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The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
I knew many police forces had access to military hardware, but I didn't expect see so much of it form such a small town. It's mind-boggling that they would roll all that out against protesters.
It looks like things are calming down and cooler heads are taking charge again, so I hope it resolves without any further action.
I really hope this leads to a demiliterizing of the police in general. Leave heavy duty situations to the National Guard and leave off military hardware for those who are meant to protect and serve. I fear that unduly trotting out this level of armament is going to lead to a massacre instead of its intended purpose of preventing them.
The military industrial complex is far too intertwined in Congress for that to happen. Senators backed and funded by armaments manufacturers will keep pushing for the military to offload their old stuff onto police forces to make room for the new stuff the manufacturers want to sell to the military.
This whole thing is extra surreal for me right now, because I've spent the last couple of months reading books about the occupation of Wounded Knee in '73.
Weird, weird parallels. Outsized police response to an (only initially, in the case of Wounded Knee) peaceful protest; APCs and machine guns leveled at civilians; journalist suppression. Hopefully, things don't escalate as far here like they did there. But it's completely insane that 40 years can pass and the exact same shit can happen.
One fascinating/gross thing about the Wounded Knee occupation: in the trials of AIM leaders afterwards, it came out that US Army lent equipment (including the aforementioned APCs) and generals (dressed in plainclothes, an order they'd never received before) to the law enforcement agencies surrounding the town. This was only discovered through gross incompetence on the part of the people prosecuting the AIM leaders, who totally bungled FBI attempts to suppress the information. It is wildly, super illegal to deploy the US army in any capacity on US soil without congressional/presidential approval and public announcement, yet it happened all the same.
I've got a lot of hopes in all this. I hope violence is avoided, I hope justice is served, I hope this sparks some much-needed conversations on equipping police officers with body cams. I'm also really, really hoping that the federal government isn't directly supporting forces of local oppression again.
If you think a state Senator that got tear gassed isnt already banging on doors to to close this shit down and get tangible convictions youre in denial.
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
+1
PwnanObrienHe's right, life sucks.Registered Userregular
edited August 2014
We live in a country where an Arizona congresswoman was shot in the head and no gun laws were passed. Six people were killed in that shooting including a nine year old girl and a 63 year old judge. It was carried out by a guy who looks like the bad guy from Seven.
Nothing was done about it.
PwnanObrien on
+15
HacksawJ. Duggan Esq.Wrestler at LawRegistered Userregular
I'm in denail that the Thin Blue Line of silence and ass-covering is a real thing that often results in police officers escaping punitive accountability?
Okay buddy.
0
MachwingIt looks like a harmless old computer, doesn't it?Left in this cave to rot ... or to flower!Registered Userregular
edited August 2014
It could honestly be a bunch of white people getting tear gassed and beaten in Ferguson. There would be more news coverage, I guess, but the inevitable militarization of our police force is independent of race.
The police also have Antonio French, an elected official, in custody "for 24 hours for unlawful assembly".
So basically they're going to increasingly desperate lengths to cover this up, and in doing so are digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole.
It's hard to believe that nothing will be done about this, honestly.
This is beyond just screwing over the little people at this point, so I'm optimistic that there will be some hell to pay for this.
It may take some time, but they've gone above and beyond too far, and are clearly acting out of desperation.
Goatmon on
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+2
HacksawJ. Duggan Esq.Wrestler at LawRegistered Userregular
My city's police department is under investigation by the federal government for rampant use of force abuses and racist profiling. The city is complying with the changes the feds are asking for, going so far as to hire a new police chief from outside our state to helm the forced shift in internal culture that the department is being forced to undergo.
Also instead of being fucking pessimists chanting nothings gonna change" why dont you organize symapthy protests ,write your reps and DEMAND change.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
Seriously. I'm a democrat in all but name in rural Pennsylvania, my congressman doesn't give a fuck what I think. My district has been republican controlled since 1939, and we've had, for all intents and purposes, the same congressman since 1973 (the son replaced the father in 2001 when he resigned, but his politics are completely lockstep with his fathers).
