We like to think of toddlers as some of the most innocent among us. We marvel at how they can love unconditionally, without concern for another person’s color or race.

Those of us who are parents or grandparents of these wee humans teach them how to be respectful. How to share, how to be kind to other children. We also teach them to respect community helpers, such as EMTs, doctors, teachers, and police.

This video went viral last fall. It shows two toddlers — one black, one white — greeting each other with glee. Apparently these boys are besties, too. In an internet filled with social media mobs and gutter politics, this gave us all a little hope for the country.

But then this just happened in Portland. Tiny toddlers were marched past the federal courthouse, holding up signs that they can’t read, and certainly didn’t create. But the adults did. And those signs read, Fuck the Police. 

Not only that, but on cue from the “adults,” (which I use in scare quotes), they repeated those same words: Fuck the Police. One little tot even brandished a black power fist. Or is it a Marxist fist? I don’t think the little girl knew either. But at least they wore masks (yes, I’m being sarcastic).

Toddlers and very young children are marched outside the Portland federal courthouse. They carry signs and say, “F— the police” on cue from the adults. One toddler does the black power fist. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/Xr4ubMrKZs

— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 23, 2020

You’re probably wondering: what kind of person brainwashes toddlers with this sort of malice? 

Well, as I said above, it’s in Portland, and that says it all, doesn’t it.

Now I don’t know if those kids in the video are from this organization, but a group called the “Portland Childcare Collective” teaches children to hate police.

Here is some of the agitprop they feed to these innocent munchkins:

“Police are nice to some people, but they are not nice to everybody.”

“All people can be hurt by the police.”

“Black people and other people of color get in trouble and even killed for doing things that white people are allowed to do every day.”

And there’s more:

“Good people can become police, but policing isn’t good for our communities. Police follow unfair rules. When someone becomes a police officer, their choice to follow those rules hurts people.”

Finally, they offer pro-tips for the parents of these toddlers:

“Further conversations may include discussions about police history in the U.S., how they are connected to white supremacy, and imagining a world without police. This is just the start.”

This collective also mocks people who have expressed alarm about their vicious indoctrination.

Screenshot: Facebook.

But don’t just blame the preschools for this brainwashing. Also incriminate the parents if they’ve chosen to send their toddlers to these indoctrination camps. You know those parents are onboard with such programming, because what parent doesn’t check out preschools before enrolling their child?

Which also makes me wonder just what are they’re teaching their kids at home — no, wait. I don’t have to wonder.

Parents — most often by example — teach their kids what’s important to the family. If faith is important to parents, they will take them to religious services, for example. If they want their kids to have a healthy diet, they serve healthful meals at home.

Good moms and dads also demonstrate respect for police and others in authority. They read books to their kids about police, or firefighters, or people who serve in the military. Parents will also speak of their duties with respect.

In short, young children learn from what they see.

But those little Portland toddlers are learning hate for police, if not at their preschool, then undoubtedly at home.

What kind of place wants to turn little children into revolutionaries? And what kind of parents would teach their offspring to hate police? Answer: useful idiots who believe that the nation at heart is evil, and who loathe America more than they love their children.

Featured image: Seattle Parks/flickr/cropped/CC BY 2.0.