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‘Do Not Resist': A look at the normalization of warrior cops
- jbmorgado 10y agoThe author might be right about some things, but he is also clearly exaggerating toward his narrative in some others. It wasn't the "Ferguson Protests" as the author is trying to put it, it was the "Ferguson Riots", there was looting, violence amongst the people and destruction of public property all around, you can't expect the police to show up in their blue uniform armed only with a baton in those cases.
- HillRat 10y agoContextually, the employment of literally hundreds of armed troopers in anti-riot gear occurred before any violence at the protests, and the local and state authorities ratcheted up the response in the intervening days. Violence and looting within protest actions is definitely a problem, but it can't be considered in isolation from the behavior of the government towards protesters of all kinds.
- golemotron 10y agoDo you see that action by the police as provocation or deterrence?
- HillRat 10y agoAt the risk of being facile, I think it was an attempt to deter peaceful dissent that provoked violent protest. Like the execution of Louis Antoine, it was worse than a crime -- it was a blunder. Edit: It's also worth noting that Ferguson is a particularly pernicious example: an exclusively white power structure that functioned as a rentier class, using its government monopoly on force to forcibly extract revenue from an impoverished, ethnically-minority and, for voting purposes, transient population. It's like a midcentury European Marxist's fever dream of problematic class relations embedded in a matrix of structural racism.
- Zigurd 10y agoPolice deploy undercover provocateurs in order to discredit protests. At least one at Ferguson was caught on video.
- dalke 10y agoFerguson involved both protests and riots. More people were involved in the former than the latter. Quoting M. L. King's "The Other America": > These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity. - http://www.gphistorical.org/mlk/mlkspeech/ http://www.gphistorical.org/mlk/mlkspeech/ I can expect the police to not yell out "Bring it, all you fucking animals! Bring it!".
- GunboatDiplomat 10y agoWell, let's be honest, justice and humanity is only possible in an atmosphere of respect for law and relative tranquillity. Justice has seldom been found at the head of a mob.
- dalke 10y agoOr, to be honest, on a gunboat? Justice has even less seldom been found when the police, government, and court system have little respect for a political minority.
- musha68k 10y agoYou are not wrong in general but for cases like these maybe try to see it more as a "thrown exception" where as per the MLK quote above, the base "promises of freedom and justice have not been met".
- GunboatDiplomat 10y agoIt's not a simple problem, true. But I stand by my belief that riots are simply going to provoke a more powerful backlash in opposition to the rioters.
- musha68k 10y agoI'm always wondering if that isn't also a reaction to police force, at least to some extent. Civilized and creative diplomacy more often than not leads to better results than setting the stage with an atmosphere of violence. Also wasn't that incident of escalating violence triggered by executive failure in the first place? Back in school we learned that the separation of powers is one of the defining attributes of a functioning democracy...
- brohee 10y agoOne point that I don't see discussed often, is the background of police officers. How many are Iraq vets that apply in America's streets the exact same methods that made Iraq hell on earth... And why could anyone think applying occupation tactics to domestic law enforcement was remotely a good idea...
- kingkawn 10y agoThe bureaucratic divisions of the arms of the security state mask the underlying cultural fluidity between them all
- pyre 10y agoI used to walk past the parking lot for Border Patrol at the Rainbow Bridge (US-Canada crossing in Niagara Falls), and 80% of the cars for the US Border Patrol had bumper stickers all over them stating that they were veterans. One of the stickers was even "Vietnam Vets Aren't "Fonda" Jan Fonda" (or something like that). You could usually tell which ones were probably vets too. For example, during one crossing, the Border Patrol guy started trying to have a "sensible chuckle" with me over the fact that some guy had committed suicide on the casino floor (couple of blocks away) the previous day. He even made a fake "hand gun" to mouth motion.
- douche 10y agoSpeaking of Border Patrol, you can always tell the ones that have been recently rotated up from the Mexican to the Canadian border crossing stations. Long-time Canadian border regulars saunter out of the office, casually ask for your passport and barely scan it over, and ask you how your trip was before waving you on through. The officers that are used to the other border come out with one hand on their pistol, on red-alert, spring-loaded to react at the slightest thing. It makes for quite a contrast, particularly at a place like the sleepy border crossing closest to where I grew up; 95% of the traffic through it was log trucks or Canadian locals that crossed over to buy cheaper gas at the station just across the line on the US side.
