I disagree with the conclusion that qualified immunity is unimportant. It's one small facet of a system which encourages hostile policing. Others include the practice of exclusively hiring veterans, access to military gear, friendly relations between police and local officials, and the nature of their training and culture. To some extent, these things reinforce one another. I think the larger problem can only be addressed by tackling the smaller problems one-by-one.
I suspect that policing practices became hostile first and QI is the legal loophole to get away with it. If you eliminate it the “system” will find another way to do it. “Active” policing is a lot of “cleaning up the neighborhood” and “maintaining property value”. As long is that is the part of the goal there will be away to protect police.
