Was Civil Unrest In Ferguson Inevitable?

I have one thought on Ferguson, positing that the level of protest, demonstration, and civil unrest is an indictment itself on the officer involved shooting and killing of Michael Brown. After all, do you really think the community would respond the way it has if this was a justified shooting and killing? Of course, remembering that we must not act as judge and jury, as everyone deserves due process.

• • •

War On Drugs, The Rise Of Police Militarization

In my many recent blog posts on the police initiated war zone in Ferguson, Missouri, I’ve mentioned the increasing militarization of police forces around the country, especially in the aftermath of 9/11. I have also talked about MRAPs (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles on multiple occasions. What I did not do in any of these articles was trace back to where this all started. And it should come as no shock that America’s war on drugs plays a crucial role in police department militarization.

• • •

Prison-Industrial Complex: The Magic Thinking Of America’s ‘Tough On Crime’ Reactionary Types

I recently participated in a debate on Facebook about criminals and American incarceration. The debate sprang from an article about a repeat offender, committing yet another robbery only weeks after release from a nine-year sentence. My takeaway from this conversation is that America’s prison-industrial complex will not change as long as most Americans are passive on this issue. And that’s because there are a fair number of people in this country who have a philosophy that one should die for the crimes he or she commits, particularly if a repeat offender. In their minds, the only requirement that need be met for a death sentence is their sole judgement that this human being no longer deserves to live, and will never be a useful member of society.

• • •