Better late than never.
It took a lot of public shaming to get to this point. Who would have though that social media had a use beyond goofy cats and dick pics?
Interesting that it was still mostly cats getting goofy and taking pictures of dicks.
So when the state police take over, things begin to get sane. Maybe a sign that the local yokels need their toys taken away…enough gear for 10 guys in case you have a real problem, but call the big boys if things get out of hand. From what I can see, past the original incident, what made this more tense was all that war gear.
The irony is that the actual Army would have done a much better job at reducing tensions.
[quote=“jansob1, post:5, topic:39134”]
Maybe a sign that the local yokels need their toys taken away…enough gear for 10 guys in case you have a real problem, but call the big boys if things get out of hand. From what I can see, past the original incident, what made this more tense was all that war gear.
[/quote]Or it could be a sign that the Black guy leading the state police treats the community differently than the all White local police force whose head flies the confederate flag.
This was not caused by the gear/militarization. Those are problems, and that’s what caught a lot of people’s attention nationally, but that wasn’t the cause.
I think it’s both. The gear didn’t cause this by itself, but it enabled them to engage their “Warrior Cop” fantasies, suit up, drive armor into the streets and make the situation worse. Had they not had all this gear, they’d have had to call for help a lot faster. And that help would have been from the state police, who, as you point out, actually have black commanders who can come in and take control (and hopefully address some of the systemic problems you mention.
I’m from the Deepest South, and the state police in general really are a whole other league of quality; more professional, more diverse, better educated and trained. I’d love to have seen my hometown’s police force under the day-to-day command of the State Police. I think giving the locals the tools to try and play above their league is a huge mistake.
I know a lot of very conservative folks (although well this side of the black helicopter crowd) and in the last few days I haven’t heard any of them say a single kind word about this sort of militarized policing. There’s consensus here, if we can move on it, to stop this kind of Rambo crap.
The fantasies pre-existed the equipment, and they are based upon having an enemy. It’s not the police’s job to treat the citizenry as the enemy, but it is racist white people’s self-appointed job to think of black people as the enemy. Hence, the last few days of unprofessional aggression from law enforcement toward those gathering in Ferguson.
I’m having a hard time imagining those officers being able to perform their roles once the state troopers leave. It’s probably best if the entire department is scrapped and a new one hired.
You are right.
Captain Johnson was not afraid to walk up to innocent people who were grieving, without a gas mask on, and hug them.
May he one day be Governor of Missouri, because so far it looks like he could do a better job.
Finally some sanity. I was afraid that no one would do anything but wring their hands or send in more armored vehicles and tear gas. The proper steps are now being taken to defuse the situation and bring some justice to Ferguson.
Totally. No one who’s paying attention seriously doubts the cops saw blacks as the enemy…what I was saying is that the gear brought those fantasies to the fore, and entrenched them. I’ve been part of a paramilitary neighborhood guard in a Central American country, and when you’re wearing a helmet and driving around in an armored truck, you really do see those outside as the enemy, even if you didn’t before. (and if you do the effect is multiplied) I was very young, and luckily there was no violence, but when I look back I can see how feeling invincible warps the way you think.
Well, they are defusing, but we’ll have to see if Ferguson sees any long-term change. These things have a history of causing a big ruckus and then going right back to “normal” once the press leaves.They need a fair, outside investigation of the shooting, with real consequences if it was unjust. The police department needs a clean-sweep reform, and a whole lot more diversity.
If? I am not aware of any circumstances under which justice requires the summary execution of an unarmed person.
Oh, well that’ll make things simpler. There doesn’t need to be an investigation. Judge Boundegar has decided that the legal process, and presumption of innocence is unnecessary. Just turn the cop over to the crowd for application of justice and all will be well. That’ll be sure to defuse the racial tensions.
But seriously, ESPECIALLY in a high-profile case, a thorough investigation (that hears ALL the different accounts and squares them with the medical evidence) is vital. If it was indeed a summary execution, it will quickly be obvious.
How can we use what happened here to improve things?
A first step, perhaps to a nation like Iceland that is shocked when police kill someone for valid reasons, for the first time in over 50 years.
What kind of world do we want to live in?
I think a first step is finding a way to ensure the policeman is treated appropriately and tried as a second degree murderer. Perhaps something to address the terrorist police response.
Police privilege to abuse those they serve must end.
How can we make this happen?
How about not one or the other but both? And yeah, the militarization of policing, not just in terms of equipment but in terms of mindset, is exactly the cause. And they go together.
I am watching all this from the outside and of course it is always tempting to distrust what you don’t know, but this idea of small-scale municipal law enforcement scares me. Thank God in the 60s and 70s they abolished that here.
Well dog my cats. You mean there’s one guy in Missouri who has SENSE? Whoda thunk it?
