The Militarization of our Police

I have been very upset with the escalating violence with which our police are using on its citizens. Have any of you noticed that it appears more and more swat teams are being utilized for what used to be routine police business? That there seems to be an inordinate amount of brute force being used against ordinary citizens that are hardly a threat?

The Department of Education has its own swat team! In fact it raided a home in the middle of the night, rousing a man and his three daughters from bed at gun point because his ex-wife defaulted on student loans. The Department of Education said it was because of embezzlement and fraud. Embezzlement and fraud requires a swat team to terrorize a family in the middle of the night? The fact that his ex-wife hadn't lived there for over a year seemed to matter not.

A grandfather being thrown to the ground and knocked out in front of his grandson for allegedly stealing a video game? He denies stealing the game and said he merely stuck it in the band of his pants while grabbing his grandson to get him out of a Black Friday melee. He wasn't even followed to see if he was trying to leave the store with the item. I can't tell you how many times I've stuck something in my purse, or coat pocket while running after a toddler, only to take it out and pay for it at the check stand. Breaking this man's nose?

And then watching Anthony Bologna of NYPD pepper spray women who were defenseless and penned in by police tape. Or watching a peaceful group of college protesters get pepper sprayed for having a sit-in. Isn't that what our country is all about? Peaceful protest? Isn't that what separates us from all of those countries that are not free to do so??

Something is going on here. Something is not right.

Then we have the routinely used taser. Pregnant women have been tasered, children as young as six, the elderly, an out of control ten year old! People have been tasered at routine traffic stops, or for noncompliance with an officer. I guess if you have the audacity to ask any questions, you can be tasered. A 61-year old man was tasered and killed in North Carolina for not stopping on his bicycle. He had done nothing illegal. His wife said he probably didn't hear the command as he was hard of hearing.

Then there is the increasingly militaristic look to the police uniform. You routinely see the domestic cop dressed in camouflage, or a battle dress uniform, or full-on armour, toting an assault weapon for summits and protests. They drive tanks and military command centers. Then we have the law that is now before Congress that would allow the government to hold American citizens indefinitely, without a trial, if the government can accuse them of terrorism.

This is starting to feel very fascist.

How far did you say he was from that building?

I was following my regular routine that morning, eight years ago. Watching something on television while I walked on the treadmill before going to work. The phone rang, and it was my husband. He said he was okay, that a plane had hit a building close by, and he didn't want me to worry. Hmmm - better turn on the news while I walk on the treadmill.

Next call - he's been evacuated - had to leave everything in the hotel room and start walking. It was a big plane that hit the World Trade Center. Uh-oh, another plane hit! Next call was from his office. His boss saying he had been in contact with him, he is okay, but was being evacuated. He said his hotel was across the street and a hundred feet from the WTC. Just as he said that I watched on TV as the first tower came crashing down. HOW FAR DID YOU SAY HE WAS FROM THAT BUILDING?

We all know the rest of the story.

My husband, and his fellow employees walked up Madison Avenue, without purses, laptops, clothes. Without a place to sleep, without medications. But people they knew that lived in NYC rallied. They ended up finding a room at what turned out to be a very posh hotel. They were able to find some clothes, food, alcohol. Lots of alcohol. American Express was able to get my husband's medication, and their boss was able to eventually get them home by flying them out of New Jersey, at a time when no planes were flying. My husband calls him on this anniversary every year to thank him.

It took six months to get his things from that hotel across the street where so many innocent lives were lost. He had to sign a release stating he would not hold the hotel responsible for what may be on and in his things. He signed the release.

The evil perpetrated on that day will never be forgotten. Not by me, my husband, our family, or our country. Never.

But my hope is that we will eventually see that hating will never change the world. And we so need to change the world. Maybe, one day we will all realize that we are One. When we harm another, we are really harming ourselves. That violence begets violence, but so does empathy, love, kindness, and generosity. We have a choice.