Im not even a citizen or resident of the US and i actually did go on the governors website and write in. Of course im not actually naive enough to think it will make any difference at all.
Also instead of being fucking pessimists chanting nothings gonna change" why dont you organize symapthy protests ,write your reps and DEMAND change.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
If you don't anything yes the system will fail you.
alright guys, let's do something about this.
*passes around collection plate for bribe money*
gonna be tough to outspend those defense contractors, but let's try! democracy!
People like you are a part of the problem and dont realize it.
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
+21
PwnanObrienHe's right, life sucks.Registered Userregular
edited August 2014
Well you can contact your state legislators and call for a constitutional convention to get money out of politics, effectively avoiding our corrupt federal government in the process.
Skip to the 9 minute mark to see a neighborhood turn into a warzone
Looks like a perfectly conducted anti-riot operation...if it was conducted by the military as a part of the pacification process of an occupied zone. Not as a part of a police operation on home turf in a western country.
Were they looting?
Were they torching cars?
Were they assaulting people?
No? Then you do not fucking conduct an operation like this outside military pacification (I'm not going to sidetrack into the operational demands and the justifications for military pacification. This isn't it). Even if they were throwing the occasional bottle.
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
Well you can contact your state legislators and call for a constitutional convention to get money out of politics, effectively avoiding our corrupt federal government in the process.
california and vermont are already on the board, even. wolf-pac.com/
Also instead of being fucking pessimists chanting nothings gonna change" why dont you organize symapthy protests ,write your reps and DEMAND change.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
If you don't anything yes the system will fail you.
alright guys, let's do something about this.
*passes around collection plate for bribe money*
gonna be tough to outspend those defense contractors, but let's try! democracy!
People like you are a part of the problem and dont realize it.
people like me who argue for campaign finance reform are part of the problem? interesting.
Sure.
I have a podcast now. It's about video games and anime!Find it here.
0
PwnanObrienHe's right, life sucks.Registered Userregular
edited August 2014
Also I'd like to be clear that my optimism that something can be done comes entirely from my pessimistic view that no outside help is coming. If anybody in the house tried to introduce that legislation not only would they piss off their corporate donors but they would find themselves out of a job when their opponent in the next election cycle suddenly has a better funded advertising campaign than most movies. Hillary Clinton for example recently made $400,000 in a single afternoon giving a speech in front of Goldman clients. Much like Obama it doesn't matter how populist her campaign is when she's going on The Daily Show and acting like a sycophant to her base; If you're not a millionaire she does not give a fuck about you.
Also instead of being fucking pessimists chanting nothings gonna change" why dont you organize symapthy protests ,write your reps and DEMAND change.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
Seriously. I'm a democrat in all but name in rural Pennsylvania, my congressman doesn't give a fuck what I think. My district has been republican controlled since 1939, and we've had, for all intents and purposes, the same congressman since 1973 (the son replaced the father in 2001 when he resigned, but his politics are completely lockstep with his fathers).
Just because they're not representative to you personally doesn't mean it isn't representative
Also instead of being fucking pessimists chanting nothings gonna change" why dont you organize symapthy protests ,write your reps and DEMAND change.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
Seriously. I'm a democrat in all but name in rural Pennsylvania, my congressman doesn't give a fuck what I think. My district has been republican controlled since 1939, and we've had, for all intents and purposes, the same congressman since 1973 (the son replaced the father in 2001 when he resigned, but his politics are completely lockstep with his fathers).
Just because they're not representative to you personally doesn't mean it isn't representative
Representative of their heavily gerry-mandered districts? Yep!
We had a man killed by police here last night. They haven't released the name of the victim yet, but as of right now I don't expect it to blow up in any way. He had 911 called on him for threatening another man with a knife, and allegedly refused to drop the knife and then made a move towards the officers.
Still not a fun thing to see pop up on the local news given what's happening right now.
Posts
The military industrial complex is far too intertwined in Congress for that to happen. Senators backed and funded by armaments manufacturers will keep pushing for the military to offload their old stuff onto police forces to make room for the new stuff the manufacturers want to sell to the military.
