So, How's That Police State Working Out For Ya?

what went wrong in ferguson?

was it the guy who shot the kid in the back in front of a bunch of witnesses? was it the racial tension between the predominantly white police force and the mostly black fergusonians? was it the looters who ruined it for the majority that turned out to protest without violence?

or was it the fact that unloading a buttload of heavy grade war equipment onto a bunch of guys with no tactical training, no means of assessing a threat, and zero chance of formulating an appropriate response was always going to fail spectacularly?

seriously, i thought i was the only one who looked at ferguson and saw that police incompetence and their eagerness to try out their new toys were the greatest contributing factors to the shameful display there. maybe they're prepping for the petrodollar collapse riots or terrorist attacks, but profit motive alone explains why small town leos in america are getting tricked out better than infantry in actual war zones. it would also explain why there seems to be a complete lack of oversight when it comes to how the tech is being deployed.

the emerging police state is not about better protection, it's about making a buck.

i guess it takes a u.s. senator getting a faceful of tear gas before someone finally realizes that maybe outfitting cops like soldiers and failing to train them accordingly is a TERRIBLE IDEA.

BTW, if you were paying close attention to the twitter feeds, and when the hashtag disables would hit, you'd notice they were timed for when the mass vitriol on social media started to peak. if proper modelling is being applied, one could gauge the potential for rioting breaking out in other cities, and dampen down the information flow to prevent it. i thought that was pretty interesting.

anyway, it turns out i'm NOT the only one having these thoughts.

Veterans on Ferguson

here's some quotes.

JasonFritz1

As someone who studies policing in conflict, what's going on Ferguson isn't just immoral and probably unconstitutional, it's ineffective.

jeffclement

A few people have pointed it out, but our ROE regarding who we could point weapons at in Afghanistan was more restrictive than cops in MO.

Broken Handmic

A lot of vets, me included, would go to Ferguson and gladly teach some classes on crowd control and patrolling You are #ing it up.

People really worried about getting shot do not sit exposed on top of armored cars.

ok, good luck to the people of ferguson, and to americans in general. let's hope ferguson will serve as a warning to those who want to militarize the police.

I hope all those who are anti-gun finally understand the point of having the "2nd Amendment" and why it's so important to exercise these rights.

Earlier this year we had the Bundy Farm issue, now Ferguson.

Ferguson is just the beginning .. you see the heavy militarization in all cities - in every state .. even around the world. There is something fundamentally wrong when Local Police is better armed that our US Forces.

To add to this, taking a look at the Ferguson live feeds tonight where the local PD was replaced by the Missouri Highway Patrol. I seen very few police in the streets and a lot more citizens. The citizens were peaceful. Imagine that. Other than a whole lot of horn-honking, everything was just fine.

People doing (assembling) what they are allowed to do by right in this country, without staring in the face of heavily armed cops and armored vehicles shouting instructions at them, basically - had a parade and were heard.

a reply to: kalunom

exactly. it is a fact that rolling up to an assembly looking like a stormtrooper and pointing a sniper rifle at the crowd auto-escalates a situation that calls for a couple of cops on horses.

Let's see how that "no more free military gear" bill works out.
Bet the price of something (court,traffic infraction,taxes, various fees) goes up considerably if it passes

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
Let's see how that "no more free military gear" bill works out.
Bet the price of something (court,traffic infraction,taxes, various fees) goes up considerably if it passes

offset it with a donut tax.

a reply to: ATODASO

I laughed so hard, i spit my drink
good stuff there

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....I guess I should hate the police because I stay out of trouble?
Does anyone honestly think in the world anymore?

Look AT ALL THESE CRIMES!!!!

CrimeReport

Is this how humanity needs to be represented? Crimes on nearly every street? Sex offenders fill the blocks of Ferguson? Yes, I understand there are corrupt cops, but they are only corrupt because they see no reason to protect humanity when their brothers and sisters shoot at them. Would you protect your fellow American if they shot at you??? NOOOO!!!

WHYYYYYYY????????????????????? Why do you PEOPLE CONSTANTLY REBEL?????
It is sickening that you people cannot see the difference between good and evil the proper way.

You speed, you threaten people, you try to force people to accept your opinions........you people constantly break the law for selfish reasons.

I have plenty of buddies who go to bars just to bow up to other dudes for no apparent reason and some of them have gone to jail. I have been recruited to shoot up a guys trailer house because he owed someone money. Did I do this? NOOO!!! It is a choice to rebel and you people have dug your graves.

Veterans on Ferguson is the biggest joke I have ever seen and this is coming from a veteran.

At the top of the page: "The general consensus here: if this is militarization, it's the #tiest, least-trained, least professional military in the world, using weapons far beyond what they need, or what the military would use when doing crowd control."

These idiots were apparently never around a combat infantry. About 75% of the United States military are the least-trained not to mention the fact that majority of our police units are prior military. These people have no right to be saying these individuals are ill trained when they are. Most of them were probably pencil pushers anyways.

We got people presently who cannot make enough shots to qualify to be deployed...if they are in a combat situation, they are merely combat fodder.

