As even the people most reflexively supportive of the police react with shock at the grand jury decision to exonerate the police officer who strangled New York City’s Eric Garner, I have yet to hear anyone express the obvious: Garner was accused of selling cigarettes to homeless people without paying city tax. You read it correctly: selling cigarettes to homeless people without paying city tax! Excuse me! That is a minor crime that in any other country would require a summons to a Magistrate’ Court and at most a fine. Instead, the guy (no longer young and clearly in poor health), was set upon by an out of control set of 200 pound gorillas, and strangled. They say they didn’t intend to kill him, and I don’t suppose they did. But what it points up is the bad training, ignorance and lack of plain common sense that seems to be rather prevalent among the police.
This police attitude is not new. When I was set upon by Memphis, Tennessee police in my youth on suspicion of being young and a foreigner, I was thrown against the bus stop, shackled and frisked by 6 cops. It hurt, and of course I received no apology (I was wrongly identified) but at least they didn’t strangle me. My eldest son, complete with back-pack, suffered similar treatment as a young man in America. Time these police were plonked in front of a TV with the sports channel on and told to stay there – indefinitely! I would pay to keep them off the street as a means of creating a more pleasant, happy life for millions, especially African Americans.
As someone who spends a lot of time in the States, why do the Americans feel the need to arm the police and give them so much power? It seems completely disproportionate to me, especially when you consider that violent crime in the US is at a 40 year low.
Since 9/11 Americans have been paranoid about security. The CIA, the plethora of orher ” security” agencies, the FBI and the police are off limits when it comes to criticism. Indeed, ” thank you for your service” is what you hear the more nationalistic citizens say to anyone “protecting this great country of ours”. The Federal government have been throwing sophisticated military weapons at police forces all over the country, re-creating them as para-military forces. As someone who believes that the US could go the way of revolutionary France and Russia because of endemic inequality, this is very bad news indeed. Part of the problem lies with bad education and training, but the other bit is an apparent disconnect between the police and the public, and fear on the part of the rich establishment. Fear of terrorism, foreigners, dissent, liberals, unemployment – it goes on.. the fact that the crime rate is way down doesn’t register and isn’t publicized by the right- wing Press, which is now most of it.
Paranoia rules all over!