Ferguson: Furthering the Militarization of the American Police State

Slowly, like a tank treading over mountains of bodies to reach a destination, local police forces are being militarized. While this would be expected if our country was being invaded, and we were in constant danger from an outside force, that is not the case. What is the case is that local police are being militarized against AMERICANS.

All you need to do is gander at the above photo to realize just how far this has gone. It has set off a chain-of-events that will not end well for us as citizens. There are five officers aiming their gun at that unarmed American citizen in that picture. Dressed head to toe in military gear, they look more like something out of a videogame than an actual police force, yet that is just what they are. To serve and protect? That was the Ferguson police, driving tanks and running through their city, with their guns aimed at unarmed, non-provoking civilians (primarily of color). Boston was the test run for the police state idea. When they saw how we all bent over like bitches and let them lock us down for no reason, that was a taste test. Fast forward 1 year, and we have what unfolded in Ferguson a few weeks back, and it is proven. American police are being militarized, and America is being slowly prepped to turned into a police state. The above photo stands as the perfect proof of this, and should fill you with a sense of fear as to what happens to our freedom next.

"I was just asking directions. Is this necessary?"

 So the cops shoot and kill an unarmed black teenager In Ferguson, Missouri. A disgusting and unforgivable act, and an act that should be met with rage and civil disobedience.  Regardless of how corrupt the cops are or what district they are in or who they are aiming their aggression at, cops are not allowed to just shoot and kill people whenever and however they want. They are not given the almighty mantle of judge, jury, and executioner. They are simply bouncers. The guys who stand off to the side until the shit hits the fan, then they come in and make sure no more shit is hitting anymore fans. They are meant to symbolize protection and safety. When we see police, we are supposed to be filled with a sense of calm and protection, like suddenly, nothing can happen to you. The problem is, with the militarization of the police, we no longer see them like that. We no longer see them as the upholder of peace and protector of the innocent. Truth is, we begin to see them as the problem. A masked, protected, and armed bully who knows he is above the same laws he is enforcing. To further give the police this feeling, they are looking less and less like police and more and more like soldiers. Let us take a moment to observe the outfits that were worn by police the day Ferguson police went full military.

You see them and you'd think they were readying for a fight with Nazi zombies but nope, just a regular day on the job.

First of all, camo gear. Camo gear? Why the f*ck did any of these police officers have camo gear on? Makes no sense. Goggles usually used for war times, wrapped around military style helmets. Camo gear and flack jackets. These were not police the way we usually see them. Watching footage from Ferguson was like watching the setup for a war film. These “cops” were storming the streets, openly brandishing weapons, driving armored and weaponized war vehicles through, and basically, making their presence known more as a military occupying force than a police force. Were people rioting and tearing up the streets and beating cops down? Is that why the cops showed up like this? Great question, and the answer is no. They showed up like this before anyone even did anything. Speaking of doing anything, they showed up like this because THEY KNEW THEY WERE WRONG. They shot an unarmed black kid, and they knew they were going to catch heat for this. So what did they do? They came to the party dressed to kill. They wanted their presence felt before it was seen. There would be no apologizing for the mishandling of that case. No parties owning up and admitting they racially profiled someone and f*cked up. Nope. None of that. Instead, they showed up on an armored and already angry bull and dared anyone to f*ck with them. Now this is when shit went fully off-the-rails.

Just look at this picture:

You know every one of those guys has been in a frat.

These guys clearly do not think they are cops. They think they are soldiers right out of Call of Duty: Fuck America Edition. From the masks to the outfits to the stance to the bravado, it just no longer reads cops. It no longer reads as small town police. It reads military state. It reads “you make a wrong move and we shoot you and no one bats an eye.” The worst part is, no one is speaking up about it. Everything they did in Ferguson is apparently okay. It is perfectly okay to shoot an unarmed teenager “multiple times in the head and chest”. It is perfectly okay to follow that up with posturing and gesturing. As a matter of fact, why not just treat the entire population of Ferguson as if they have done something wrong, while owning none of that yourselves, Ferguson police? Oh wait, that is just what they did.

Remember this guy?

You know this dude has a tiny cock.

No, he is not a soldier in Afghanistan. No, this is not a photo from the first time we invaded Iraq. That is a Ferguson police officer sitting atop a heavily armored vehicle with a professional sniper rifle. Much has been said about this particular picture,  and with good reason. Much like TWA Flight 800 was a test run to see if they could really pull off an Operation Northwoods (which they later did with 9/11), Boston was a test run to see if we would allow the militarization of our local police, and we did nothing, which told them it was A-okay. Roger that!

That brings us to the second test, which was Ferguson. Police officers aiming guns at unarmed citizens whilst driving military vehicles through the city and telling people what they can and cannot do, using force any chance they can. That, to me, tells us we are screwed, period. Every single thing that has happened in Ferguson has been mishandled. You cannot aim a gun at someone who is not posing a threat to anyone or themselves. You cannot aim guns down on massive crowds gathered peacefully to rally against the exact thing that is happening. America is militarizing their police force, and leaning towards martial law. I know it sounds insane, but the big picture has already been painted for us. Some of us just refuse to see it because it scares us that much.

Jesus, guys. Killing Tupac once wasn't good enough for you?

The problem here is, we allow this. Why? Because we are terrified by it. We do not want to be staring down the barrel of a loaded gun pointed at our face because we stood in opposition to this. We don’t want to be the next Michael Brown, littered with bullet holes, even though we were brandishing no weapon at the time. The problem is, as mentioned in my Boston article,  how far away are we from this being Nazi Germany? How far away are we from country-wide, enforced curfews and police going from the guys who protected us to the guys who keep us locked down in our homes, stripped of all the rights that once made us free Americans? It wont just stop now on its own. The progression has begun. Though Ferguson may stand out, did you know the militarization of the police is happening in almost every town and state in the country right now? Some people are just not noticing. But guess what? Some are:

More than you would think, actually:

The press want you not to notice. The police want you not to notice. The government wants you not to notice, but this is happening, and has been slowly across the last decade or so. Do you know about your own town? Do you know if you have giant, armor-plated and weaponized vehicles at your town’s disposal? If so, why? Why do they need vehicles that have guns and armor and battering rams and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars? Why do the police look more like soldiers than police now (especially in the recent Ferguson photos we have all been seeing)? Why do local police forces need such insane and over-the-top methods of warfare when they are not meant to engage in warfare at all? They are simply there to keep us safe and keep the “bad guys” in line. Funny how the definition of bad guy is getting so vague, huh? Apparently now, part of keeping us in line means aiming guns at us and driving tanks around small towns. Question is, how far are we going to let this go? If we keep pretending its not happening, it will not end well for us. I think many of us can already see that….

Local police force "keeping you safe". If you still don't think we're heading straight to a police state, keep watching.