Gangsters in Blue

Submitted by November Yankee

The manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects offered the nation a window into the stunning military-style capabilities of local law enforcement agencies. For the past 30 years, police departments in the United States have benefited from the government’s largess in the form of military weaponry and training, and incentives offered in the ongoing “War on Drugs.” For the average citizen watching events such as the intense pursuit of the Tsarnaev brothers on television, it is  difficult to discern between fully outfitted police SWAT teams and the military.

The North Hollywood Shootout of 1997 is often touted by police as the reason behind the militarization of their forces. In that incident police engaged two bank robbers heavily armed with military-grade machine guns, and armored from head to toe in military-grade bullet-resistant Kevlar. The robbers were eventually killed, and though several officers were injured, there were no other deaths. Nonetheless, this became a rallying point to arm not only SWAT teams and regular patrol officers with military-grade weaponry.

The militarization of police has not been limited to pistols and rifles. Some of this has been more subtle and psychological, such as new uniforms. Police have traditionally worn a blue uniform, usually with a tie, shined shoes, conveying a respectable and formal appearance. Today that trend has been broken, and police have donned military-style tactical apparel, in an intimidating black color. While one may not see this shift in styling as a major concern per se, it reflects the shift in the mindset of police, from public servant, to militant occupier. This is a shift wherein the police now no longer see a public to be served, but a public to be controlled.

This mindset of an undeclared guerrilla war being played out on the streets of America has led to extravagant spending by police departments on military-grade hardware. This is particularly true in the post-9/11 era, where the public has been duped out of freedoms and tax dollars under the guise of “protecting the homeland” from Muslim fanatics. This is despite the fact that an American citizen is 8 times more likely to be killed by a police officer than a terrorist.

In one instance, a man armed only with a golf-club was shot dead by police executing a search warrant targeting a woman they knew had already moved out of the home. They went ahead with the no-knock raid anyway, and shot this man dead in the process. (See video - Dead Bang: Man Shot Dead By Home Invaders).

While some view these types of situations as isolated incidents, incidents like this will happen more frequently as police try to justify their budgets for increased spending on everything from new cruisers every year to military-grade tanks and armored vehicles. In another instance, police stormed a neighborhood with snipers and a tank to evict old lady. It is not uncommon that police now frequently apply military-grade force is applied for mundane and run-of-the-mill police situations.

The Results of the SWAT Transparency Bill have been disturbing. The problem also goes beyond local police departments. Since 9/11, we now have the Department of Homeland Security, reminiscent of the Gestapo national police force. DHS is both a domestic spying apparatus, and a showcase for military hardware in civilian dress. It’s not just new agencies, or regular police departments that are getting paramilitary upgrades. Government agencies that should have nothing to do with law enforcement are increasingly armed. (More here - Why does the Department of Education need a SWAT team?)

In Boston, we saw our first widely publicized instance of martial law in the United States. Not only were the police and Federal agents fully-equipped with heavy military-grade equipment, they were acting in direct violation of the 4th Amendment. (More here - Families Ripped From Homes By Police In Watertown).

Some Americans were shocked by this vulgar display of paramilitary might. Sadly, there were many Americans who cheered the triumph of martial law, even in its failure to locate the suspect who purportedly justified this violent invasion. Thanks to propaganda and the lobotomy of social consciousness, all too many Americans would echo a, “If You’re Not a Terrorist…Prove It” type sentiment.

The lines blurred even further Monday as a new dynamic was introduced to the militarization of domestic law enforcement. By making a few subtle changes to a regulation in the U.S. Code titled “Defense Support of Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies,” the military has quietly granted itself the ability to police the streets without obtaining prior local or state consent, upending a precedent that has been in place for more than two centuries.

The most objectionable aspect of the regulatory change is the inclusion of vague language that permits military intervention in the event of “civil disturbances.” The rule provides that federal military commanders have the authority, in extraordinary emergency circumstances where prior authorization by the President is impossible and duly constituted local authorities are unable to control the situation, to engage temporarily in activities that are necessary to quell large-scale, unexpected civil disturbances.

Bruce Afran, a civil liberties attorney and constitutional law professor at Rutgers University, calls the rule, “a wanton power grab by the military,” and says, “It’s quite shocking actually because it violates the long-standing presumption that the military is under civilian control.”

A defense official who declined to be named takes a different view of the rule, claiming, “The authorization has been around over 100 years; it’s not a new authority. It’s been there but it hasn’t been exercised. This is a carryover of domestic policy.” Moreover, he insists the Pentagon doesn’t “want to get involved in civilian law enforcement. It’s one of those red lines that the military hasn’t signed up for.” Nevertheless, he says, “every person in the military swears an oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the United States to defend that Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic.”

