Critics slam Ferguson police use of military weaponry as Twitter users express dismay over death of Michael Brown
AS chaos continues to engulf the streets of Ferguson over the shooting of an unarmed black teen, critics say military-like police tactics are inflaming the situation.
AS chaos continues to engulf the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, after a police officer shot dead an unarmed black teenager, images of police carrying military-style weaponry are causing controversy.
For many Americans, the armour-clad officers in riot gear, rubber bullets and highly militarised police response seem like scenes from another country.
And critics believe the military-like police tactics are inflaming the situation.
At the scene of the protests, police have resorted to firing tear gas canisters at the frustrated demonstrators.
Throughout the riots, authorities in Ferguson have said the armoured vehicles and weaponry are a necessary means to keep the peace.
But civil liberty advocates and others disagree, CNN reports, saying the police response in Ferguson is symptomatic of disturbing trends in law enforcement.
The American Civil Liberties Union issued an extensive report weeks ago which said American policing had become “unnecessarily and dangerously militarised”.
The report warned that “militarisation of policing encourages officers to adopt a ‘warrior’ mentality and think of the people they are supposed to serve as enemies”.
The report’s authors blamed “federal programs that have armed state and local law enforcement agencies with the weapons and tactics of war, with almost no public discussion or oversight”.
Writing for Business Insider, former Marine Paul Szoldra catalogued the military weaponry on display in Ferguson, then observed that “this is not a war zone … This is a city outside of St Louis where people on both sides are angry.”
Szoldra described how the Ferguson police officers’ rifles “have scopes that can accurately hit a target out to 500 metres”.
The officer’s uniforms, he wrote, would be mistaken for a soldier’s if it weren’t for their “police” patches.
“And they stand in front of a massive uparmoured truck called a Bearcat, similar in look to a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle, or as the troops who rode in them call it, the MRAP,” he said.
“When did this become OK?” Szoldra wrote. “When did ‘protect and serve’ turn into “us versus them’.”
Some gun aficionados, however, have suggested that the images from Ferguson show that the police are actually poorly prepared.
Reddit’s gun aficionados point out that the rifles are so loaded with conflicting gadgets —a flashlight, “red dot” sight, bipod — that it demonstrates that the officers are most likely not familiar with using it.
Meanwhile, social media erupted after two reporters were detained at the site of the Ferguson protests.
CNN and other media reported that police officers in riot gear marched towards protesters near a burnt-out gas station where demonstrators had gathered in the town of Ferguson, a St Louis, Missouri suburb.
TV footage of the fifth straight day of unrest showed thick clouds of smoke and protesters scurrying through it in the dark.
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The shocking scenes, which some say are reminiscent of a police state, prompted Americans to take to social media to voice their dismay.
Students at the historically black college Howard University posted for a powerful group photo with their hands up as if under arrest, with the hashtag #handsupdontshoot.
Powerful picture we took today at Howard University #Ferguson #MikeBrown #MyaWhite #DONTSHOOT pic.twitter.com/ttdVg33n5w
— Megan Sims (@The_Blackness48) August 14, 2014Many criticised what they saw as the US media’s slowness to report on events in Ferguson, with #Ferguson, #mediablackout and #PrayForFerguson all trending on Twitter in the US.
Eyewitnesses said Michael Brown had his hands up and was unarmed when he was shot dead by police.
Amazingly, Palestinian Twitter users caught up in the Gaza conflict took to the social network to advise Ferguson residents on how to cope with the effects of tear gas.
Solidarity with #Ferguson. Remember to not touch your face when teargassed or put water on it. Instead use milk or coke!
— مريم البرغوثي (@MariamBarghouti) August 14, 2014Made in USA teargas canister was shot at us a few days ago in #Palestine by Israel, now they are used in #Ferguson. pic.twitter.com/y3co6DMFM6
— مريم البرغوثي (@MariamBarghouti) August 14, 2014The Civil Rights Act is 50 years old. These two pictures were taken 50 years apart. Behold our progress. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/8PNn8eteO2
— Jackie Summers (@jackfrombkln) August 13, 2014This #Ferguson image. Via @MotherJones. pic.twitter.com/jU6FLxw0fI
— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) August 14, 2014Celebrities including singer John Legend and Mia Farrow also took to Twitter over the events.
