During the civil unrest in Ferguson, the eyes of the world turned to American policing style. As TV, print, and social media watched events unfold, it seemed that American citizens were enemies on foreign soil. And, the very police that these civilians were protesting against because of their violence against them, seemed more like an occupying force.
The White House intervened, as a little known policy became more widely known. The Pentagon, instead of destroying surplus and no longer used weaponry, gave it to police departments, to those departments whose very same officers were under intense scrutiny for their treatment of citizens. Under the new policy, they could still buy this equipment, but the government would no longer give it to them. This policy is now under review, with Police Organizations asking the government to still give them equipment, such as grenade launchers. Although they claim it would be used to disperse tear gas, they fail to see the irony in their request. They are not an occupying army. We are not the enemy. Tear gas should never be used on people exercising their constitutional right to address grievances. We know too well the potential for abuse. How can that level of force be justified against innocent civilians.....especially when these same officers can barely be trusted with handguns, tasers, and pepper spray. The last thing the police need is military gear. They aren't military in a war zone, they are servants of the community.
Until there is federal oversight of policing in this country, until police departments have overhauled their policies, their training, their hiring procedures, and their very culture, we the people demand that they continue to not have access to weapons of war. We fear that since the events in Dallas, that the White House is walking back on this ban. Keep in mind that Dallas did not occur in a vacuum. People were out there protesting the death of more unarmed black men. Not much has changed since Ferguson. We just have new hashtags. The shooter was a lone gunman, not affiliated with the protest. And the police on the scene were treating the protestors with respect and dignity. We need more of that, and less militarization. We the people want our voices heard to dissuade President Obama from lifting the ban on law enforcement militarization. Thank you.