Sadly enough, the “presumption” of the constitutional law professor is false, and the unnamed defense official is correct. The military is not under civilian control, and has not been for roughly 150 years. Specifically, the authorization is called General Orders No. 100: The Lieber Code,

…which reads in part…

“1. A place, district, or country occupied by an enemy stands, in consequence of the occupation, under the martial law of the invading or occupying army, whether any proclamation declaring martial law, or any public warning to the inhabitants, has been issued or not. Martial law is the immediate and direct effect and consequence of occupation or conquest.

The presence of a hostile army proclaims its martial law.

2. Martial law does not cease during the hostile occupation, except by special proclamation, ordered by the commander-in-chief, or by special mention in the treaty of peace concluding the war, when the occupation of a place or territory continues beyond the conclusion of peace as one of the conditions of the same.

3. Martial law in a hostile country consists in the suspension by the occupying military authority of the criminal and civil law, and of the domestic administration and government in the occupied place or territory, and in the substitution of military rule and force for the same, as well as in the dictation of general laws, as far as military necessity requires this suspension, substitution, or dictation.

The commander of the forces may proclaim that the administration of all civil and penal law shall continue either wholly or in part, as in times of peace, unless otherwise ordered by the military authority.”

The military is already prepared to start rounding up American citizens. (More here - New Military Transport Raises Concerns).The militarization of our local police forces is not simply a by-product of the times we live in. When you understand the real laws, when you understand history, you see that the local police are acting under the authority of the military, as a proxy.

Through revisionist history taught to us in classrooms and school books, the Civil War has been idealized as some great volcanic movement of freedom against racial oppressors. Even though it took another century after that for black folk to actually get civil rights, we are taught that the Civil War was all about liberating slaves.

They say that history is written by the victor, and the Civil War is no exception. The Civil War had nothing to do with freeing the slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation was a tactic of economic warfare against the rebellious Confederacy, it had nothing to do with equality for blacks.

“I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been in favor of bringing about in anyway the social and political equality of the white and black races – that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality.” -Abraham Lincoln, 1858

“My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it.” -Abraham Lincoln, 1862

So what was the Civil War really about then? The same thing that most rebellions are born of – a rejection of tyranny and oppression. In that instance, it was a confederation of states who rejected Federal authority over the sovereignty of independent states.

And from those days to this, the United States has existed, not as a Constitutional Republic, but under a declared state of martial law.

The preceding compilation contains excerpts from an article from Before It’s News.

Military Troops Patrol Grand Central Terminal After 9/11

Pentagon Updates Regulations For Open Military Dictatorship is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

MAN WITH BADGE: “Why are you not coming out?”
MAN FILMING IN HOUSE: “Because we don’t live in a police state sir!”

Cotati residents – are you happy with this level of “service” provided?

Cotati Police Department
(707) 792-4611
http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/police

RAW VIDEO: http://liveleak.com/view?i=8ed_1368536550

Thanks to my bud, Keene-based activist Jason Repsher for putting this on my radar.

Cotati PD Employees Enter Home w/o Warrant & Tase Homeowners is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

From Facebook Page – Police State USA: Land of the Checkpoints comes this chilling video of  cops berating a harmless individual. The info states the video is out of Durham. This video comes from Durham in CA. Here is a link to the recent findings by the PD according to The Star

These types of interactions with police have occurred millions of times. Thanks to the the surveillance camera in this case, and many times the risks assumed by folks like you and me holding a cellphone, we are starting to expose what we’ve been allowing these people to get away with for so long.

Please, always film police.

(Video) “I hurt people, and then I make their cocaine f—ing appear,” is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Submitted by Maurice Bailey

Out of despair a message has risen which is, ‘No Justice No Peace!’  - inspired by the recent police brutality in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the anthem for many individuals who have died or have been beaten at the hands of a police officer. If you know anyone, or if you have been a victim of excessive force, or know someone who has been murdered or beaten, please share this video. This video will also be shared with police stations in all 50 states. Let’s spread the message around the globe! Together, we will end brutality! #NoJusticeNoPeace

Feel free to visit our site for more information on the two artists featured in the video, or you can visit www.mauricebailey.info for information on Maurice Bailey.

This article was recently published by the former Omaha Police Auditor, which mentions “No Justice, No Peace!”

“No Justice, No Peace!” — For police brutality victims! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Submitted by Eric

Not “buckling up for safety” can get you killed all right – by a cop.

That’s what happened to Deland, Florida resident Marlon Brown about a week ago. Brown was killed – run over – by Deland Police Officer James Harris, who pursued him with his squad car after Brown tried to run away on foot after being stopped over a seatbelt violation (see here).

Brown, a popular neighborhood barber, hadn’t done anything to anyone. His “crime” was to have asserted self-ownership, which in a slave society is the gravest offense. He probably thought to himself – I am a grown man. No one has any more right to demand I wear a seatbelt than they have a right to insist I eat my veggies or wear a sweater because it’s cold out. Whether eating veggies or wearing a sweater on a cold day – or “buckling up for safety” – is a good idea or a bad idea is  no one else’s business. Certainly not a cop’s. Aren’t cops supposed to fight crime? When did the job of a cop become parenting or life-coaching at gunpoint? Who the hell are these people to point guns at me over my decision to not “buckle up”?

