Considering St.Louis ranks at #40 of the world's 50 most dangerous cities to live in, the militarization of the police in that city shouldn't come as a surprise.

"The police are reacting in a hostile manner, as if they are trying to intimidate the protesters by their military-type tactics," said Lynch. "The police are making a bad situation even worse."

Paul Szoldra, in a piece for Business Insider, asked "Why do these cops need MARPAT camo pants?", referring to the pattern designed for the U.S. Marine Corps, or MARine PATtern. When serving in Afghanistan as a U.S. Marine, Szoldra says they used big trucks and uniforms intended to project an image as occupiers, but asks when did this became OK on domestic soil?

It's important to distinguish between the military and police, justice experts say, and look at why it matters that the line between the two is blurring.

"The military mission is to find the enemy force and destroy it," said Lynch. "They're not thinking about the constitutional rights of the people on the other side of the battlefield."

By comparison, a police force is expected to use minimal force to bring suspects into the court of law where the dispute can be peacefully resolved.

York University professor Margaret Beare, who studies policing, says it's "the whole notion of working with communities, not against communities" that should prevail.

Uh, how? Voting?

You seemed to justify the connection, which makes no sense. And yes, if the cops hold that attitude, then they have contributed to what happened to St. Lois. As have the politicians who employ them and the voters who employ the politicians. "Hey, I've got a good idea. Let's just ghettoize the black people and act like we're occupying a third world country towards them. That will bring us peace and order. After all, it's all their fault that things are the way they are, we played no role in it at all. There's just something innate about black people that makes them behave like that, they don't know any better."

Considering St.Louis ranks at #40 of the world's 50 most dangerous cities to live in, the militarization of the police in that city shouldn't come as a surprise.
I mean c'mon man, the city has a murder rate that's higher than San Salvador ffs and an overall crime rate to match.

Some local police chiefs have argued that the heavy equipment was necessary as they faced criminals with increasingly advanced weaponry.

But community members and police forces themselves have both suffered fallout from the militarization of police.

Kraska counted more than 275 botched SWAT raids on private homes., while Radley Balko, author of Rise of the Warrior Cop, said he found more than 50 cases of innocent people who died. ACLU says minorities get disproportionately targeted.

Those mishaps not only fray relations with a community, but can prove costly for small police forces as they face lawsuits or are forced to disband their SWAT teams after coming under increased scrutiny.

As one small example, in early August, the Albuquerque Police Department decided to get rid of its 20,000-kilogram Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle – the bomb-resistant mode of transport used in Iraq and Afghanistan against insurgents.

The move followed criticism about over-militarization and a fatal police shooting of a homeless man. Still, the force hasn't given up hopes of finding a more civilian-suitable replacement.

Blurred lines between military and police

It's important to distinguish between the military and police, justice experts say, and look at why it matters that the line between the two is blurring.

"The military mission is to find the enemy force and destroy it," said Lynch. "They're not thinking about the constitutional rights of the people on the other side of the battlefield."

By comparison, a police force is expected to use minimal force to bring suspects into the court of law where the dispute can be peacefully resolved.

York University professor Margaret Beare, who studies policing, says it's "the whole notion of working with communities, not against communities" that should prevail.

The Toronto-based professor worries that the militarization of police forces that's been happening in the U.S. over the past couple of decades is bound to creep into Canada.

"We seem to want to, in policing at least, to mimic the toys, the tools, the machinery that is available to police on the other side of the border," said Beare. "It doesn't seem to matter whether our crime situation is comparable at all."

Like I said in the other thread about this (time for a merge maybe?), the cops looks like they learned how deal with protestors from Bull Connor c. 1960 Birmingham, Alabama.

In Ferguson, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery gives account of his arrest

By Wesley Lowery August 14 at 5:58 AM 

FERGUSON, Mo. — For the past week in Ferguson, reporters have been using the McDonald’s a few blocks from the scene of Michael Brown’s shooting as a staging area. Demonstrations have blown up each night nearby. But inside there’s WiFi and outlets, so it’s common for reporters to gather there.

That was the case Wednesday. My phone was just about to die, so as I charged it, I used the time to respond to people on Twitter and do a little bit of a Q&A since I wasn’t out there covering the protests.

As I sat there, many armed officers came in — some who were dressed as normal officers, others who were dressed with more gear.

Initially, both Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post and I were asked for identification. I was wearing my lanyard, but Ryan asked why he had to show his ID. They didn’t press the point, but one added that if we called 911, no one would answer.

Then they walked away. Moments later, the police reemerged, telling us that we had to leave. I pulled my phone out and began recording video.

An officer with a large weapon came up to me and said, “Stop recording.”

I said, “Officer, do I not have the right to record you?”

He backed off but told me to hurry up. So I gathered my notebook and pens with one hand while recording him with the other hand.

