U.S. Police Now 'Auxiliary War on Terror Troops' (Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany)
"If today,
federal politicians like Attorney General Eric Holder and Senator Claire McCaskill bemoan militarization of the police work, they
overlook the fact that outfitting local police authorities with military equipment
is an official goal of national security policy. After the mass murders of
September 11, 2001, the solution was for every police station to be prepared
for the worst. Just as the United States wages its wars like criminal actions by
the world police, local police back on the home front are being drafted as
auxiliary troops in the war on terror."
It wasn't just the
fatal shooting of Black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, that has
received harsh criticism in the German press, but the brutal actions taken by
police against demonstrating citizens. It is clear that discrimination is still
part of everyday life in some parts of the United States. A press review.
From
the NeueWestfälische
(Bielefeld): "In the small town of Ferguson, we are seeing that for the
United States, the path to replacing its underlying foundations of slavery and
racism remains long and rocky. The death of Black teenager Michael Brown at the
hands of a White police officer is a reminder of what soothing words simply
mask. Ferguson isn't the only place where the African-Americans no longer perceive
police as keepers of the peace and neutral partners. Rather, they are viewed as
an occupying force that when in doubt and given the slightest excuse, shoot first
whenever a Black man is in their sights.
Posted By Worldmeets.US
"The consequences should be evident … African Americans
in the United States, when compared to Whites or Latinos, find themselves
disproportionately in the dock, behind bars, and on death row. Even if they
behave correctly, dark-skinned urban residents are criminalized by police. As
long as the designation 'Black is dangerous' exists in the sub-conscious of
society, thereby determining a racism-prone form of law enforcement and
justice, there will be more tragedies like that of Michael Brown."
In
the Frankfurter AllgemeinenSonntagszeitung, Patrick Bahners
notes above all the militarization of the police: "If today, federal
politicians like Attorney General Eric Holder and Senator Claire McCaskill bemoan militarization of the police work, they
overlook the fact that outfitting local police authorities with military equipment
is an official goal of national security policy. After the mass murders of
September 11, 2001, the solution was for every police station to be prepared
for the worst. The armed forces handed over decommissioned weapons and
vehicles, even tanks, to municipalities, which took joy in the donations, their
claim on the arms depots, and the weapons lobbyists. Just as the United States
wages its wars like criminal actions by the world police, local police back on
the home front are being drafted as auxiliary troops in the war on terror."
From
the 
In
the Frankfurter 