I believe these cops are intentionally trying to inflame the situation. They want an excuse.
— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 14, 2014Calling us "animals" has been the language to justify slavery, Jim Crow and all manner of injustice. Dehumanization and racism go together
— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 14, 2014Police in #Ferguson - you are not supposed to point loaded weapons at unarmed citizens who are protesting peacefully
— mia farrow (@MiaFarrow) August 14, 2014A photograph of SWAT teams in riot gear dismantling Al Jazeera camera equipment was also being reposted on Twitter.
Maybe #Ferguson cops were just trying to prove they're not racist by attacking minorities AND whites with cameras. pic.twitter.com/deI5HOYGaw
— Miles Kahn (@mileskahn) August 14, 2014Police also used sonic devices that made a loud ear-splitting sound to try to disperse the crowd, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
Demonstrators taunted the police. “We’re not dogs, so what the hell you’ve got those whipping sticks for? Because you want to whip us like dogs,” one protester said, according to the newspaper.
Police separately arrested two journalists reporting on the unrest in McDonalds, with the entire incident captured on video and Twitter.
Apparently, in America, in 2014, police can manhandle you, take you into custody, put you in cell & then open the door like it didn't happen
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 14, 2014The unrest has roiled Ferguson since aspiring college student Michael Brown, 18, died on Saturday in a police shooting.
His death has triggered rioting and stirred comparisons with the February 2012 fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida.
Tear gas is being fired in an American city and Maddow and Fox are covering immigration and CNN is doing Robin Williams #mediafail
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) August 14, 2014The Civil Rights Act is 50 years old. These two pictures were taken 50 years apart. Behold our progress. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/8PNn8eteO2
— Jackie Summers (@jackfrombkln) August 13, 2014Wesley Lowery, a Washington Post political reporter, and Ryan Reilly, a Huffington Post reporter, were arrested in a McDonald’s restaurant after police entered the restaurant and ordered people to leave, the pair wrote on Twitter.
In a series of tweets, Lowery said they were given no explanation for their arrest other than “trespassing” and were not charged with any offences before being released.
“I’m emotional, but need to note: Ryan and I are fine. Have seen people in Ferguson hurt by gas/rubber bullets. This wasn’t that,” Lowery tweeted.
Lowery also said the police officers “assaulted” him because the two reporters were not leaving the McDonald’s quickly enough.
Police officers (all white but 1) belittling cries - desperate cries - for help of detained black man was absolutely horrifying to me
— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) August 14, 2014Earlier, police fired several shots at a 19-year-old who pointed a handgun in their direction as they dispersed around 30 people who had gathered near where the rioting had occurred, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch said.
The young man was taken to hospital and his name has not been released.
In Los Angeles, police shot and killed a black man on Monday during what they called an “investigative stop.”
“It is unknown if the suspect has any gang affiliations,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
“The suspect was transported to a local hospital, and after lifesaving efforts he succumbed to his injuries.”
Officials in Ferguson urged demonstrators to remain calm.
Mayor James Knowles called for “any groups wishing to assemble in prayer or in protest do so only during daylight.”
Looters targeted more than a dozen businesses in the St. Louis suburb overnight on Sunday after a vigil on the sidewalk where Brown died erupted into clashes with police armed with tear gas, clubs and rubber bullets.
I think I'm mad and sad because I can't do anything to help them.. I'd be in there protesting if I could. #PrayForFerguson
— Mulata (@vanessarodxo) August 14, 2014Tanks. Military occupation. Media blackout. This is happening right now. Not in some war torn country. In our own backyard #PrayForFerguson
— West Lee (@NotthatAdamWest) August 14, 2014There's a #mediablackout in #Ferguson now. They've underestimated the power of Twitter.
— andy lassner (@andylassner) August 14, 2014On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama appealed for calm after the “heartbreaking” incident, noting that the FBI had opened a civil rights investigation into Brown’s death.
Witnesses and police have given conflicting versions of how the teenager was shot in broad daylight, two days before he was due to start college.
While America is distracted by Disney channel, this is going on in our country. #mediablackout RT RT pic.twitter.com/C7T2Yun46Q
— Joel Franco (@OfficialJoelF) August 14, 2014
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