The Question of Who III

Trey Smith

The same kind of thing happens in the case of police and federal law enforcement officials. Increasingly militarized themselves, they are trained to believe not that their duty is to “protect and serve” or to uphold the nation’s freedoms and liberty, but rather that they are centurions tasked with enforcing “order” and protecting property -- generally government property and the property of the wealthy. The general public then becomes a kind of “enemy” to be subdued with whatever force is necessary. Those who stand up for their rights under the law are perceived as threats to the authority of the enforcers, and are dealt with as enemies, to be beaten, pepper-sprayed in the face, spied upon and locked up.
~ from So then Who in the Hell Are We? by Dan DeWalt ~

One of the most disturbing trends in American society over the past generation or so is the increasing militarization of our domestic police forces. These days it often can be hard to tell the difference between an urban police department and the US Army or Marines!

Just look at how most big city police forces have dealt with peaceful OWS protesters. The men and women in blue don bullet-proof vests and other types of body armor. They put on helmets with face protectors. They grab shields, billy clubs, guns, tasers and tear gas canisters. In some instances, drone aircraft and tank-like vehicles are held at the ready.

All of these forces and tools are marshaled to deal with a few hundred -- in some instances, thousands -- individuals who are doing little more than exercising their rights of free assembly and free speech. If the police respond this way to protesters who are predominantly peaceful and pose no threat to the health and safety of others, imagine what the response would be to a group of citizens who might plan to be a slightly less peaceful!

Why are the police allowed to intimidate and, in many cases, brutalize citizens who have broken no laws? This returns us to central idea behind dehumanization. When anyone who might disagree with the machinations of power is painted as a faceless threat to peace and security, the listless public subserviently looks the other way. Why standup for people who somehow don't really count?