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The Inside Story on Police Militarization

The Inside Story on Police Militarization
Mon, 7/30/2012 - by Al Jazeera

Extreme police tactics are not a new phenomenon in the U.S. But in the age of social media, police violence, such as the shooting of unarmed people and the use of pepper spray and taser guns, are being documented for the world to see. Occupy protesters throughout the country felt the full force of police tactics - many are subject to violent arrest.

It is more than 20 years since the beating of Rodney King was caught on video and the footage shocked the world. But two decades later, how much has changed? Police in Anaheim shot and killed Manuel Diaz, an unarmed man who they said was running from them; local residents say the Latino men were victims of racial profiling and an overly aggressive police force. Anaheim's mayor says federal officials have agreed to investigate the shootings. But the city, where there have been six fatal police shootings this year, is now being compared to a powder keg.

So is policing in the U.S. becoming increasingly militarized? To discuss this, Inside Story Americas, with presenter Shihab Rattansi, is joined by guests: Jumana Musa, a human rights lawyer who is deputy director of the Rights Working Group; Gustavo Arellano, the editor of the OC Weekly, a newspaper that has been covering the shootings; and Raymond Lewis, a retired Philadelphia police captain who was arrested by New York police while taking part in the Occupy Wall Street protests last year.

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Posted 4 weeks 1 day ago

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Posted 2 weeks 4 days ago

While the U.S., EU and their allies are enabling Rojava—the strongest force against Islamic State— to fall, it is vital for internationalists to continue to support this beacon of democracy and liberation.

Posted 4 weeks 1 day ago

Much like the resistance to AI data centers, the opposition to Flock surveillance cameras has brought the left and the right together against billionaires who are trying to force America into becoming even more of a police state.

Posted 5 days 12 hours ago

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Posted 5 days 12 hours ago

The tragic shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo is just the latest example of ICE having a fundamental disrespect for human life — further proving why the agency should be stripped of funding and shut down, and its rank-and-file agents and leadership prosecuted.