Policing a Riot

Townhall.com ^ | August 20, 2014 | John Stossel

[Kaslin]

Libertarians warned for years that government is force, that government always grows and that America's police have become too much like an occupying army.

We get accused of being paranoid, but we look less paranoid after heavily armed police in Ferguson, Missouri, tear gassed peaceful protesters, arrested journalists and stopped some journalists from entering the town.

One week before the rioting began, Fox News aired my documentary on the militarization of law enforcement, "Policing America."

That show didn't stop some left-wing commentators from making the bizarre claim that libertarians like me have been silent about Ferguson.

I can't force them to read my columns, or Sen. Rand Paul's (R, Ken.) article titled "We Must Demilitarize the Police" or libertarian Rep. Justin Amash's (R, Mich.) condemnation of the police for "escalating" tensions with "military equipment."

Although it was government police and government-supplied military equipment that provoked the conflict (plus property-rights-violating looters), leftists still found ways to blame libertarians and advocates of private gun ownership.

Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Tom Toles depicted a sarcastic TV viewer watching news from Ferguson and sniping that "I'm sure the NRA has an interesting solution for this" -- as if overzealous police are the fault of people who believe in individuals' right to defend themselves.

Other pro-big-government commentators just questioned the sincerity of libertarians, saying that if we were in power, we would become authoritarians and defend the police.

It's true that once people are in power, they often grow fond of authority and less interested in liberty. But I don't see why this is an argument against libertarians -- who warn about this problem all the time -- instead of an argument against all those who are actually in power and shameless about wielding that power.

But since leftists are so easily confused, and since there's plenty of blame to go around, let's list who's to blame for what:

--The police do not have the right to execute suspects, unless there is no other way of stopping them and they pose an immediate threat to the safety of others.

--Michael Brown, assuming current interpretations of security footage are correct, robbed and bullied a store clerk right before he was killed by police. That may well mean he was violent and dangerous, but even violent people should be brought to trial, not gunned down.

--Individual cops may feel threatened -- and may be threatened in the course of doing their jobs -- but they still do not have the right to use more force than is necessary. Too often, panicked or angry cops pump multiple rounds into already-wounded suspects, as appears to have happened to Michael Brown.

--Yes, centuries of white people abusing the civil liberties of blacks have left many blacks resentful of police power, and in recent years, white police officers have shot, on average, two young black men every week. But none of that justifies violence and looting like that which followed Michael Brown's death. Criminals who ransack stores are always wrong to violate the rights of innocent third parties.

--Peaceful protestors should not be lumped in with looters and subject to curfews by police. Most looters are opportunists, not people making a political statement. Police and angry citizens alike have a duty to distinguish between protesters and criminals.

--The Pentagon, the Department of Homeland Security and opportunistic politicians all pushed the idea of heavily arming local cops, even in places more rural than Ferguson. "Why would cops wear camouflage gear against a terrain patterned by convenience stores and beauty parlors?" wonders the Cato Institute's Walter Olson.

He notes that a man identifying himself as a veteran from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division reacted to video of police in Ferguson by tweeting, "We rolled lighter than that in an actual war zone."

If authorities arm cops like soldiers, they may begin to think like soldiers -- and see the public as the enemy. That makes violent confrontations more likely.

[agere_contra]

The police do not have the right to execute suspects, unless there is no other way of stopping them and they pose an immediate threat to the safety of others.

Michael Brown, assuming current interpretations of security footage are correct, robbed and bullied a store clerk right before he was killed by police. That may well mean he was violent and dangerous, but even violent people should be brought to trial, not gunned down.

Michael Brown had assaulted a policeman and was trying to continue the assault when the injured officer shot him in self-defense.

The militarization of the police is a real, growing threat to America. However: Brown's death was a good shoot.

[Arm_Bears]

I guess folks should be thankful that Homeland Security hasn’t rolled in with their MRAPs and heavy weapons—Could be a lot nastier.

