Many press reports characterized the ensuing protests as a mob reaction instead of a justifiable outpouring of community anger and grief. An officer was overheard referring to the protesters as “f---ing animals.” Commentators were critical of the heavy-handed police response, which inflamed instead of defused the tension. That included the deployment of police dogs, given the memories they evoke of intimidation during the civil rights protests of the 1960s, and the use of riot gear, tear gas and rubber or wooden bullets. These complaints echo the concerns outlined in a report by the American Civil Liberties Union on the excessive militarization of policing, bolstered by the repurposing of military gear no longer needed for war to police forces.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 21:28:44 +0000
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