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- delegate 10y agoThat's why I'm leaning more and more towards the idea that paying taxes is immoral and wrong in our current system. And that is because a good chunk of the taxes we pay go towards arming young people and sending them to kill other young people - military/war/defence. Another chunk goes towards arming your own people against your own people, thus making dissent and protest hard and dangerous. And another chunk goes towards maintaining big and powerful institutions, like the IRS, threatening us with violence if we don't pay up. Centralised taxation systems should be replaced with citizen crowdfunding, in which everyone can choose where his tax money goes. I'm curious if we'd still be spending as much on police and military if we could choose how we spend our taxes.
- nilved 10y agoUnfortunately, taxes are difficult to avoid. For that reason, disrupt or damage at least as much as you contribute so it balances out.
- awinder 10y agoWe probably wouldn't be paying so much towards the military, but god only knows what idiocy would be receiving the money instead. The whims of the people would probably deliver super-unstable funding, making it confusing as to what programs really were effective and which ones just became scapegoats. Hard to say if that system would be more or less wasteful, especially with the low bar of what's currently happening. Honestly, there's a leadership gap right now, but I'm not convinced that that means leadership as an institution is dead. We need good leadership that people can respect, which does it's job, and is ultimately accountable without endless redirection and blame for "the other guy being the bad one"
- mc32 10y agoNowadays cops are a lot less likely to tussle and mix it up. It's all a sort of antiseptic interaction where commands are shouted from afar. It used to be cops were willing to take a punch and punch back at someone who didn't cooperate. If that happens now it's resisting arrest, assaulting an officer, etc. Not sure if it's a legacy of needles and aids which lead police to avoid any physical contact with a suspect or perp. It's a change that has led to much less "give" on the part of cops.
- e40 10y agoI think "assaulting an officer" happens even when you don't throw a punch. I've certainly seen enough videos where it was charged and I saw nothing like a punch.
- danielvf 10y agoAssault in most of the US is threat + ability. An actual physical attack would the add "Battery" to the charges.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- mrestko 10y agoI think the general public is unaware of how dangerous physical altercations are. The antisepsis of staged fight scenes on TV make it seem like any well-trained person can recover from a tussle and be back to normal by the next scene. In the real world, it only takes seconds for a struggle to turn fatal, even discarding the presence of any other weapons. In the case of a police officer carrying a gun, all physical fights have to be assumed to be fights to the death. If the officer gets knocked out, there is now a loaded weapon on the table that is no longer under the control of the officer. (Edited to fix typos.)
- 08-15 10y agoIf the officer doesn't get knocked out, there is a loaded gun on the table under the control of a uniformed thug. For some reason, that scares me a lot more.
- eternalban 10y agoThese are all from different countries. Just a quick image search. Would a visitor from another planet be entirely wrong to deduce that local regime propaganda aside, all governments have assumed a paramilitarized posture towards their citizens? http://media.presstv.com/photo/20160325/1bd21648-c58b-4d39-a3a8-6bb2bcde34c0.jpg http://media.presstv.com/photo/20160325/1bd21648-c58b-4d39-a... http://media.presstv.com/photo/20160323/f17b570b-68b6-4d7d-93b9-176787213a53.jpg http://media.presstv.com/photo/20160323/f17b570b-68b6-4d7d-9... http://media.presstv.com/photo/20150519/76bdc4b0-98ca-42b1-b08d-9d410b1eb493.jpg http://media.presstv.com/photo/20150519/76bdc4b0-98ca-42b1-b... http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200704/r137524_467947.jpg http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200704/r137524_467947.jpg http://worldnews.indywatch.org/archiver/worldnews.indywatch.org/resources/timemachine/tftppull.freethoughtllc.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/riot-police.jpg http://worldnews.indywatch.org/archiver/worldnews.indywatch....
- uhtred 10y agoWe don't know the context these photos were taken in though. Might have been during riots, or a terrorist alert. I'd personally want the cops to look like that if there was a nutter on the loose with a machine gun.
- eternalban 10y agoContext is a fair point. Interestingly enough, they are all beating the "terrorist" drums at your local regime. > I'd personally want the cops to look like that if there was a nutter on the loose with a machine gun. Here is the point: Physical protection of police personnel does not invariably require 'psychological intimidation' aesthetics. Your "lone nutter" is by your description already nuts and has already crossed the line, so what's the point of dressing up in storm trooper outfits?
