Ferguson, MO haunting me today

I was pretty young in the sixties and did not do any activism then but I remember that many referred to cops as pigs. Militarizing them exacerbates their piggishness and violence. The military equipment seems to dehumanize them.

I was a kid in Chicago when the first Mayor Daley ordered his pigs to shoot demonstrators at the Democratic National Convention. I was in high school when pigs killed demonstrators at Kent State, all peaceful demonstrators.





I am not defending the horrible escalation of violence caused, imho, by the pigs in Ferguson. I hope Ferguson inspires this country to take away the military toys of the police but I don't think it will. I believe the power elite have very strategically militarized the police so when food and water become scarce, the elite have all they need and the militarized police will stop the masses from getting water and food.

Having said the above, however, I also want to say that, imo, society asks quite a lot from the police. And I have never heard of any police department that has programs to nurture cops, to work with them on a regular basis to be reminded of their humanity and their mission to serve and protect the people, not the oligarchy.

I also suspect police departments could do better jobs screening candidates for the job of being a cop.

If we are all interconnected, we are all interconnected with the human beings dressed in cammoflage, pointing weapons at peaceful demonstratiors, tear gassing citizens who are not commiting crimes, arresting journalists, denying the citizens' right to assemble and express their opinioins.

I am sickened by what is happening, and by the steady rise in cops killing blacks for trivial and nonexistent reasons. Here in the Bay Area, a BART subway cop killed a young black father who was already face down on the floor with his hands behind his back. Oscar Grant was uttering insults to the cops, angry that he had been arrested without cause. But some cop killed him. That cop spend a little time in jail, was convicted of something.

Something else that greatly disturbs me about Ferguson is the way the Ferguson power structure is building a narrative to protect a cop who cold bloodedly murdered a young man for walking in the street.

The Justice Department asked the Ferguson police to not distribute the photo of the petty shoplifting Brown allegedly had done. Wilson, the killer cop, did not know about the shoplifting. The Ferguson police disregarded the justice department.

It seems clear to me that no Missouri power authority, including its Democratic Governor or the oreo State Police officer appointed to manage police action in Ferguson (that guy talked a good game for, what, a day? and then authorized more tear gas?) should be allowed to manage what is happening in Ferguson.

Why doesn't the federal government step in and take charge? Maybe even bring in National Guard troops from other states.

It is unfortunate that some people, no longer able to believe they can trust the system to provide justice (I don't trust the system to provide justice). I wish the agitators that are showing up and throwing things at the cops and have looted stores would chillax, even stay out of Ferguson and let the people of Ferguson, hopefully with some great lawyers and other powerful leaders helping them, work out what is going on.

The cops on the ground clearly cannot maintain peace. Clearly the cops are drunk in their perception of their power.