14 Signs America Is Turning Into A Police State
1. Police are killing more people every year
While
the number of officer deaths is thankfully declining, the number of
killings by officers is increasing. In 2013, 33 law enforcement
officers were killed by gunfire. While it is a morbid statistic, it
is the lowest number since 1887. Meanwhile, in 2012, police committed
over 400 justifiable homicides for the first time in more than a
decade. This trend would suggest that crime is increasing...but it
isn’t. It only means that officers are more frequently resorting to
violence. latimes.com
2. Unlawful harassment is becoming the norm
Earl Simpson, 28, has been stopped 258
times in four years by Florida police. These stops, which he believes
to be racially motivated, have resulted in 100 searches and 56
arrests for “trespassing.” The best part? The majority have
occurred while he is at work, trying to do his job. His boss at
Quickstop, Alex Saleh, told the Daily News "He's a good guy, a
humble guy, a quiet guy. He's not a convicted felon." During his
long history with the law, Simpson’s only conviction has been for
marijuana possession. There really is no cause or purpose for the
ongoing harassment.nydailynews.com
3. Even children are seen as criminals
What might have been considered an
issue for teachers and parents in the past...is now a police matter.
Recently, 7-year-old Wilson Reyes was handcuffed and interrogated by
police for hours. All the commotion was over a missing $5 bill, which
Wilson ultimately did not steal.gothamist.com
4. Stop and searches are becoming more common and more invasive
Experts have referred to modern
search techniques as “security theater.” In the case of David
Eckert, officers may search for non-existent drugs in your anal
cavity for a matter of hours and then send you the bill for the
gesture. For a New Mexico woman, it meant being stripped down and
“searched” so extensively--that lawyers deem it sexual assault.
alternet.org
5. New York City’s “Stop and Frisk” program is racial profiling
Mayor Bloomberg’s failed “Stop
and Frisk” policy allows NYPD to stop, question, and frisk anyone
for contraband and weapons, often times without reasonable suspicion.
In 2013 alone, New Yorkers were stopped 179,063 times. In 89% of
cases, the person stopped was completely innocent. As well as doing
very little to stop crime, the method is clearly racially motivated.
Of those stopped in 2013, 56% were black and 29% were Latino, while
only 11% were white.nyclu.org
6. Non-criminals are being arrested for ridiculous things
Until recently, prison was reserved
for dangers to society. Now, you can be arrested and imprisoned for
making nothing more than a human mistake. George Norris was sentenced
to 17 months in prison after he forgot to get the proper paperwork
and sold orchids to an undercover agent. Georgia Thompson, a state
employee who accidently filled company data incorrectly, spent four
months in prison. A bridal shop owner, Judy Wilkinson, was hauled
away in cuffs after making a champagne and orange juice cocktail for
a customer without having the proper license. alternet.org
7. You can face jail time for not paying rent
In the nineteenth century, the cruel
practice of arresting debtors until they repaid their debt was put to
an end. Now, it’s making a comeback. Rental tenants in Arkansas who
are allegedly behind on their payments can be sent to criminal
courts, where judges will respond to failure to pay with arrest and
imprisonment. It’s almost like the judicial system wants to fill
prisons with people who shouldn’t be in them.hrw.org
8. The NSA is listening to everything and achieving nothing
According to the US Government, NSA
agents are frisking all of your digital and telephone communications
in an attempt to avert terrorism and save lives. However, Senators
recently concluded that there’s no evidence that this method of
policing is doing anything to stop terrorism. So why exactly are we
paying billions to turn into an Orwellian surveillance
state?thehill.com
9. More people are being sentenced to life in prison without parole for nonviolent offenses
“Life without parole” is supposed
to ensure that the most dangerous criminals are never allowed back
into society. However, 3,278 people are currently serving life
without parole for crimes in which no one was injured. These include
offenses such as acting as a middleman in the sale of $10 of
marijuana and stealing a $159 jacket. That doesn’t sound like
justice.aclu.org
10. Police officers don’t face the same punishment as civilians
In April, 2013, Orlando Police
Officer Michael Fiorentino-Tyburski hit a homeless man with his
police car and drove away without calling for help. Tetris Nunn
survived, but saw no justice. The officer who hit him was not charged
and received a measly 88 hour suspension. The officer’s defense for
the hit and run? He didn’t think Nunn was injured after hitting him
with the car--so he didn’t stop. What if someone without a badge
had done something this negligent?wftv.com
11. America’s incarceration rate is the highest in the world
With 737 prisoners per 100,000
citizens, the US has the highest incarceration rate of any country in
the entire world. That number makes China look like a democratic
paradise with their rate of 118 per 100,000. More shockingly,
African-American men are five times more likely to be arrested than
citizens of the Soviet Union at the height of the gulags. These
shocking stats are a direct outcome of having privatized prisons,
which allow people to profit off the incarceration of American
citizens. Criminals are human beings who need support; they are not
an opportunity to make money.alternet.org
12. Peaceful protests are being met with violence
As an American, the constitution
grants you the right to assembly. In October, 2011, the peaceful
Occupy Oakland protest turned violent when police forcefully evicted
protesters, and in the process, fractured an Iraq veteran’s skull.
This is only one example where perfectly lawful protests were
disbanded with unnecessary force.dailymail.co.uk
13. The Government is hunting down a national hero
Edward Snowden is a hero. It is a not
a debate. When he leaked NSA files and revealed the full extent of
illegal Government espionage, he was doing his country a service. How
has the US repaid his honesty? He has had to seek sanctuary in
Russia, and will likely never see his country, friends, or family
ever again, for fear of being prosecuted...or worse.csmonitor.com
14. The FBI can watch you whenever, for no reason at all
If you were worried about the NSA
listening to your communications, then you’ll be outraged to learn
that the the FBI has been able to record you for years. Not only can
they take control of your laptop camera, they can activate it without
turning the light on.gizmodo.com
When you get your paycheck, a chunk is taken out to support
programs like these. Policies and technologies that are supposed to
protect citizens, which are actually more dangerous than the
“security threats” that they’re designed to stop. Right now,
our own government is holding us hostage in subtle ways. This is how
it starts. We have seen how police states violently ends through
history, so let us not get to that point. Know your rights, and
refuse to be taken advantage of.
posted by Dot Calm @ 6:46 AM
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