Eric Holder 'Deeply Concerned' About Military Transfers To Local Police

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

-snip-

His full statement is below.

“This morning, I met with President Obama to discuss the events in Ferguson, Missouri. Like the President, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the family of Michael Brown. While his death has understandably caused heartache within the community, it is clear that the scenes playing out in the streets of Ferguson over the last several nights cannot continue.

“For one thing, while the vast majority of protests have been peaceful, acts of violence by members of the public cannot be condoned. Looting and willful efforts to antagonize law enforcement officers who are genuinely trying to protect the public do nothing to remember the young man who has died. Such conduct is unacceptable and must be unequivocally condemned.
“By the same token, the law enforcement response to these demonstrations must seek to reduce tensions, not heighten them. Those who peacefully gather to express sympathy for the family of Michael Brown must have their rights respected at all times. And journalists must not be harassed or prevented from covering a story that needs to be told.

“At a time when we must seek to rebuild trust between law enforcement and the local community, I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message. At my direction, Department officials have conveyed these concerns to local authorities. Also at my direction, the Department is offering – through our COPS office and Office of Justice Programs – technical assistance to local authorities in order to help conduct crowd control and maintain public safety without relying on unnecessarily extreme displays of force. The local authorities in Missouri have accepted this offer of assistance as of this afternoon.

“Department officials from the Community Relations Service are also on the ground in Missouri to help convene law enforcement officials and civic and faith leaders to plot out steps to reduce tensions in the community. The latest such meeting was convened in Ferguson as recently as this morning. Over time, these conversations should consider the role that increased diversity in law enforcement can play in helping to build trust within communities.

“All the while, the federal civil rights investigation into the shooting incident itself continues, in parallel with the local investigation into state law violations. Our investigators from the Civil Rights Division and U.S. attorney’s office in Missouri have already conducted interviews with eyewitnesses on the scene at the time of the shooting incident on Saturday. Our review will take time to conduct, but it will be thorough and fair.”

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/eric-holder-ferguson

[Psephos]

1. One could never guess that from the way he runs Justice Dept. n/t

[roguevalley]

8. really. I'm glad he's deeply concerned ab out something

[jalan48]

2. Sounds Good

Holder is saying all the right things. Sounds good huh?

[deafskeptic]

5. Let's see if he walks the talk. n/t

[Baclava]

3. 'Ferguson police got military gear free from the Pentagon through 90s ‘War on Drugs’ program'

According to a 2014 report by the ACLU known as “War Comes Home,” the military has supplied around $4.3 billion in refurbished equipment to U.S. police forces since the project began, with approximately $450 million in equipment and ammunition being distributed in 2013 alone.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/14/ferguson-police-got-military-gear-free-from-the-pentagon-through-90s-war-on-drugs-program/


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just peachy

[frylock]

4. Holder should ditch the security detail, head down to Ferguson MO..

and watch local law enforcement try to genuinely protect the ever loving shit out of him.

[cui bono]

6. His concern is noted.

Has he made this concern known within the administration?

Who is responsible for the DHS giving billions of dollars in grants to militarize local police forces? It has been going on while the current admin has been in office.

[phantom power]

7. Like he was concerned about banksters stealing trillions of dollars?

Your concern can bite me, Eric. Wake me when you're ready to say what the fuck you're going to do about it.

[Kelvin Mace]

9. Confiscate ALL military hardware in police possession

We don't need a second army.

[NorthCarolina]

11. They'll probably need it for some future time. For right now, they just jumped the gun

a bit, and pulled out their military gear a wee bit early.

[One_Life_To_Give]

10. The Hardware is only a Symbol, it's the "US" vs everyone else attitude

Their desire to have a piece of hardware for which there is little to no practical value outside of highly improbable events, telegraphs a fundamental problem in how they view their jobs and the public they serve.

[former9thward]

12. Yes, he is very concerned.

So concerned that he is been in charge of a program for 6 years now that militarizes the police.

Still, the most startling source of police militarization is the Department of Justice, the very agency officially dedicated to spreading the community policing model through its Community Oriented Policing Services office.

In 1988, Congress authorized the Byrne grant programs in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which gave state and local police federal funds to enlist in the government's drug war. That grant program, according to Balko, led to the creation of regional and multi-jurisdictional narcotics task forces, which gorged themselves on federal money and, with little federal, state, or local oversight, spent it beefing up their weapons and tactics. In 2011, 585 of these task forces operated off of Byrne grant funding.

The grants, Balko reports, also incentivized the type of policing that has made the war on drugs such a destructive force in American society. The Justice Department doled out Byrne grants based on how many arrests officers made, how much property they seized, and how many warrants they served. The very things these narcotics task forces did very well. "As a result," Balko writes, "we have roving squads of drug cops, loaded with SWAT gear, who get money if they conduct more raids, make more arrests, and seize more property, and they are virtually immune to accountability if they get out of line."

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/08/america-police-military-swat-ferguson-westcott-tampa

[Psephos]

13. Exactly. n/t

[L0oniX]

14. Ladies and gentlemen I give you Eric Holder ...the national concern troll.

[Alkene]

15. His politically-directed rhetoric...

regarding, "trust between law enforcement and the local community," comes off more like he just awoke from a decades-long coma.

"I am deeply concerned that the deployment of military equipment and vehicles sends a conflicting message." Way to appear to be so observant, Top Cop, and in such a timely fashion!