Missouri governor orders National Guard to Ferguson after latest night of clashes

[Anti Federalist]

Martial Law.

call it what it is.

Whole damn country is pretty much under Martial Law, just in varying degrees.

 

[SeanTX]

It would be interesting if they tried to impose a Boston Bomber-style "lockdown" in these neighborhoods, where people wouldn't even be allowed to sit on the porch or go out in their yards. I don't think it would go over so well -- the people there certainly wouldn't be holding signs that say "thank you police!". I can imagine there will be a lot of hell raising still going on, just not out on the public streets.

 

[phill4paul]

It would be interesting if they tried to impose a Boston Bomber-style "lockdown" in these neighborhoods, where people wouldn't even be allowed to sit on the porch or go out in their yards. I don't think it would go over so well -- the people there certainly wouldn't be holding signs that say "thank you police!".

Already happening....

Joshua Hampton, who resides in Berkeley nearby Ferguson and was at his aunt’s home “not even a quarter of a mile from the QuikTrip,” where many of the protests have been unfolding, spoke to Firedoglake about how police in military fatigues pulled his girlfriend, her sister and him out of his car at about 2 am.

His aunt did not want him to smoke inside the house. He figured given the situation in Ferguson it might be better to be inside his car parked on his aunt’s driveway. His girlfriend, her sister and him sat in the car smoking until suddenly there were light behind his car and a “bunch of guys with guns.”

“Get out the fucking car! Get out the fucking car!” they shouted.

“It was kind of like I was scared to open [my door],” Hampton recalled. There was “maybe five or six cops.” They had a “big SWAT truck.”

“I went ahead, and I had my hands up and I put them on the window and he opened up the door and he told his friend to cover his back. Took the gun and pressed my chest with the gun,” Hampton added. Then, his sister and girlfriend got out of the car.

Hampton asked an officer to explain what they had been doing. “We were just sitting outside to smoke a cigarette.”

“He was like so you came outside to smoke a cigarette? I was like, yeah, my aunt doesn’t allow that in the house. He said, well, you’re breaking the curfew. You’re out past twelve o’clock. I said I didn’t think that would pertain to being on my property in my driveway. I’m not standing outside of my car. I’m not standing on my porch making a big scene or a big deal or anything. He said basically you are. You should’ve been in the house.”

http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/20...ing-cigarette-in-his-parked-car-after-curfew/

 

[SeanTX]

His girlfriend, her sister and him sat in the car smoking until suddenly there were light behind his car and a “bunch of guys with guns.”

“Get out the fucking car! Get out the fucking car!” they shouted.

Why should they be out trying to arrest looting thugs? That wouldn't be good for officer safety. So much safer to be pointing M-4s at journalists while threatening to shoot them, smokers in cars, etc. Typical of these "heroes" , to target the weak and compliant, while actively avoiding confronting someone who might fight back.

I don't think many of the looting thugs experienced having a weapon pointed at them at close range, but plenty of non-violent people did. Even in the daytime when people were just out waving signs and dancing there were snipers on top of MRAPs aiming at their heads. And that needs to be addressed -- can't just use the "Mike Brown was a thug" excuse to brush that off.

 

[SeanTX]

Well, the military certainly would not fire on their own citizens.

Hopefully some knuckleheads won't decide to try and challenge the NG . There seems to have been some hardcore agitators in the crowds who might do something like that.

All it would take is one bottle being tossed, or a Molotov cocktail, and then some nervous Guardsman opens fire (perhaps with others also opening up with "sympathetic fire") -- then you have a Kent State moment that could cause this to spread to other cities.

Hopefully the NG are more disciplined than the SWAT teams (all it takes is one bottle being thrown to send them into a panty-wetting tizzy). I wouldn't count on it though.

 

[specsaregood]

Hopefully some knuckleheads won't decide to try and challenge the NG . There seems to have been some hardcore agitators in the crowds who might do something like that.

All it would take is one bottle being tossed, or a Molotov cocktail, and then some nervous Guardsman opens fire (perhaps with others also opening up with "sympathetic fire") -- then you have a Kent State moment that could cause this to spread to other cities.
Hopefully the NG are more disciplined than the SWAT teams (all it takes is one bottle being thrown to send them into a panty-wetting tizzy). I wouldn't count on it though.

It'll be something if the MO governor deploys NG to an American city and they end up firing upon or killing American citizens while the TX governor deploys NG to the border without any arrest powers and told to just observe and watch foreign nationals breaking the law.

 

[orenbus]

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Where's John McCain and Lindsey Graham? Do they want to start arming the rebels? Maybe they will call for providing air support and dropping bombs on the autocratic Obama regime? Time for sanctions, before Obama develops nuclear weapons.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Hopefully some knuckleheads won't decide to try and challenge the NG . There seems to have been some hardcore agitators in the crowds who might do something like that.

All it would take is one bottle being tossed, or a Molotov cocktail, and then some nervous Guardsman opens fire (perhaps with others also opening up with "sympathetic fire") -- then you have a Kent State moment that could cause this to spread to other cities.

The obvious solution to a few dumb-asses throwing things and firing guns is to declare martial law and lock down the whole city. Send in the military, and if those dummies throw anything else, artillery needs to be used on this town.