Stop being sheeple and following something that you have no idea about.

And, yes, the local police(ground pounders) is better armed than we are because of the very fact that the local populus is better armed than the military. We in the military use air strikes to rid our foes more so than the ever so hated Israel. It isn't that hard to understand.

Stop playing soldier behind your computer or at protests. It isn't doing us any good. Russia and China will evade eventually; we will be so divided, it will be easy for them to conquer us.

My suggestion...stay in freakin doors and stop looking for trouble. It doesn't help anything when you peeps could be coming up with ways to save this country before if falters within.

GET IT. GOT IT. GOOOOODDD

originally posted by: ATODASO

originally posted by: EyesOpenMouthShut
Let's see how that "no more free military gear" bill works out.
Bet the price of something (court,traffic infraction,taxes, various fees) goes up considerably if it passes

offset it with a donut tax.

Now *that* was good!

Seriously though, regarding those quotes from veterans.
We would never have been permitted to act in the manner those "police" did.
It just boggles my mind that in an American neighborhood, police who are more supplied than we were in Afghanistan
are allowed to use those tactics on their own citizens and that is supposed to be acceptable. the police were "doing their job". Bullsnip. I know for a fact that you can control a crowd without having to use all that gas and rubber bullets, and we sure as hell wouldn't have used them without multiple warnings on a loudspeaker first. They knew those people were going to peaceably assemble and instead of just keeping their presence, they decide to go all out, full battle rattle, foaming at the mouth to use their stuff. No Go. thats for war, not for your brothers and sisters.

a reply to: EyesOpenMouthShut

Andy Griffith would not approve. This is sad. Is it time to start arresting and charging city council's and city workers for breach of the peace? I think so. They are the ones whose signature is on the paperwork. They are weasels. Arrest one, and they will squeal.

This is ridiculous. This needs to end.

Guest talks about Ferguson, dog shooting and more.

a reply to: johngrissom

And just who were statues made for again? Oooooh that's right. Government and those that work for it.

By the way, everyone's opinion should be accepted as equal, even if you do not agree with it. It is called having a point of view. A natural human function. That is also one of humanities most fundamental rights.

I suggest you get some cliff notes on this subject. You can start at my signature. I have questions on what your definition of law and dignity mean.

You can read much about that very subject here.

Are you ready for the return of the Grand Jury? Gird your loins. You have no idea what the law really says.

originally posted by: johngrissom

WHYYYYYYY????????????????????? Why do you PEOPLE CONSTANTLY REBEL?????
It is sickening that you people cannot see the difference between good and evil the proper way.

It is sickening.

Being certain of good and evil, didn't know it was so easy. Lots of grey in the world.

Just what, in this situation, is Good? Just what, inthis situation, is Evil? Please tell us?

Authoritarians.
They sure don't like rebellion, do they?

A couple of things bother me with this...

1. The kid was not armed...

2. The kid was not wanted as far we know...

3. Some how it ended with the cop pulling his weapon, aiming at the kid and firing...

4. The official story is this kid with zero motive or reason attacked the cop and tried to get his gun, even though witnesses say he was standing with his hands up...

5. A news crew just doing their job got two canisters fired at their feet. This means a cop or two aimed at them and fired them.

6. A camera guy got a rubber bullet in his neck as he operated his camera. This means a cop AIMED at his head and fired with no reason to do it...

Cops today seem to go from talking, to full control in seconds, and if the person is confused as the cop yells commands, or if the person just for a moment thinks that he is doing nothing to warrant that response hesitates for a second the best scenario is he gets tazered and thrown on the ground and hog tied. The worst and what seems to be the norm today is the cop pulls his gun with full intent to shoot if there is the slightest move to not follow his commands to the letter, instantly...

This is across America...

I'm a white male, 54 professional, and I got pulled over for doing 5 over the speed limit. I drive an expensive car and was professionally dressed as I was heading home form work. I reached over and open my glove compartment to get my registration and the cop saw I had a few targets there. He asked me if I was armed and I said no. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him put his hand on his gun and position himself on an angle from my driver seat. Things got intense at that point and I kept my hands on the steering wheel waiting for his every command.

If this happened to me I can just imagine what would be the situation with a young male that may look like he is not a older professional white guy.

There is a lot wrong with this situation and a lot wrong with how cops seem to have evolved over the last few decades to how they respond to what should be a normal situation...

a reply to: Xtrozero

You mean he didn't walk to your car with his hand on his sidearm?
Police are trained to always think you're the enemy, you want to kill them.
There is no grey area, there are no good people. im surprised you didn't get shot just going for the glove box without permission

a reply to: Not Authorized

Andy Griffith would not approve.

Good point. I guess Sheriff Taylor could keep ol' Barn out of trouble by issuing him a single bullet, and forcing him to keep it in his shirt pocket, so the whole situation never unfolded in Mayberry.

Can we just blame too much COD and call it a day?

So while I've repeatedly typed about the LEO not having the proper training, I'm also wondering if a good portion of the LEO don't have their own mental illness.