John Oliver on Ferguson: Police Are Not Soldiers, So Why Are They Wearing Fucking Camo?
The "Last Week Tonight" host explains how U.S. towns like Ferguson became militarized with the excuse of the drug war and 9/11 and offers some possible solutions to the conflict in Missouri.The “Last Week Tonight” host explains how U.S. towns like Ferguson became militarized with the excuse of the drug war and 9/11 and offers some possible solutions to the conflict in Missouri. The first step, says Oliver, would be to stop treating civilians with the same patronizing irritation that the governor of Missouri has displayed in addressing the situation. Next would be to direct some of that anger toward a police force that needs to have its “toys,” such as tanks and riot gear, taken away since they’re unnecessary in American suburbs and cops aren’t even trained to use them.
The comedian also points out that more appropriate attire for police wishing to blend in in Ferguson would be outfits that resemble a Dollar Store.
—Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
Your support matters…Independent journalism is under threat and overshadowed by heavily funded mainstream media.
You can help level the playing field. Become a member.
Your tax-deductible contribution keeps us digging beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that unearths what's really happening- without compromise.
Give today to support our courageous, independent journalists.
Anger over police shootings and wrongful convictions, often involving African Americans, fuels effort to make police reviews more transparent.
On the fifth anniversary of his son's death at the hands of Ferguson, Mo., police, Michael Brown Sr. claims that "justice has not been served."
A prolonged federal class-action claims thousands of people in Missouri were jailed because they couldn’t pay off fines.
Police say Danye Jones’ death was a suicide. His mother says it was a lynching.
The loss of the Black Lives Matter activist, who died at age 27, is incalculable.
With every life taken, law enforcement is exposed for being the source of violence rather than its remedy.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.