable organizations are dangerous. The answer isn't to pick a side — it's to fix the institutions so we don't need either of them. But nobody wants to talk about THAT.

WorkingMom_FL@working_mom_fl

Feb 18

I just want to know: if the REA was exposing corruption in a corporation — say, a pharmaceutical company covering up side effects — would the COC care? Or is this only a problem because it's THEIR people being exposed? Because I notice they didn't have a press conference when Purdue Pharma was literally killing people.

Dave Kowalski@pipefitter_dave

Feb 18

I'm in Local 290. I've seen what happens when oversight disappears — corners get cut, people get hurt, and the guys at the top keep collecting. The COC is a union. I'm in a union. I believe in unions. But a union's job is to protect workers' RIGHTS, not to protect workers from CONSEQUENCES. There's a line and the COC crossed it the second they started calling accountability 'terrorism.' If my union tried to block OSHA investigations I'd walk.

Janet Phelps@concerned_neighbor_jan

Feb 19

I initially supported the COC. I'm the president of the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Association and I was VERY concerned about the REA. Then I actually read the COC's proposed legislation. Section 4(b) would make it illegal to photograph law enforcement from within 25 feet. That's my PORCH. I have a Ring doorbell. Am I a terrorist now? I still don't trust the REA. But I'm starting to not trust the COC either. Is there a third option for people who just want the law to apply equally to everyone?

Hank Voss@bunker_protocol

Feb 19

None of this matters. I don't mean it's unimportant — I mean none of the political maneuvering matters when the infrastructure fails. And it will fail. Not because of the REA or the COC but because every institution in this country is running on deferred maintenance and borrowed time. The question isn't which faction you support. The question is: when the lights go out, who do you have within walking distance who can help? Start local. Start now. I have a preparedness guide pinned to my profile.

The Civic Order Coalition: Legitimate concern or power protecting itself?

Replies (8)

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