How in the hell can the police in Ferguson be stopped? What can be done? They are purposely trying to incite riots!
I want to know this, too! Does this mean any police department in the country can turn into the private army of the local government, with no way for anyone else to intervene?
Send in federal troops, or the National Guard.
At this point, it’s well past time for the National Government to step in.
And Scheming, to answer your question, the thing that’s standing between the police and invading armies is the good police officers, which DO exist, on one’s police force. Scary and sad.
The National Guard has been there since Monday, and they’re not there to control the police.
Calling in the National Guard — a military organization — is the farthest thing from the de-escalation needed. They have been used to quell bona fide riots in the past, and to enforce desegregation, but they’ve also been tools to enforce segregation and quell legitimate protest. And people ended up dead.
Tin soldiers and Nixon’s coming
We’re finally on our own
This summer I hear the drumming
Four dead in Ohio(Anyone else darkly amused by the fact that the governor of Missouri is named Nixon?)
A few days ago I’d have said the one hope was for a change of police leadership, but that happened — and it looked really good for a day or so, and then they went right back to tear gas and control and harassment.
[nat guard in Ferguson: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/us/ferguson-missouri-protests.html]
[nat guard in civil unrest: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/19/upshot/not-just-ferguson-national-guard-has-a-long-history-with-civil-unrest.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=0]
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