- coldtea 10y ago>Would a visitor from another planet be entirely wrong to deduce that local regime propaganda aside, all governments have assumed a paramilitarized posture towards their citizens? Yes. Most of those (if not all) are from riots and such loaded scenes. The "shoot first, ask questions later", or the "Send SWAT team because some guy sells marijuana" (or even lesser stuf) is 90% US (and some developing countries).
- acaciapalm 10y agoWhat pisses me off most about this is that people say the cops need these tools, etc. Well, how come the cops suck so much at their jobs?! No, I'm serious. My local PD is in the midst of a crime wave. They take many hours to respond, never actually catch anyone, catch the wrong people, act like idiots.
- Clubber 10y agoThe drug war is what gives these type of police the justification for their actions. The drug war will be our undoing.
- uhtred 10y agoI watched Sicario last night. Great movie, but it also highlighted how the drug war will never be won and what a waste of life, money and time it is.
- jonathankoren 10y agoYup. It starts with the very term "war". We have military hardware and military guns. We have an institution of filled with arrogance and the instillation of fear ("Contempt of cop" is a real thing.) Even in this article, they talk about how the sheriff's swat team has a logo featuring a human skull. Not exactly in the "protect and serve" department, but more much more "I'm gonna fuck someone up" department. Civil forfeiture. Targeting communities for fines. Broken windows policing. A privatized prison system. Policing as a money maker. This is contemporary police culture, and it is dysfunctional. I've said this multiple times, but the older I get, the more I see the wisdom in NWA[0]. [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tke_27wbW-0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tke_27wbW-0
- eli_gottlieb 10y ago>Some are wearing T-shirts with the tactical team’s logo. It’s a human skull imposed over two crossed AR-15s. Have they realized they're the baddies[1]? [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjRU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn1VxaMEjRU
- uhtred 10y agoGive everyone: 1. Food 2. Clean, safe and warm shelter, doesn't need to be fancy 3. A little money to spend (just a little! There still needs to be incentive to go out and work!) 4. Free and good quality education And legalise drugs. No more need for warrior cops.
- joveian 10y ago"The striking thing about the footage is, again, the utter mundanity of the raid. A family was just violently raided over an immeasurable amount of pot. A man was arrested over that pot. The money he needed for his business was taken from him. Yet there’s no shame or embarrassment from the officers. There’s no panic that the whole thing was captured on video. That’s when it hits you. They don’t think they’ve made a mistake. This is what they do."
- byebyetech 10y agoIn Los Angeles I see so many cops driving black mustang cars, a predator style car. As if they enjoy their predator status and want to express and enforce their masculinity on the community. Every time I see a cop car it makes me nervous just by the sight of it. I think its time we give them Pink colored bug beetle cars. That will remind them they are here to protect the community, not be a hero in an action movie.
- Zigurd 10y agoYes! Pink has been shown to reduce aggression. I wonder if a referendum to make all law enforcement uniforms pink would be popular.
- B1FF_PSUVM 10y agoYou might be onto something there ...
- simlevesque 10y agoIn Montreal, cops are ditching their uniform as a form of protest. They look stupid but we are still afraid of them. They have incredibly eye-catching pants, check it out: http://www.cjad.com/EI/sharedobjects/handlers/ir.ashx?p=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&w=590&mw=590 http://www.cjad.com/EI/sharedobjects/handlers/ir.ashx?p=ZgAv...
- GunboatDiplomat 10y agoOK, that's just silly. We can have police be approachable parts of the community without silly pants.
- torpfactory 10y agoUltimately this type of behavior erodes all trust in law enforcement in the communities where this kind of policing is practiced. A vicious cycle is amplified whereby residents learn to put little trust in police and in turn police decide to use more and more force, believing those (untrusting) residents would use violence against them. As a side note, why don't police approach dangerous criminals the way radiological workers approach "hot" material. I'm not sure how "danger" should be enumerated but I'd imagine it decreases with the square of the distance. Unless there are other bystanders nearby who might be hurt, closing the distance to suspects seems to be one of the more dangerous things an officer could do. Seems like containing someone and letting them cool off is safer for both parties.
- dmd 10y agoRe your side note: That's how police forces almost everywhere in Europe are trained.
