Militarizing America’s police forces
COMMON SENSE | Jim Hightower
Attention citizens: I have received inside information revealing that global terrorists are targeting us again. Their target is not Washington, New York City or even Disneyland. Rather, it is: Concord.
You know, in New Hampshire. Even though only about 43,000 people live there, Concord apparently has some sort of secret significance that makes it a target. We can infer this from an extraordinary defensive action being taken by local authorities. Concord police, fully backed by the city council, are preparing for a horrific terroristical assault. Specifically, they sought a $258,000 grant from the Department of Homeland Security so they can gird themselves for the onslaught by purchasing a “Lenco BearCat G3” armored vehicle.
This bold stand to defend the homeland was revealed by the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union, which obtained a copy of the grant request. Actually, it is not al-Qaida terrorists that have Concord’s police gearing up for war, but, as their request put it, “the domestic type” of terrorists.
Who are these domestic demons? The police finger two groups. First, Occupy N.H. But it’s a benign bunch that legitimately protests inequalities in our country, and its only “violence” has been directed at litter, having joined in local litter pickup days. Second, the Free State Project. But it’s just a libertarianish outfit trying to convince 20,000 likeminded people to move to New Hampshire and support limited government. How’s that for irony?
And the real threat to our security is DHS, which keeps shoveling our tax dollars into the militarization of America’s police forces. In fact, the real motive behind Concord’s desire for this war toy seems to have been BearCat envy – it turns out that the nearby towns of Keene and Manchester already had BearCats.
But this ridiculous and dangerous conversion from honest police work to a martial force is not just a matter of acquiring arms, but of our police departments acquiring a military attitude. An example of this alarming shift can be found in, of all places, the Garden of Eden.
The Biblical Garden, we’re told, was heaven on Earth ... until Adam ate that apple. Then all hell broke loose. Well, hell recently erupted again – this time in Arlington, Texas, on a small organic farm named “Garden of Eden.” At about 7:30 on Aug. 2, a SWAT team of armed police agents, code enforcement officers and narcotics detectives suddenly exploded all over Shellie Smith’s little farm. They burst through the gate, handcuffed the terrified residents and held them at gunpoint while the agents executed the raid’s mission.
Which was what, exactly? A spokeswoman explained, “The purpose was to improve the quality of life (and) to resolve life safety issues within neighborhoods.” It seems there had been complaints about marijuana being grown and about the place being unkempt.
So, what did the derring-do raiders achieve? They captured 17 blackberry bushes, 15 okra plants, 14 tomatillo plants, some native grasses and all the sunflowers. Then they whacked down Shellie’s sweet potato patch with a Weed Eater, and seized the farm’s compost, along with some wooden pallets, old tires and furniture.
Notice what they did not find? Marijuana plants. Nor any other illegal products. Why would police resort to paramilitary force just to check out a few marijuana plants and some trash? Because right-wing officials and armsindustry lobbyists have been pushing hard to get police departments all across America to switch from a peacekeeping attitude to an aggressive, militarized SWAT mentality, with officers being armed, trained and psyched to treat common citizens as enemies.
To learn more and help push back, go to aclu.org/militarization.
Jim Hightower is national radio commentator, columnist and author.
