Why armored vehicles in a Midwestern inner suburb? Why would cops wear camouflage gear against a terrain patterned by convenience stores and beauty parlors? Why are the authorities in Ferguson, Mo. so given to quasi-martial crowd control methods (such as bans on walking on the street) and, per the reporting of Riverfront Times, the firing of tear gas at people in their own yards? (“‘This my property!’ he shouted, prompting police to fire a tear gas canister directly at his face.”) Why would someone identifying himself as an 82nd Airborne Army veteran, observing the Ferguson police scene, comment that “We rolled lighter than that in an actual warzone”?
Olson added, “the dominant visual aspect of the story, however, has been the sight of overpowering police forces confronting unarmed protesters who are seen waving signs or just their hands.”
How did this happen?
Most police officers are good cops and good people. It is an unquestionably difficult job, especially in the current circumstances.
There is a systemic problem with today’s law enforcement.
Not surprisingly, big government has been at the heart of the problem. Washington has incentivized the militarization of local police precincts by using federal dollars to help municipal governments build what are essentially small armies—where police departments compete to acquire military gear that goes far beyond what most of Americans think of as law enforcement.
This is usually done in the name of fighting the war on drugs or terrorism. The Heritage Foundation’s Evan Bernick wrote in 2013 that, “the Department of Homeland Security has handed out anti-terrorism grants to cities and towns across the country, enabling them to buy armored vehicles, guns, armor, aircraft, and other equipment.”
Bernick continued, “federal agencies of all stripes, as well as local police departments in towns with populations less than 14,000, come equipped with SWAT teams and heavy artillery.”
Bernick noted the cartoonish imbalance between the equipment some police departments possess and the constituents they serve, “today, Bossier Parish, Louisiana, has a .50 caliber gun mounted on an armored vehicle. The Pentagon gives away millions of pieces of military equipment to police departments across the country—tanks included.”
I guess this jerk doesn’t keep up with crime statistics, and just who perpetrates the most crime, including interracial crime.
Well, now the loose cannon makes some sense....
Perhaps we are approaching this scene from “V for Vendetta”. The whole society (future Britain) fears the tyrannical police state, until the day comes when the cop goes too far — and then the people decide not to be afraid anymore.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJF1pMKicTY
How about starting with the Federal Agencies first!
When a full-on riot hits his neighborhood, I hope they send in Barney Fife and his one bullet.
lol
They are called rioters. They cry ‘Kill whitey’
Thank God that you don't live in those war zones.
I cant blame the police for protecting themselves.
I like the idea of forcing police to video their stops and confrontations, and make it illegal for police to take away cameras or phone-cams,
but Rand needs to stop playing rev Al Sharpton.
I am all for demilitarizing the police as long as every law-abiding man in the country can have an AR-15 and a hundred rounds
I think our law enforcement agencies are turning into just what the founding fathers wanted to prevent. Standing armies operating on domestic soil.
Precisely the reason we have 2A. And more proof that 2A means for Americans to have arms sufficient to deal with a standing army should that army try putting an iron boot on their necks. That doesn’t mean muskets.
It is also an object lesson as to why 2A doesn’t mean hunting or protection from crime. Those are automatic, they didn’t conceive of the possible need for amendment guaranteeing arms for that any more than needing one for the right to farm and eat.
In all seriousness, since about 2004 or so, "[citation needed]".
Where Rand Paul ob this issue when Republicans were complaining about Homeland Security supplying Military grade equipment to local police?
I recall the 1968 Glenville riots in Cleveland when we ended up with a tank sitting in an intersection on St Clair Avenue. Armor plate comes in handy when people are shooting at you with high power rifles.
We must continue financing the armament producers and prison industrial complex with our tax dollars, actually, the major increase in Swat team actions has turned a number of situation from manageable to deadly. A lot of homeland security money has gone to these local pork police projects. Meanwhile vast numbers of shipping containers go uninspected and border areas unprotected. We taxpayers thank you most humblely.
The outrage in Ferguson is understandable—though there is never an excuse for rioting or looting.
Does rand paul KNOW what happened in ferguson between the cop and micheal brown? He is convicting the cop without the knowledge of the facts.
rand paul is as crazy as his father...apple-tree.