The Shame of Ashvegas
Ashvegas is a moniker that residents of Asheville N.C. have used for several years. I’m not sure why, or why “North Cackalacky” is a long-standing nickname for the Old North State.
https://www.wfdd.org/story/carolina-curious-who-put-cackalacky-north-carolina
I was a proud resident of both Asheville and North Carolina for many years, and my sons and grandchildren live there now. But what happened on Tuesday night should send chills through anyone reflecting on our laws and how they are enforced.
It’s truly remarkable how the murder of George Floyd has reverberated around the world. If America and its democracy were once a beacon of hope, we have surely been a disappointment, and the light from that beacon has greatly diminished of late.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/01/world/george-floyd-global-protests-intl/index.html
If the best reason to peacefully protest is ongoing and gross injustice, then the latest murder of an innocent black person is surely cause for people en masse to protest peacefully about how our legal system currently “delivers justice.”
Even in smaller cities like Asheville, the protests went on for several days, and thoughtful supporters set up an aide station where bandages, saline solution, water bottles and medics were on hand in case there were injuries.
Unprovoked, Asheville police in riot gear held shields and formed a protective circle around officers who stomped and stabbed water bottles. (You can almost feel their need to “do something” rather than just stand around to “serve and protect,” the actual motto on Asheville police cars). Other officers destroyed medical supplies such as bandages and saline solution. Sean Miller, a UNC-Asheville student heading communications for the medical team, said the medics present were clearly marked as such and did not provoke police in any way. Asheville’s mayor, Esther Manheimer, was quoted later as saying that it was a “disappointing moment” in an otherwise peaceful evening.
But such moments, or “incidents,” reflect a deeper reality. Incidents are not just accidents.
As Lord Acton said over 150 years ago, “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely. “
To borrow from the unfortunate language of acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper, the streets of America are now a “battlespace,” which police and now military units are urged to “dominate.” (The President has used the same unfortunate language, forgetting that the right to protest injustices created the impetus for our Declaration of Independence, is part of the foundation of our nation, and is at the heart of our First Amendment rights.)
For years, the federal government has been militarizing municipal police departments with battle gear.
As one police veteran tells it:
I have seen, throughout my decades in law enforcement, that police culture tends privilege the use of violent tactics and non-negotiable force over compromise, mediation, and peaceful conflict resolution. It reinforces a general acceptance among officers of the use of any and all means of force available when confronted with real or perceived threats to officers.
We have seen this play out during the first week of protests following Floyd’s death in cities from Seattle to Flint to Washington, D.C.
The police have deployed a militarized response to what they accurately or inaccurately believe to be a threat to public order, private property, and their own safety. It is in part due to a policing culture in which protesters are often perceived as “the enemy.” Indeed, teaching cops to think like soldiers and learn how to kill has been part of a training program popular among some police officers.
Of course, the irony of repeated instances this spring of armed protesters in Michigan’ state capitol and elsewhere being treated oh so gingerly must here be noted. God help us if those protesting police brutality, as opposed to “lockdown orders,” should show up with heavy armament. (Of course, it’s possible that the anti-lockdown protesters waving confederate flags don’t mind a bit of black head-bashing, but that’s just a wild guess.). Proportionate response should be the legal and practical norm in law enforcement. When police over-react and think of First Amendment protesters as the enemy, this nation has a very big problem, indeed.