Americans are used to this nation’s military being engaged in wars across the world; wars against nations and enemies “over there.” But what we are not at all used to is what is happening here in America today as we witness more and more incidents of overly aggressive police actions using deadly force in situations that simply do not call for anything of the kind.
I’m talking about what might accurately be described as an uncivil war. If you look up the definition of uncivil you will find that it means barbarous, uncivilized conduct, not conducive to civic harmony and welfare. Well those words could certainly be used to describe the many recent incidents involving extremely violent measures taken by police in this country against its very own citizens.
Americans watch with an increasing sense of apprehension at what just happened in Ferguson, Missouri where Michael Brown, a black teenager, was shot and killed by a police officer who found him walking down the middle of the street and then confronted him.
The latest reports indicate that this young man was shot six times, twice in the head. That community is on the verge of exploding, to the point that the Missouri National Guard has now been mobilized; and that’s another great mistake.
In mid-July in New York City we saw another black man, Eric Garner, confronted by police and accused of illegally selling cigarettes. He was wrestled to the ground and one of the officers applied a choke hold that resulted in his death. That situation could and should have been handled by using either mace, pepper spray or a taser if competent, trained officers were involved; but they weren’t.
These kinds of confrontations involving the use of deadly force are becoming far too common in America and when they happen they often set off a firestorm of protests from those in the community who are incensed by these brutal police tactics.
Something very troubling, very frightening is going on in America, something we have never seen before to this extent. Police swat teams seem to be everywhere, in large cities and small towns and when we see them on the TV they look like storm troopers. Many of them brandish high powered assault-type weapons and even some types of machine guns. An increasing number of police units around the country have obtained monstrous armored vehicles handed down to them by the military.
We must not minimize or dismiss what is happening; Ferguson represents an ominous sign of the great chasm that has developed between the police and the people of this country. This, unquestionably, is a war of sorts with the vast majority of firepower possessed by this new-type quasi-military police force. If something is not done to address and solve this problem, and soon, then this country is in danger of becoming a full-blown police state.
These are the latest examples of a long succession of overly aggressive police actions and they are certainly not limited to black people. For example, not that long ago members of the Occupy Movement, primarily in New York City as well as a few other areas of the country, were harassed and abused by the police for demonstrating against what its members felt were abusive and unethical practices by the government and Corporate America. Then there was the incident in which University of California campus police sprayed huge amounts of pepper spray directly into the faces of students sitting on the ground peacefully protesting.
What is going on, why are we seeing the growth of all these highly aggressive police units? Does the level of crime in this country call for that degree of force ready to go into action at any given time with so much firepower?
I recall, in the aftermath of the 911 attacks on the WTC, hearing the words “America will never be the same” and those words were certainly prophetic. In fact we might say that ever since America entered the 21st Century it has never been the same. These heightened police actions are proof of exactly that.
Let’s look at this problem in more depth. Psychological studies have determined that there is a condition that affects certain individuals who have in their genetic code what is referred to as a “Warrior gene.” It’s a condition in which higher levels of aggressive behavior can surface at any time if such an individual is subjected to some form of direct provocation.
It seems that in these persons there is a high degree of anger that is always simmering just below the surface and can erupt any a moment’s notice. In fact, as brought out in this ABC News article and video, “Scientists say one-in-three western men have a ‘warrior gene’ that predisposes them to violence.”
This country cannot let its primary law enforcement agencies become a subsidiary of the military. There has always been a great danger that the U.S. military could be used in enforcing the laws of this country on a state and local level and so Congress enacted the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 as a means to prevent that from ever happening. Here is the key premise of this law:
“Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”
There are exceptions to this statement in that the military can be involved in catastrophic situations at the discretion of the U.S. president such as was the case with Hurricane Katrina or years ago when President Eisenhower sent the military into Little Rock, Arkansas during the 1958 school desegregation crisis. However, the law was designed to restrict military use to only such unique situations.
Well then, if the regular military is, by law, banned from enforcing the laws of the land that apply to its citizenry then how did we ever get to this point in which the police can be referred to as pseudo-military? It’s simple; these local law enforcement agencies created their own version of the military and, in effect, have made an end run around the Posse Comitatus Act; and what we have now is what might accurately be called quasi-military law enforcement.
While we know that Congress is normally ineffectual in these kinds of situations let’s commend one of its members who has already stepped forward with a positive recommendation. U.S. Representative Hank Johnson of Georgia is going to introduce legislation to cancel the “1033” program by which the Pentagon has, for years, been distributing billions of dollars of surplus armored vehicles, assault rifles and other lethal equipment at no cost to police agencies all across the country. This is a politician who is fully aware that this program is one of the root causes of the entire problem.
However, the overall solution for the longer term has to come from the American people who must make up their minds that this condition can no longer be tolerated. People at the local levels of this country have to get involved in their community’s law enforcement affairs; they must demand that mayors, members of city councils and other elected officials overhaul police departments and transform them back to ones that concentrate on establishing dialogue with the community and maintaining a sense of harmony in order to prevent such dangerous confrontations.
Yes, the answer to bringing this situation under control is to use logic and common sense instead of brute force. Law enforcement agencies need to be banned from using swat teams and armored vehicles in relatively minor civil disturbances; they must be prevented from using high-powered assault type weapons and even machine guns except in extremely dangerous and highly volatile confrontations.
Americans need to make clear to these mayors and other officials that the police must deal with people in ways that are firm but not overly aggressive. If these officials respond with positive and constructive actions then that’s fine and the problems will be minimized over a period of time. But if they refuse to listen to reason and totally reject these directives, then those mayors and other elected officials should be thrown out of office by the voters post haste; get rid of the incompetents and bring in those individuals who are capable of addressing these problems. There is no reason why this cannot be done.
If these kinds of actions are not taken by the people and this very dangerous condition is allowed to escalate further, we could see a massive societal eruption in this society. The inner cities where there are guns everywhere could be the first to erupt and then this violence could spread across America. No one wants this kind of anarchy to take place in this country but if we the people do not take positive actions and do it now, then what is happening today will be nothing compared to the massive violence that will take place between the quasi-military police and the people going into the future.
So where exactly do we go from here? Will logic, reason and rational thinking prevail and bring this situation under control or will we see anarchy erupt in America?