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Militarization of the police

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  • Dutch
    2014-08-13 09:54:53 AM
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    I guess every one has seen the mess in Ferguson about the black teen who got shot. In the past I wrote about it but the "site clan" pronounced me nuts.
    On Centurylink the following article (also on YouTube) proves what I said. Militarization in the police is an total wrong direction; the police has a civil task not a military one; like I said in the military they are trained to shoot to kill; in a civil society that should never be the case; train them (if they have to) to shoot on arms or legs not the torso as they teach on shooting ranges. In Ferguson 66% is black but on the police force there are only three black people. I was once stopped by an "army" police guy; no manners whatsoever; they act like the Taliban, while they are supposed to serve us; we pay their salaries!!!
  • pr
    2014-08-13 03:42:14 PM
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    You are 100% correct Dutch but how do you think he military is going to get rid of all those weapons they don't need if they don't give them to the police? The military us trained to kill that's they only reason they exist - the police supposedly protect us but who protects us from the police?
  • Dutch
    2014-08-13 04:59:30 PM
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    pr Wrote: You are 100% correct duct but how do you think he military is going to get rid of all those weapons they don't need if they don't give them to the police? The military us trained to kill that's they only reason they exist - the police supposedly protect us but who protects us from the police?
    You know the answer!! It must be........ ending in "d"
  • jaredsxtn
    2014-08-13 07:30:00 PM
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    Dutch Wrote: I guess every one has seen the mess in Ferguson about the black teen who got shot. In the past I wrote about it but the "site clan" pronounced me nuts.
    Do you mean this posting? http://dhub.us/posts/8529/the-militarization-of-local-police.aspx?pt=3#p28310

    The thread is still up and has never been removed.

    Dutch Wrote:
    On Centurylink the following article (also on YouTube) proves what I said. Militarization in the police is an total wrong direction; the police has a civil task not a military one; like I said in the military they are trained to shoot to kill; in a civil society that should never be the case; train them (if they have to) to shoot on arms or legs not the torso as they teach on shooting ranges. In Ferguson 66% is black but on the police force there are only three black people. I was once stopped by an "army" police guy; no manners whatsoever; they act like the Taliban, while they are supposed to serve us; we pay their salaries!!!
    I was just talking about this with a friend today. It is truly a scary thing.

    A recent report by the ACLU details this recent phenomena in depth. Local police departments around the country are the lucky new recipients of weapons of war that were being used before the wind down of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Instead of dumping them into the ocean like we did at the end of Vietnam, we decided to get a return on those billions of dollars in 'investments' and sell these tanks and other heavy weaponry to police departments. More than five hundred police departments have received Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, more than 15,000 military protective equipment and battle fatigues worn by the U.S. Army, thousands of automatic and semi-automatic military grade rifles, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. I encourage you and everyone else to read the full report below.

    War Comes Home: The Excessive Militarization of American Policing
  • Schmidt
    2014-08-13 11:35:16 PM
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    Yes, I agree. The militarization of police in large cities and small towns like Ferguson is very disconcerting. How in the hell can they expect to develop a harmonious relationship with the public when they come out in riot gear and guns pointing for every incident. The tear gas and stun grenades tonight in Ferguson only aggravate the situation. The Ferguson police have entirely blown it.
  • Schmidt
    2014-08-14 10:14:19 AM
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    Reuters, August 14, 2014: Police fire tear gas, stun grenades at Missouri protesters

    The police dressed in their military gear and with their Iraq style military equipment have made the situation more confrontational than it needed to be. For starters, the way they have not been forth coming about the details of the killing only further enrages people. Reverand Sharpton and the family did their part to help quell the violence, but the police have not done their part. The police chief and mayor are engaging in an Iraq style military assault against their own people...unless they do not view the protesters as their own people. The police chief went on Fox News and blamed outsiders. Maybe that's why they arrested the Washington Post and Huffington Post reporters while they were in a MacDonald's restaurant. The police went looking for them...most likely on orders. It's sickening.

    As per the Reuters article, "Police have deployed camouflage-clad officers in body armor, including one manning a rifle on a tripod atop an armored car, to Ferguson." That's pretty intimidating.

    But the problems of Ferguson have been decades in the making, and have only reached a boiling point now. The problems of Ferguson and indeed the greater St. Louis area run deep.

