I am deeply concerned about the militarization of the police
around this country. I was strongly opposed to the city of Keene purchasing a
BearCat. It seemed to me that Keene had no need for it, and the justifications
provided didn’t hold water. It seems I was correct. Keene has never used the
BearCat.
I was horrified to read that the Boston Police Dept. brought
a sound cannon with them when they busted up the Occupy Boston encampment.
Occupy was a non-violent movement. The people in that camp had no weapons. The
idea of a sound cannon being brought along to use on peaceful protestors is
shocking. Equally shocking is the fact that the now-defunct Boston
Phoenix was the only media outlet to report on it.
These are some of the reasons why I
was opposed to the City of Concord getting a grant for a BearCat. The
sweetheart contractor deal that LENCO gets – because they know what
congresscritters to bribe makes me ill. It’s Pentagon pork – filtered through
the Dept. of Homeland Security. The grant application naming certain groups as
potential domestic terrorist threats was also upsetting, but not as much as
militarization and pork.
So, with all that in mind, I went to the Concord City
Council hearing on the purchase of the Bearcat. I did not expect to be swayed
by Chief Duval’s presentation, but I was.
The BearCat is intended to replace the 1970’s vintage
armored Peacekeeper that the Concord PD has. This can’t be called increased militarization - it’s
replacing old equipment. The current armored vehicle goes out on calls where
there are hostages, where armed individuals are shooting, and other equally
dangerous situations. It is not an “attack” vehicle. It is a tool employed to
protect the lives of police officers and emergency responders.
But wait – this is Concord – a small peaceful city, right?
That’s true. But Concord has something that no other city in the state has. The
NH State House. Concord is our capitol city. Visiting dignitaries visit our
capitol. Nearly every presidential candidate visits our state capitol. And this
year, nearly every month (so far) there has been a big demonstration in front
of the State House by gun nuts.
And then there was June 19, 2013, when gun nuts violently
disrupted a peaceful vigil in front of the NH State House.
And then there was my eyewitness account of this event:
It was a scary scene. I’m still amazed that no one was
injured or killed there. The gun crowd was out of control – illustrating why
some of us support expanded background checks. It’s likely that many of the
participants in that melee couldn’t pass a background check on the best day
they ever had.
Then there’s the fact that the State House has no metal
detectors. Many legislators and visitors are armed.
I understand why Chief Duval wants this armored vehicle.
I do not support the contractor/Pentagon/DSH pork. I do not
support the increased militarization of police. After listening to the chief
and thinking about our capitol city, I no longer view this particular instance
as increased militarization. It absolutely was increased militarization in
Keene.
I left the City Council hearing feeling really
uncomfortable. I was disgusted with the histrionics of the Free Staters and
their allies. I was disgusted with State Representatives George Lambert and JR Hoell
for inserting themselves into an issue of local control – and they aren’t
local. Lambert (who wants to put the goober in goobernatorial) wanted to show
the video of the drunken heckler being tased in front of the State House
thinking it would stop the Concord City Council from approving the BearCat. I
tend to think that if they saw that video they’d order a few extra BearCats as
backup.