Could also be very telling.

[junta]

At WRSA they have a photo of the usual white scumbag commies clamoring for more government and on the other side the riot police, funny as hell. But here is what we get anarcho-tyranny having the likes of an urban underclass and the solution we clamor for basically the 82Abn lightweight division with badges to protect and serve the sh*t out of us.

[Cap'n Crunch]

Stossel wrote this? shame.

Did a militarized police officer shoot Thug Brown?

There was going to be a riot no matter what the cops rolled up in afterward. I don’t recall seeing military gear in the Rodney King riots.

Tear gas is suddenly military hardware? Cops have been using tear gas for decades to deal with riots.

If anything the media giving these animals sympathetic worldwide recognition/coverage has fueled the fire more than anything else.

[Kaslin]

It’s not necessary the Ferguson PD has these

[logi_cal869]

I’ve been in training and haven’t been listening as much to radio or posting/reading here. So my observations may be cliche.

What it is that I see is a distinct demographic responsible for the civil disturbances while just having received a week ago the most current warning from DHS about sovereign citizens and conservatives being a danger to the country.

I find that to be completely under-analyzed in media.

I hope it’s been analyzed here.

IMHO, the militarization of the police is a distraction (a symptom) from the real problems...makes good news, but doesn’t solve anything or get discussion toward that end either.

If the claim had been made prior, credit where credit is due.

[Carl Vehse]

"Brown's death was a good shoot.

And it had nothing to do with police militarism, despite the usual fifth-column MSM riot-inciting rhetoric.

What is applicable to the subsequent use of standard police riot control methods and equipment is the... well, lawless riots, lootings, shootings, and burnings that occurred.

[cripplecreek]

IMHO, the militarization of the police is a distraction (a symptom) from the real problems

Exactly.

[Kaslin]

Michael Brown “Fractured Cop's Eye Socket” During Attack of Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Reports Claim

[Kaslin]

It’s not necessary, the Ferguson PD has these

Comma inserted at appropriate place

[bert]

——under-analyzed in media——

To make such a statement is to illustrate total misunderstanding. The problem or subcultural condition is not under analyzed, it is purposely ignored by the media. The media of which you speak is first and foremost not media but but propaganda.

The reality being put forward is one that protects the Democrat party. There can be no analysis, no critical production of any event or particle of evidence contrary to the propagandistic narrative.

It can be well argued that the event precipitating the riots must and will be prolonged as long as possible to inflame enough voters to turnout in November to prevent loss of the Senate. Nothing else on the horizon matters. The Senate must be maintained at all costs. All costs can and does involve activity bordering on criminal.

Given the lawless mindset of the President, I question that capture of the Senate will have any real effect because the action will be ignored anyway. America is going to learn that drastic measures will be required to end the tyranny

[Ken H]

The militarization of the police is a real, growing threat to America. However: Brown's death was a good shoot.

Pretty much my take.

[MileHi]

If anything the media giving these animals sympathetic worldwide recognition/coverage has fueled the fire more than anything else.

Yep, and Eric witHolder ain't helping either.

[Cap'n Crunch]

And I see Governor Pontius Nixon has thrown the officer under the bus. The left will capitulate to the mob.

[caww]

Many admitted the violence was to bring the media attention they believe they do not get any other way.

[Boonie]

With the Obama administration in charge, if the DHS rolled in with their MRAPs, they very well could take the side of the protesters against the State Police.....

[Old Yeller]

I guess folks should be thankful that Homeland Security hasn’t rolled in with their MRAPs and heavy weapons—Could be a lot nastier.

Naw. Holder is only going to call them in when the white folk is rioting.

[Conscience of a Conservative]

“Michael Brown had assaulted a policeman and was trying to continue the assault when the injured officer shot him in self-defense.”

That is far from confirmed at this point. If that’s what happened, then yes, it was a good shot. But I’m still waiting for confirmation about what exactly transpired before Brown was shot.