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Ferguson!

Sunstone

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
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Alceste

Alceste

Vagabond
I think police shouldn't shoot unarmed people down in the street, and if they do they should not suppress the subsequent protests with tear gas and rubber bullets.
 
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freethinker44

Well-Known Member
It's tragic that it had to happen, but it's good that politicians are finally starting to talk about police militarization as a problem. It appears to come more from democrats but hopefully it will be a bi-partisan issue and republicans will get on board as well, I'd hate to see them kill it because of politics.

Hopefully it all the violence won't be in vain and it leads to more police accountability and a reduction in military equipment and SWAT use.
 
Alceste

Alceste

Vagabond
Further to the above, I think AIPAC sending American police chiefs to Israel for "counter-terrorism training " seems to have had some rather undesirable consequences on the home front.
 
Phil25

Phil25

Active Member
Sunstone said:
What do you make of the events in Ferguson, Missouri?

Protests turn almost festive in Ferguson, Missouri - CBS News

Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson Revealed as Missouri Fatal Shooting Cop - ABC News

BBC News - Ferguson police: Michael Brown was robbery suspect

Reaction to News Conferences in Ferguson - Video - NYTimes.com

Exactly How Often Do Police Shoot Unarmed Black Men? | Mother Jones
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I am all for Peaceful Protesting but if it gets violent, then police should take action.
 
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freethinker44

Well-Known Member
Phil25 said:
I am all for Peaceful Protesting but if it gets violent, then police should take action.
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If police action was the catalyst behind the violence, more police action would just escalate the violence, as has been the case in Missouri. Friday there was more looting in Ferguson but instead of escalating the situation police backed off and the looting was stopped by the local community with no police action or violence.

Aside from backing off and not taking action, what could the police have done to make the situation better? They've already demonstrated that a show of force doesn't work.
 
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freethinker44

Well-Known Member
Phil25 said:
Then bring on the Military:D
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The police militarization is what made the situation worse, how would bringing more military in make it better? At some point we have to learn from history and understand that military actions against a country's own citizens almost never ends well for the citizens or the government.

When the police acting like the military is the problem, the solution isn't to double down, it's to pull back.
 
Phil25

Phil25

Active Member
freethinker44 said:
The police militarization is what made the situation worse, how would bringing more military in make it better? At some point we have to learn from history and understand that military actions against a country's own citizens almost never ends well for the citizens or the government.

When the police acting like the military is the problem, the solution isn't to double down, it's to pull back.
Click to expand...

Phil25 said:
Then bring on the Military:D
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That was just a joke
 
dyanaprajna2011

dyanaprajna2011

Dharmapala
Both good points. The root issue, I think, is the attitude the police have to begin with, which us that they are free to do as they please with no retribution. And unfortunately, this is often the case. The police, withstate government approval, has free reign to do what they will, with no disciplinary action. We've seen Iit tim and time again. It's about time the people stood up to the corruptness that is our police force.
 
CynthiaCypher

CynthiaCypher

Well-Known Member
Jayhawker Soule said:
Sometimes I find myself wishing that folks who throw around such characterizations actually had an opportunity to experience a police state. It's a wish that I'm not particularly proud of.
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And I find myself wishing that privileged white males who keep insisting that we do not live in a police state could jump into the skin of a poor black male so they could actually experience what it is like to live in a police state.
 
Saint Frankenstein

Saint Frankenstein

Here for the ride
Premium Member
I just watched the press conference. The people there are very angry. All the authorities are doing is imposing a curfew. The people want an arrest to be made.
 
MysticSang'ha

MysticSang'ha

Big Squishy Hugger
Premium Member
I'm very very close to everything happening there. I have family members and friends who live nearly right down the street off Florissant. I have a couple dozen friends who I've been doing activism with fighting trafficking and feeding homeless who are denied entry into shelters....they've been there protesting and feeding area residents around the clock. I haven't slept in a week.

They've been shot at, gassed, and pushed down to the ground from concussion grenades. They are my friends and comrades, and I continue to receive messages from them as they are the boots on the ground.

The media circus has been overall terrible. Residents are asked constantly about their opinions on the rioting and the looting. Never asked what they are rebuilding in their community. They're asked what they think about Michael Brown's criminal record, and the gas station video of a man police say is identified as Michael Brown stealing cigars and pushing the clerk aside. They're never asked about his family and how they're doing.

It's as if the media and the police themselves are WANTING to rip this neighborhood apart at the seams. They WANT the community to be seen as full of violent "thugs." People in surrounding areas are so concerned for the police officer and his family and their safety. Nobody has given a rat's *** over the safety of any of Brown's friends or family.

So the people in Ferguson have banded together even more. Hands up, yelling don't shoot, I'm unarmed.

I think they are amazing people. Full of peace and strength. They see this as the straw that broke the camel's back. They've had enough of watching young black men in their neighborhood succumb to violence. They've had enough of what they've seen as a large pattern of police brutality.

I'm exhausted. I thought running a business was tiring. I thought the beginning of activism in the area and fighting street harassment and leading task groups to lobby local educational institutions to include informed consent into their sex-ed classes.

But this....this is a whole new world of exhaustion that I've never experienced. I could use a hug. And some coffee. And maybe a little sleep on somebody's couch close by. :sleep:
 
Shadow Wolf

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
freethinker44 said:
It's tragic that it had to happen, but it's good that politicians are finally starting to talk about police militarization as a problem. It appears to come more from democrats but hopefully it will be a bi-partisan issue and republicans will get on board as well, I'd hate to see them kill it because of politics.

Hopefully it all the violence won't be in vain and it leads to more police accountability and a reduction in military equipment and SWAT use.
Click to expand...
I can see the Republicans grasping onto the fact the police have failed to "preserve peace, order, and the safety of the good citizens of Ferguson" and a call made for further militarization of the police as a means of "protecting the public."
 
CynthiaCypher

CynthiaCypher

Well-Known Member
Why is it that well armed white people who are threatening to shoot public officials and are in a stand off with law enforcement called patriots and that a angry black person who is raging against the injustices of this state are called criminals and looters?
 
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