Posted on 08/28/2017 10:05:15 AM PDT by davikkm
When Barack Obama first called for a ban on police departments being able to use surplus military equipment three years ago, it was a knee jerk reaction to the Ferguson, Missouri riots. It was a bad policy that President Trump may be about to repeal.
After the police used military equipment to quell riots in Ferguson, for Obama, it was all about public relations. He wanted to appear to be doing something that would “speak for” black folk, whilst at the same time chastise the police for essentially doing their jobs. He even said as much:
"We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they're an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them," Obama said in announcing the ban in 2015. And he said the use of this gear created a deepening a divide between law enforcement and a wary community.
(Excerpt) Read more at investmentwatchblog.com ...
If we would mount RICO prosecution of the money behind the riots, we would need fewer policemen.
Might get hit on my opinion on this but that’s ok.
It WONT be used on antifa or BLM
The largest forces are in liberal areas run by liberal mayors.
Police just attack who they’re told to attack.
BAD idea and I think the founding fathers would not like it.
I’m not cheering this.
That equipment will be used against us.
Yeah it wasn’t designed just for us Italians :)
Use it on them!!!!
Same wavelength again.
Some police departments already have these tools.
Brilliant minds... :)
I agree one hundred percent on this one.
If something gets that bad, the state guard should be called.
Donald may be right that such boundaries shouldn’t be observed for “politically correct” reasons, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other reasons. It may take a few stiff lawsuits to make those other reasons clear.
Yeah, I find myself a little uneasy coming down on the same side of an issue as BO, but I agree. When small town police departments have fully outfitted SWAT teams and fantastically expensive “mobile command centers”, it’s concerning. Money might be better spent elsewhere.
I agree. Our police are already over-militarized, except when they stand down in response to AnteFa (as I spell it).
Having been involved in a situation where an armored vehicle was used, it was really nice to see it there.
Trust me, I’ll be physically ill for 24 hours knowing knowing that obummer thought the same way on this issue.
BUT he thought it because he was afraid it would be used against minorities.
We think it because we KNOW it would be used against us!!
Yours is a more correct spelling and yes, it won’t be used on them.
“BUT he thought it because he was afraid it would be used against minorities.
We think it because we KNOW it would be used against us!!”
—
I’m afraid we ARE the minority.
.
If Berkeley, Baltimore, Charlottesville has proven anything, its the many cops are just bureaucrats and if their political paymasters tell them let people riot, they will let people riot, and if they tell them to run a certain group over with their armored car, they will run that group over with their armored car.
If Obama’s arranged riots in Ferguson had any purpose, it was to put America’s 3000+ local police departments under some kind of political oversight and control
Agreed. And hopefully before anyone gets hurt.
I’ll relate this story. Where I grew up....there’s a small town that has a one-cop situation. One night, the mayor comes around on a dirt road in the community and here is the cop doing some kind of surveillance episode (this is southern Tennessee), and he’s got night-goggles. Well...the city had never purchased a pair for the guy.
Questions got raised. It turns out that the cop had an account with the DoD....to get access to military hardware. Totally unknown by the city council or mayor. The cop was given grant-money, and actually deposited it into a personal account...then spent the money on the nigh-vision goggles via some Homeland Security episode.
Took about an hour for the city council to make a decision....ordering the guy to dump the goggles. They had to be sold via some federal account, to another law enforcement agency.
I suspect there are thousands of stories like that. No accountability on the part of the cops....they just walk around city council or mayor authority.
I share your discomfort. Attorneys General like Janet Reno and Eric Holder are too fresh in my mind. I've never been a cop hater, but having seen them stand with their thumbs up...while Trump supporters and conservatives get pummeled by rabid dog leftists have left me with a sense that they know what side their bread's buttered on. It answered my long held question about where I stand with them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.