Tag Archives: the militarization of the police

It’s not as catchy of a slogan, but “Let’s Incentivize Communities to Start Creatively Shrinking Police Forces, Collecting Data on What Works and What Doesn’t, and Go from There”

While I’ve always been against the militarization of U.S. police forces, and in favor of more transparency, accountability and civilian oversight, I have to confess that I’ve never taken calls to “defund the police” very seriously. When, in the past, I’ve heard people say that we should abolish the police, I’ve thought that they were […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Politics, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 85 Comments

Mentions of civil rights on the White House website give way to pro-cop propaganda citing fake facts about inner city (read “black”) violence

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the “civil rights” page that used to reside on the White House website is now gone. It apparently disappeared at noon, just as Trump was being sworn in as President. In its place is a page titled Standing Up For Our Law Enforcement Community, which begins like this, […]

Posted in Civil Liberties | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

D’Real Graham, write-in candidate for Washtenaw County Prosecutor

I don’t have time to write about the entire episode right now, but, as the election is tomorrow, I wanted to draw your attention to an interview I did a few weeks ago, during episode 51 of the Saturday Six Pack, with Radical Washtenaw co-founder D’Real Graham. Graham, as you may know, has spent the […]

Posted in Ann Arbor, Civil Liberties, Politics, The Saturday Six Pack, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Obama demands that Washtenaw County return its armored vehicle to the Defense Department, leaving us vulnerable to invading armies

Remember how, in the wake of the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, we discussed, among other things, the need to demilitarize our police forces? Well, earlier this year, President Obama took a step in that direction, signing Executive Order 13688, and thereby slowing the flow of surplus military equipment through the Department of Defense’s Excess Property […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Ypsi Police Chief Tony DeGiusti on body cameras, the militarization of police forces and the impact of Ferguson

On Tuesday evening, our City Council voted to approve a resolution making funds available, among other things, for the purchase of 15 body cameras to be worn by Ypsilanti police officers while on patrol. As readers of site know, this is something that I’ve been pushing for since first reading about the results of a […]

Posted in Civil Liberties, Ypsilanti | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

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