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Saturday 16 August 2014

Ferguson : Proof That America is Turning Into a Militarized Police State

Vigilant Citizen

Equipped with fatigues, assault weapons and armored vehicles, the police response in Ferguson, Missouri was proof that America is quickly becoming a militarized police state.

The shooting and killing of 18 year-old Michael Brown by a police officer sparked outrage in Ferguson, Missouri – a city that is predominantly Black but where the police force is overwhelmingly White. According to eye witnesses, the young man was shot about eight times, even though he was unarmed and had his hands in the air. Ferguson police officials stated that Brown was attempting to take a police officer’s weapon – a version of the story that was contradicted by various eye witness accounts.

The death of the young man at the hand of police caused protests which degenerated into looting and rioting. Far from attempting to calm the situation, local authorities turned Ferguson into an occupied war zone as police showcased its vast array of military equipment. Ferguson, an inner-suburb of the Midwest suddenly occupied by soldiers equipped with military fatigues, kevlar vests, helmets, tear gas and assault weapons, followed by armored vehicles topped by snipers. Some war veterans even noticed that “police officers” were better equipped than they were while serving in Iraq.

This kind of upsetting scene is becoming increasingly common in America as police forces across the country have been actively purchasing military equipment in the past few years.

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