what you notice:
Just good old fashioned sticks and brute force:
And yet nothing all that different from the scenes in Ferguson:
Pretty much all that has changed is the hardware.
But, to quote Andrea Mitchell, "a lot of people are shocked by the militarization" that they saw in Ferguson; and my question is: why?
Why aren't we shocked that in nearly 50 years, after we turned Martin Luther King, Jr. into a plaster saint, and put racism behind us by electing a black President, that nothing has changed except the equipment?
You're right that there is much that should shock us about racism still alive and well throughout the land. It drives me nearly to the point of despair. That said, aong with Angela Mitchell, I am shocked by the militarization. Police overreaction and brutality have a long history, but few citizens who see police outfitted like a heavily-armed invading army are likely to view them as fellow members of the community who are there to serve and protect. Plus, in already tense situations, I'd guess the equipment serves to worsen tensions.
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