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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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