    "I've had enough of being pushed around because of the color of my skin. I'm sick of this police brutality," said one protester, who gave only his first name, Terrell, 18. "I'm going to keep coming back here night after night until we get justice."
  • Mervin Perkins
    2014-08-14 11:19:57 AM
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    I totally agree! When the Iraq and Afghans vet return home, a large number join the police dept. As a former law enforcement officer, I know the attitudes aand mentality they want and require. And yes, once these former soldiers are home with little if any mental help, they are allowed to patrol our streets. I would love to know the percentage of (War Vet) cop shootings compared to the national average.
  • Schmidt
    2014-08-14 04:42:01 PM
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    Attorney General Holder, amongst other politicians, have urged the police to demilitarize. We will see how well that works this evening...will it be the same crew of gun pointing cops in military clothing or a less intimidating presence?

    I think the mayor and police chief have to make the first move and walk out front with their hands up to join the crowds and without holding any weapons. That would be the first gesture. The second is to provide a full accounting of the facts of the events including the name of the shooter.

    After that a commitment must be made to address the demographic disparity in the police force and other agencies.
  • Dutch
    2014-08-14 06:22:54 PM
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    Schmidt" Personally I think it is done on purpose; I've had the feeling already for a long time that the Pentagon runs this country; so is this is a pure power play to get the police under their umbrella?; may be this is already an pre-amble for a dictatorship by the Koch brothers or others who then can control the herd. Not that I'm seeing things like "eternal"; but question what is "behind/motive of the "militarization" in the long run.
  • Schmidt
    2014-08-14 10:01:21 PM
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    Then there is this. The Police Chief of St. Louis County was trained by the Israelis.

    Wondering why the excessive police violence? Here's a guess: #Ferguson police chief got training in Israel.

    St Louis County police chief Timothy Fitch spent a week in Israel in 2011 learning how the Israelis prevent terrorist attacks. Looks like he put that training to good use last night.

    But as far as the influx of military equipment into police forces, it's the military industrial complex lobbying. Running out of equipemt to sell to the military? No problem. Get the government to buy the stuff and then donate the equipment to cities under Homeland Security grants.

    Just like the gun lobby...
  • TJ
    2014-08-14 10:10:06 PM
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    I apologize. I posted about the Missouri situation without knowing that it was covered here.
  • Zach F
    2014-08-15 01:23:23 AM
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    It's really hard to tell what sets these situations off. There is video of protesters lighting molotov cocktails and throwing them at the police. Which backs up the police's story that they were responding to the violence. If the protest isn't peaceful then the police have the authority to disperse the crowd.

    Sadly, the world doesn't operate this simply. Two or three people throwing fire bombs allow the police to disperse thousands. Which isn't necessarily bad. The other option would be to try and identify and single out those 2 or 3 and remove them from the crowd but that is extremely dangerous for police to walk into a crowd like that. Mob mentality is real and scary. Also, with the amount of vandalism and looting and death threats to the police, tensions would be extremely high.

    That being said. It does not justify firing rubber bullets into the crowd, at reporters and at other bystanders. Mob mentality works both ways and the police are just as human as the protesters, and are just as likely to take things to far under the right circumstances. The difference is that they are given a much wider arsenal of weapons to pick from. The counter to that is that they are suppose to be specially trained to disperse crowds. Clearly that training is incorrect or lacking or both in this case.

    Things seemed to escalate quickly in Ferguson. And the overwhelming majority of protesters were peaceful. So here is my series of questions to you guys who are criticizing the police. How would you suggest situations where a handful of people are being unruly be handled? You spoke of reducing the arsenals of the police department, to what levels would you reduce it while still being able to ensure the safety of our officers and civilians?
  • eternal flame
    2014-08-15 03:00:42 PM
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    Today they learned the name of the policeman, and the fact? that the boy stole some cigarettes. SO I THINK THIS IS A

    GOOD TIME TO INTRODUCE SOME COMEDY ---- from the Genius of Michael Moore:

    http://youtu.be/xeOaTpYl8mE
  • Schmidt
    2014-08-15 05:52:47 PM
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    The police chief revealed today that Michael Brown's alleged theft of cigars was unrelated to his confrontation with the police. Michael Brown and his friend were initially approached by the police because "they were walking down the middle of the street." In other words, the video clip of the alleged store robbery had nothing to do with the shooting. So why did the police choose to bring that up?
  • TJ
    2014-08-15 06:23:55 PM
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    eternal flame Wrote: Today they learned the name of the policeman, and the fact? that the boy stole some cigarettes. SO I THINK THIS IS A

    GOOD TIME TO INTRODUCE SOME COMEDY ---- from the Genius of Michael Moore:

    http://youtu.be/xeOaTpYl8mE
    That was very funny. Sadly it's too true. I hope everyone watches the above short video for a laugh and a little bit of thought. Thanks
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