Broken clock, right twice a day.
It is a good summary though.
They are CLEARLY operating with very little oversight, or hell, even within the laws they are supposed to be upholding.
So say we all!
Satans..... hints.....
Weird, weird parallels. Outsized police response to an (only initially, in the case of Wounded Knee) peaceful protest; APCs and machine guns leveled at civilians; journalist suppression. Hopefully, things don't escalate as far here like they did there. But it's completely insane that 40 years can pass and the exact same shit can happen.
One fascinating/gross thing about the Wounded Knee occupation: in the trials of AIM leaders afterwards, it came out that US Army lent equipment (including the aforementioned APCs) and generals (dressed in plainclothes, an order they'd never received before) to the law enforcement agencies surrounding the town. This was only discovered through gross incompetence on the part of the people prosecuting the AIM leaders, who totally bungled FBI attempts to suppress the information. It is wildly, super illegal to deploy the US army in any capacity on US soil without congressional/presidential approval and public announcement, yet it happened all the same.
I've got a lot of hopes in all this. I hope violence is avoided, I hope justice is served, I hope this sparks some much-needed conversations on equipping police officers with body cams. I'm also really, really hoping that the federal government isn't directly supporting forces of local oppression again.
Apparently the police chief, when asked about the reporters being arrested, said, "oh my God!" He didn't even know it had happened. Totally surprised.
And this is the leadership of a police force which is given access to military hardware.
Unbelievable.
Though more than likely no consequences will come of this, if only because police are, as a demographic, almost wholly immune comeuppance.
no they fucked with elected officials and the press. theyve gone well beyond no ramifucations.
Interview of Mike Brown's friend who witnessed the shooting.
http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/43719_Interview_With_Michael_Browns_Friend-_He_Was_Shot_Like_an_Animal
It corroborates with the other interview I posted earlier.
The police also have Antonio French, an elected official, in custody "for 24 hours for unlawful assembly".
I'd like to believe that's going to be the case. I really, really would.
Nothing was done about it.
Okay buddy.
Its really easy to say fuck the police when you do nothing to change it
So basically they're going to increasingly desperate lengths to cover this up, and in doing so are digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole.
It's hard to believe that nothing will be done about this, honestly.
This is beyond just screwing over the little people at this point, so I'm optimistic that there will be some hell to pay for this.
It may take some time, but they've gone above and beyond too far, and are clearly acting out of desperation.
Ideally, the same thing will happen in Fergusson.
it's cute the way people still believe we have a representative democracy.
If you don't anything yes the system will fail you.
http://www.vox.com/2014/8/11/5988925/mike-brown-killing-shooting-case-ferguson-police-riots-st-louis?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=ezraklein&utm_content=wednesday
Seriously. I'm a democrat in all but name in rural Pennsylvania, my congressman doesn't give a fuck what I think. My district has been republican controlled since 1939, and we've had, for all intents and purposes, the same congressman since 1973 (the son replaced the father in 2001 when he resigned, but his politics are completely lockstep with his fathers).
alright guys, let's do something about this.
*passes around collection plate for bribe money*
gonna be tough to outspend those defense contractors, but let's try! democracy!
People like you are a part of the problem and dont realize it.
Looks like a perfectly conducted anti-riot operation...if it was conducted by the military as a part of the pacification process of an occupied zone. Not as a part of a police operation on home turf in a western country.
Were they looting?
Were they torching cars?
Were they assaulting people?
No? Then you do not fucking conduct an operation like this outside military pacification (I'm not going to sidetrack into the operational demands and the justifications for military pacification. This isn't it). Even if they were throwing the occasional bottle.
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
people like me who argue for campaign finance reform are part of the problem? interesting.
california and vermont are already on the board, even. wolf-pac.com/
Just because they're not representative to you personally doesn't mean it isn't representative
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Sidenote. That ridiculous armored vehicle? That's bigger than what we have and we have around 400 officers. They have around 50
Representative of their heavily gerry-mandered districts? Yep!
People are paying attention.
Still not a fun thing to see pop up on the local news given what's happening right now.