Our Militarized Society
 

I was thinking about the imposition of the "hammerhead" mindset while at a concert venue in Jersey a couple weekends back. Security looked like a mixed bag of ex-military, gym freaks, and college guys on break. It appeared pretty over the top but the camera drone flying around seemed to take it to the next level. They didn't "over-police" during the punk show which seemed to be an older crowd but during the sorta reggae event with the younger crowd they were pulling people out for drugs at a concert. I get the whole safety thing in our litigious society. The kids at the second concert looked for the most part like the sort of affluent suburbanites whose parents would break out the lawyers to defend their bubble wrapped world.

Then I started looking at images from St. Louis...
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...rotesters.html

http://www.businessinsider.com/polic...#ixzz3AD9HMciA (reuters photo)

Makes the European water cannon vans seem absolutely quaint.
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Reminds me of that Field of Dreams line.

"If you build it, they will come."

I heard last night the demonstrators were meeting the escalating police presence with Molotov cocktails. This situation seems to be moving in the wrong direction. Escalating instead of deescalating.

Looks familiar. Birmingham 1963. So much for a post-racist society

Here's a collection of yesterday's images on Boing Boing.

Apparently there was a peaceful demonstration during the day, attended by religious leaders and covered by the media, and the police pulled out all their soldier gear to respond to that.
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Sniper aiming at the unarmed peaceful crowd. Amazing.

And then the cops went on to arrest two journalists charging their equipment in a nearby McDonalds.

Later that night, after the cops escalated things at a peaceful protest by showing up in armored vehicles and pointing their guns at the unarmed crowd, the hooligans responded by throwing Molotov cocktails.

I can't figure out how to imbed this video, so here's a link to where it's hosted on Boing Boing.

A news crew in a very quiet neighborhood is set up on the sidewalk filming the cops a block away. They have lights and a camera on a tripod and a news van running with its headlights on.

The cops, without any warning, shoot a teargas canister right at tv reporters, driving them away and forcing them to abandon all their equipment. Then the cops come in and take down the tv lights and point the tv camera at the ground.

These cops are opening themselves up to serious litigation with their behavior. What they are doing is criminal.

Welcome to The New American Culture Of Fear™.

I saw those images on boingboing yesterday, it made me sick, angry, and sad. It also confirms what I've expounded on here several times, about police budget shortfalls being made up by the feds in the form of paramilitary training/equipment.

The police are one of building blocks of a civilized society. If you don't fund them, friend them, cooperate with them, and hold them accountable, then they will be working for someone else... and you won't like it.

NPR had a good interview with a Black minister who made a good point. While blacks are routinely treated badly by the police everyone should feel this.

I feel it. Am I comfortable during traffic stops? Absolutely not. We are heading toward a society where everyone is equal before the police, equally under suspicion, equally in danger of a smack down.

I know that feeling very well, but in the last few years I've changed my attitude. Years ago, working 2nd and 3rd shift, driving home at night, those roadblocks the local cops set up for drunks and seatbelt violations were scary. Those guys were really obnoxious, so if I wasn't old and white I would have taken extraordinary steps to avoid them.

Now I try to plan routes which are mostly out of state and when I get pulled over I remind myself it's only going to cost me money. I try to pull over where the cop is reasonably safe leaving the cruiser. I'm friendly rather than sullen, and have all my papers in order when he/she approaches the car. I don't argue or make excuses, just yeah, you got me. My percentage of 'just a warning' has skyrocketed... really.

In the OP photo, I'm amused by the tactical officers wearing bright, tan, desert boots ... an urban-camo fashion faux pas.

Meh. Looting and setting fire to things. That'll help.

It's a tradition.

Amazing how when the State Police took over from the local cops and showed up dressed like this:
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the reaction from the crowds was like this:
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