- ende 10y agoThis. It could be argued that most police don't even need a firearm if their role is not suppressive. In fact, a better division of labor based on a better rules of engagement may even negate the need for the concept of a generalist police officer. Large numbers of containment and assessment roles could largely clear (of bystanders in danger) and control an area until the situation can be assesed properly. Maybe engagement is required and maybe its not. In the event it is, only a small pool of highly trained officers need be draw from to apply lethal force. If its not and an arrest can be made peacefully, then yet another class of police could handle the actual arrest and custody. Dividing the process across different roles should help reduce the spillover of tension and aggression from one phase to the next.
- dudul 10y agoThe problem with US police is that they now want to behave like deployed military troops without any of the risk. They want to play with all these "cool toys", and pretend they are raiding some compound in Fallujah or something, but they refuse to risk their life. That's how they end up killing people who are fetching their ID in their pocket, or people carrying a black book, or really just standing there. The excuse is always the same: I feared for my life. And their superiors always back them up: The officer thought he was in danger, police officers have the right to use lethal force if they think their life is in danger. I remember reading an amazing post by a vet who joined the force, and he was totally baffled to see that his new coworkers were more agressive than his platoon in Irak. Guess what, real military troops accept the fact that sometimes they'll get shot and die. They always make sure that the guy on the other side is actually shooting at them before they open fire. And when they don't, they're punished. Severely. I know it's not a popular opinion in a country where cops are called heroes. But I'd rather see 10 dead cops than a single innocent citizen shot. It sucks, it's a lot to ask for, but it comes with the job. When you're a cop you have to put the life of others before your own. Otherwise become an accountant.
- rz2k 10y agoI get your point about the relative discipline of actual soldiers, but in Iraq it seems likely that at least 100 noncombattants died for every soldier who was killed.
- GunboatDiplomat 10y agoMaybe. But those non-combatants were rarely killed by US troops in direct combat. More commonly, they were killed by 1) insurgent fighters 2) IEDs 3) US air strikes or other indirect fires.
- B1FF_PSUVM 10y agoIt's been a few years that Terry Gilliam's Brazil movie got upgraded to 'mostly documentary' status. At the time, 1985, it seemed only a dark comedy / cautionary tale. (Well, the caution against ugly tech seems to have worked. Architecture and policing, not so much.)
- fencepost 10y agoAnd how many members of that family will EVER call the police to report anything short of a murder - if that - out of concern of being charged with it because they were convenient? I'll throw in a relevant quote from this week's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article about the 20% decline in 911 calls over the year following news of a beating by off-duty officers: (http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2016/09/29/911-calls-fell-black-milwaukee-neighborhoods-after-jude-beating-study-finds/90907882/ http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/investigations/2016/09/29...) "In the Jude study, researchers found data suggesting people withdraw from the system after an incident of police violence. Papachristos said the study shows that police violence and other misconduct hurts officers' ability to work with communities and may result in a deepening of so-called "legal cynicism" — the idea that police are either unable or unwilling to help — within communities. That dynamic can perpetuate crime and distrust." The Harvard study in question: "Police Violence and Citizen Crime Reporting in the Black Community" https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3114813-Jude-911-Call-Study.html https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3114813-Jude-911-Cal... edit: rearranging URLs
- lifeisstillgood 10y agoOh I get it now. The warrior cop is the new Klu Klux Klan. Violently suppressing the ability of the (poor/black/?) to succeed in America It is the civil forfeiture thing with the lawnmowers that was a light bulb moment for me.
- cryoshon 10y agothis is the reality in our black communities. night raids, arbitrary detention, brutality, denigration. the police fight a war against the poor. if they behave like an occupying army, they should not be so offended when they are fought like an occupying army. the black communities will continue to be oppressed, and so there will be more incidents like the slaughter in dallas. everyone will say "oh, the humanity" or similar, but nothing will change until public policy tightens the leash on the cops. until we start taking officer safety more seriously and hobble their ability to abuse the public, we should expect continued violence against the police. to improve officer safety, the police need to be stripped of their weapons, armor, and legal leeway to abuse. it's simple: violence begets violence. rather than doubling down, pull back. unless the lives of police don't matter-- then by all means, let the police try continuing with the shootings until the morale of the black community improves. under the best circumstances, the black community won't trust the police for another generation or two, provided that the police stop doing damage now. we need to aim for the children of their children being able to trust the institutions that are there for their benefit... or we could keep beating/shooting/stealing from/raiding them for another 20 years, and cause peace to be that much farther off.