As I exited, I saw Ryan to my left, having a similar argument with two officers. I recorded him, too, and that angered the officer. As I made my way toward the door, the officers gave me conflicting information.

One instructed me to exit to my left. As I turned left, another officer emerged, blocking my path.

“Go another way,” he said.

As I turned, my backpack, which was slung over one shoulder, began to slip. I said, “Officers, let me just gather my bag.” As I did, one of them said, “Okay, let’s take him.”

Multiple officers grabbed me. I tried to turn my back to them to assist them in arresting me. I dropped the things from my hands.

“My hands are behind my back,” I said. “I’m not resisting. I’m not resisting.” At which point one officer said: “You’re resisting. Stop resisting.”

That was when I was most afraid — more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets.

As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door.

I could see Ryan still talking to an officer. I said: “Ryan, tweet that they’re arresting me, tweet that they’re arresting me.”

He didn’t have an opportunity, because he was arrested as well.

The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: “I can’t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!”

Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van.

“I’m going to die!” he screamed. “I’m going to die! I can’t breathe! I’m going to die!”

Eventually a police car arrived. A woman — with a collar identifying her as a member of the clergy — sat in the back. Ryan and I crammed in next to her, and we took the three-minute ride to the Ferguson Police Department. The woman sang hymns throughout the ride.

During this time, we asked the officers for badge numbers. We asked to speak to a supervising officer. We asked why we were being detained. We were told: trespassing in a McDonald’s.

“I hope you’re happy with yourself,” one officer told me. And I responded: “This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow.”

And he said, “Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.”

Once at the station, we were processed, our pockets emptied. No mug shots. They removed our restraints and put us in a holding cell. Ryan was able to get ahold of his dad. I called my mom, but I couldn’t get through. I couldn’t remember any phone numbers.

We were in there for what felt like 10 or 15 minutes. Then the processing officer came in.

“Who’s media?” he asked.

We said we were. And the officer said we were both free to go. We asked to speak to a commanding officer. We asked to see an arrest report. No report, the officer told us, and no, they wouldn’t provide any names.

I asked if there would ever be a report. He came back with a case number and said a report would be available in a week or two.

“The chief thought he was doing you two a favor,” he said.



The Ferguson Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lowery’s detention.


The following is a statement on the incident from Washington Post Executive Editor Martin D. Baron:

Wesley has briefed us on what occurred, and there was absolutely no justification for his arrest.

He was illegally instructed to stop taking video of officers. Then he followed officers’ instructions to leave a McDonald’s — and after contradictory instructions on how to exit, he was slammed against a soda machine and then handcuffed. That behavior was wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news. The physical risk to Wesley himself is obvious and outrageous.

After being placed in a holding cell, he was released with no charges and no explanation. He was denied information about the names and badge numbers of those who arrested him.

We are relieved that Wesley is going to be OK. We are appalled by the conduct of police officers involved.

Back then it was pure racism driving the issue. Given that plenty of the cops in Ferguson are going to be black this has more to do with the cops having too much military equipment and a plausible excuse to use it. Get those gearheads dressed up in MARPAT and driving around in their assault vehicles and they're going to go out to bust heads because that's what you do when you're all dressed up for headbusting.

I won't weigh in on the here-nor-there of the incident that started this, but the aftermath of the incident was inexcusable with Ferguson cops seizing cell phones from all of the immediate witnesses. The only cell phone video we have is from the people who defied police orders and took video from their apartments.

Citizens have the right to video record cops in this country and the fact that the cops tried to suppress all of the video speaks to their wrongdoing. If the cops' action was righteous then there'd be nothing to hide.

True but there seems to be a race issue here in Ferguson, MO too. 90% of the police are white in a town where 2/3 of residents are black. And according to the state of Missouri's own data, there is grossly disproportionate rate of arrests and tickets issued to blacks as opposed to whites. But let's ignore that for now.

My reference to Alabama and the bad old days was more along the lines of a wholly disproportionate police respose to the situation at hand. Apart from the first night, the protests have been peaceful and yet the police are acting and dressing like the revolution is at hand.

Again, to go back to 60's, compare the police in Alabama and Georgia. In Georgia, similar protests and matches occurred but the police let them protest with no harassment. In Alabama.....well we know how things went down there.

The mere presence of heavily armed and armoured police instigates a more negative response and the police in Ferguson seem completely oblivious to that fact. Hence why they're firing tear gas at news crews, arresting journalists in mcdonalds for doing their jobs in a public place and firing rubber and wooden bullets at people holding their hands up. Is a complete overreaction to the situation and if it keeps up the Feds are going to have to come in like they did under JFK's orders to keep the protestors safe from the police who are supposed to protect and serve them.

The police are also saying that the officer has injuries from Brown attacking him and trying to get his gun.