/s

 

[Dr.3D]

Hopefully some knuckleheads won't decide to try and challenge the NG . There seems to have been some hardcore agitators in the crowds who might do something like that.

All it would take is one bottle being tossed, or a Molotov cocktail, and then some nervous Guardsman opens fire (perhaps with others also opening up with "sympathetic fire") -- then you have a Kent State moment that could cause this to spread to other cities.

Hopefully the NG are more disciplined than the SWAT teams (all it takes is one bottle being thrown to send them into a panty-wetting tizzy). I wouldn't count on it though.

With all those cops grouped together last night, I was thinking it would be easy for some thugs to pick them off from a distance and start a war we don't want started.

If it's going to happen, it will happen. Sad as it is.

I don't know why there has to be such a show of force when what is really necessary is to just make sure there is no damage to stores and personal property.

 

[pcosmar]

The obvious solution to a few dumb-asses throwing things and firing guns is to declare martial law and lock down the whole city. Send in the military, and if those dummies throw anything else, artillery needs to be used on this town.

/s

Hey,, here is an option from an uneducated old ex-con..

How about not attacking the peaceful protests that have a legitimate complaint,, and targeting the Criminal element that is doing the looting and property damage.

and in that vein,,, how is it that the peaceful and unarmed folks there are caught between armed thugs on both sides?

Are these gangs in competition or are they in cooperation?

And one last point,, the massive $$$ in training and equipment,, and massive police presence has done nothing about the criminal element,, it may be time to rethink the whole concept of police.

 

[SeanTX]

With all those cops grouped together last night, I was thinking it would be easy for some thugs to pick them off from a distance and start a war we don't want started.

If it's going to happen, it will happen. Sad as it is.

I don't know why there has to be such a show of force when what is really necessary is to just make sure there is no damage to stores and personal property.

You would think that instead of having them all grouped together at "command posts" here and there they'd have them spread out forming lines out in front of the small businesses -- and have them posted there by late afternoon, before it all kicked off . They did do that some, starting a couple of nights ago, but it was too little too late. There's definitely no excuse that the place Big Mike robbed had no police protection -- they had to have known it would be a target, but just didn't care.

That would be more effective than having them congregated in the main protest area during the day, sighting in their rifles on kids out in the street dancing. However, that approach is a lot safer -- for them.

Then later on when some idiot throws a bottle that lands anywhere near the command post you have plenty of officers there to fire off some tear gas and make it look like they are actually doing something. Yeah, that scatters the peaceful protestors, and puts on a good show for Boobus, while the looters are still allowed to do their thing.

 

[JK/SEA]

Curfew lifted.

 

[Kotin]

I keep thinking that if this is what happens for such a relatively minor event.. if/when real civil unrest hits what do you think you will see
?? because it seems like this is a very small taste of what they would do if there was actually wide spread unrest and economic collapse.

this town is smaller than my own and most of ours let alone the cities and major cities..

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I don't know why there has to be such a show of force when what is really necessary is to just make sure there is no damage to stores and personal property.

Because...

 

[PRB]

You've never heard of Kent State?

I've heard of the school. Not sure what incident you're talking about.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

and in that vein,,, how is it that the peaceful and unarmed folks there are caught between armed thugs on both sides?

Good question. You have to wonder why the real "citizen political activist" protestors would be out there at 10 pm on a Sunday night. They have all day long to protest.

I suppose that is one reason that the Police decide that anyone out on the street at that time is up to no good. But this is a special case. There is no planned event for the general public to be out like that, other than confronting the Police or looting and destruction.

But your point about them attacking innocent bystanders is valid, and a real problem. That happens all the time at general public events. Could be a holiday/party event, a music event or a sporting event. Times when there are masses of innocent people there, and the Police just attack everyone indiscriminately.

 

[orenbus]

I keep thinking that if this is what happens for such a relatively minor event.. if/when real civil unrest hits what do you think you will see
?? because it seems like this is a very small taste of what they would do if there was actually wide spread unrest and economic collapse.

this town is smaller than my own and most of ours let alone the cities and major cities..

Well if this is any example in a small scale, what I'm seeing in a worst case scenario that the police would fold quickly, National Guard most likely won't be enough to deal with multiple flash points even in a single state so that means mobilizing regular army and declaring martial law fairly quickly.

If the source of the unrest is far reaching and potentially harmful to everyone's civil rights or ability to live a reasonably normal life and if there is a good amount of American citizens that are armed and motivated to defend their rights from what they see as military encroachment, things will escalate quickly. I'm not sure the U.S. Armed Forces will be able to stomach (maybe initially as the media supports actions) in the long run after lets say many weeks seeing the murder of citizens including those that are innocent caught in crossfires of peaceful protesters, especially if they start to lose the backing of the large number of people in the communities themselves. I maybe wrong at this point, but military training can desensitize you only so much when it comes to your own. At the very least other citizens will be enraged in those communities directly affected and most likely what will be leaked to the public especially now with the advent of the Internet and social media, which will cause more to move from peaceful protests to violence.

 

[orenbus]

You've never heard of Kent State?

I've heard of the school. Not sure what incident you're talking about.

Watch this:

 

[phill4paul]

You have to wonder why the real "citizen political activist" protestors would be out there at 10 pm on a Sunday night. They have all day long to protest.

Possibly practicing civil disobedience over a curfew?