Police brutality has been around since the dawn of human
civilization, and is far too often a common occurrence in marginalized areas of
society. What’s happening in Ferguson, Missouri, however, goes well beyond “police
brutality” to a new realm resembling a military occupation. Armed to the teeth,
using terror as a tactic, assaulting and arresting the media, overreacting to
provocation; these are the actions of a force not bent on restoring order, but
on intimidating and expunging anyone who dares question their authority.
The riots, following the shooting of an unarmed black man by
police, are a lamentable but understandable reaction to yet another attack on a
civilian by a law enforcement department that does not feel it is accountable
to anyone. These types of incidents are becoming more and more common, as very
little is done to bring the perpetrators to justice. Police departments and
their enablers in the justice system consistently turn a blind eye to police
who commit crimes, encouraging an environment of lawlessness and overreach
among others.
The question that has to be asked about the situation in
Ferguson and similar incidents is this: What is the mindset of the police
involved? Do they believe they are there to stop lawlessness and illegal activity
or do they see themselves as society’s tool for keeping order at any cost?
Harassing and arresting reporters definitely falls into the latter category.
The footage of the riots in Ferguson look more like a scene
from some third world country where the military is routinely sent in to quell
disturbances, more often than not with bloody force. Is this America’s future
we’re watching? It seems to me we dangerously close to crossing the line
between enforcing the law and the active suppression of Constitutionally
guaranteed civil rights.
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