When did this become OK? When did "protect and serve" turn into "us versus them"?

[Little Star]

While serving as a U.S. Marine on patrol in Afghanistan, we wore desert camouflage to blend in with our surroundings, carried rifles to shoot back when under enemy attack, and drove around in armored vehicles to ward off roadside bombs.

We looked intimidating, but all of our vehicles and equipment had a clear purpose for combat against enemy forces. So why is this same gear being used on our city streets?

On Saturday, a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, an unarmed black man. In the days that have followed, the town with a population of about 21,000 has seen massive protests in response to the shooting, as some witnesses said Brown had his hands up when he was killed


Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/police-militarization-ferguson-2014-8#ixzz3AJUtNjnE

Our cities and towns don't need militarized police. They are like a gang of spoiled children each wanting the newest, biggest, baddest toy rather than serving & protecting. We the people should stand against this militarization in each and every town and city. NOTHING good can come from this kind of militarization. We need police that serve us.

[Rex]

1. 2000. 9/11

Katrina.

[Little Star]

2. It needs to stop!

[Rex]

5. Too late. Now that there is the DHS, there will always need to be an enemy.

The DEA needs the war on drugs. The CIA needs wars on foreign soil. The NSA needs us to be enemy or non-enemy combatants to justify their wholesale taking of private information.

They all have a roll to play and the more to the right we move down the spectrum...they worse things will get.

One good reason we need to make sure we keep Democrats in office. We would all be nuclear ash right now if McCain was POTUS...and I say that in complete seriousness.

This week has kinda crushed me...Obama is about the only calm we have in this storm right now. But he will have to step up and do something about out of control law enforcement. Just like putting his foot down with the CIA.

I would say Congress should do something about it, but it seems the GOP finally decided to give up any pretense of running the country.

[4now]

3. It happened when Americans cheered on the drug war.

And gave the cops any weapons that they wanted.

[malaise]

4. Protect and serve business interests

Ask the Occupy Movement

[2banon]

6. This is nothing new, Throughout our History it's been this way.

The list of police brutality and lethal force has been a mainstay of our national heritage, in this so called "democracy" ..

Here below are just a few links of massacres done against labor demonstrators or others seeking justice and equality.. There are many, many events early on in our history.. I don't have the time to look them all up.. But it is stunning even to a jaundiced eye.


The Haymarket Massacre - Chicago 1886 (aka "The Haymarket Affair&quot

The Ludlow Massacre - Colorado 1914

Bay View Massacre - Wisconsin - 1886


Everett Massacre - Washington - 1916

The Orangeburg Massacre - South Carolina 1968

Kent State shootings - Ohio 1970

Hanapepe massacre - Hawaii-1924

[Historic NY]

7. One police academy class locally...

had a motto, want peace prepare for war. I asked them WTF that meant....

A motto for a military organization has no business being embedded into the police culture. It us against them, they seem to forget its the us that pays them.