Brown likely had such thoughts as he saw the wig-wag lights of Officer Harris in his rear view. Then, he probably got mad. I know I would have. You are driving along, minding your business, causing no harm to anyone. Then you glance up and see the bright lights – and the buzz-cut head – of Officer Unfriendly. This costumed menace is about to threaten you with violence and – at minimum – shove a piece of paper in your face that will demand what amounts to a ransom payment, or else (“else” being jail).

And so, Brown attempted to flee. It ended up costing him his life.

Officer safety was never at issue. Brown merely tried to get away from an obnoxious costumed thug who had no business bothering him in the first place. But that was sufficient to justify summary execution by motor vehicle.

It is not an isolated happenstance anymore. Hardly a week goes by without some godawful report of a citizen being killed by cops over absolutely nothing. A murder – and that’s exactly what this was – prefaced by some petty affront to the authority of someone in a state-issued costume. Talk back, dare to question – and the Tazers come out. Attempt to ward off the blows – and you will hear “Stop Resisting!” as the blows continue to rain down. They may or may not stop at merely a beating, or a kicked-in skull.

Marlon Brown learned just how far it can go. A witness to the event, Sabrina Waldron, stated, “After the car hit Marlon and landed on him the back end of it was up in the air.” Thus ended Brown’s life.

Was it worth it? Was it right? A man is dead – for no reason. Or rather, for a very bad reason.

In a sane society, Officer Harris would have had no legal pretext for bothering Marlon Brown. He may have looked askance at him for electing to not wear his seat belt – just as I may look askance at a grossly obese person ordering a double cheeseburger and 64 ounce Coke – but insofar as Officer Harris’ legal authority was concerned, he (in a sane society) would be powerless to intervene. That’s how it ought to be. For the same reason, most of us (dear god, let us hope) do not want costumed men with guns rousting us out of bed to go for morning jogs or to supervise our dinner menus, threatening us with nightsticks and Tazers and guns if we don’t abide by their “recommendations.”

That is where we are headed if people do not come to their senses, and learn to discipline their inner busybody – if only for their own sake. Because most definitely, what goes around will come around. You may find it appalling that some people choose to go unbuckled. Resist the desire to insist they do so. Because if you do insist, you’ve just given license to the inner busybodies of all those people out there – among whom, no doubt, there will be busybodies who just can’t abide something about the way you live your life, whether it be some “risky” hobby, or some “unhealthy” habit. No small corner of what used to be your life will be left to you. You will be chained to a collective and compelled to Submit & Obey.

The antidote to this horror is self-ownership. You own you. I own me. Neither of us has any claim on the other that’s enforceable at gunpoint. Feel free to suggest or to recommend, but when it comes to the use of force, the one and only legitimate justification is self-defense. Otherwise, leave me alone – and I will leave you alone.

If that had been the law in Deland, Florida, Marlon Brown would still be alive.

And James Harris would not be a murderer.

Read the original post here.

Seatbelt Laws Can Be Deadly is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Submitted by Station 6 Underground

Propaganda, Psychological Warfare, and The War For Your Mind in Wake of Boston Bombing

Just after the bombing occurred, alternate media source Inforwars.com dispatched a reporter to see what he could uncover, and to ask some tough questions. This is the sort of reporting and investigative journalism we could never expect from mainstream corporate media sources today. To the contrary, regular news sources have already been caught in a number of lies, spreading untruths and disinformation, ignoring pertinent facts, and in general trying very hard to paint a particular picture about the terrible event.

Of course, this is not a complete endorsement either, of Alex Jones, his InfoWars network, or any alternate media source in general. The idea here is for people to judge for themselves, to exercise critical thinking, and to have as many genuine facts at their disposal as possible. But to that end, it certainly appears that alternate media sources have become our only reliable source of open information.

Dan Bidonbi, reporting for Infowars, was there for the initial press conferences.

Just looking at that video alone, it would be easy to write off the reporter as another one of those “wacko conspiracy nuts.” Sadly, his question was probably the single most important question asked during that press conference, and it went unanswered. It is not conspiracy theory that the police were conducting a so-called drill when these bombs went off. It is not conspiracy theory they were telling people before, and even after bombs had actually gone off, that it was just an exercise.

University of Mobile’s Cross Country Coach is just one of many witnesses who has come forward to corroborate this account. Before the bombs went off, he was concerned by bomb-sniffing dogs, rooftop snipers, and intense police activity.

“It seemed like there was some sort of threat, but they kept telling us it was just a drill… They kept making announcements on the loud speaker that it was just a drill and there was nothing to worry about.” -Coach Ali Stevenson (SOURCE)

Also see: Boston Bombing Witness Says FBI Deleted His Crime Scene Photos

Witnesses at the scene are not the only source of information though. While the mainstream media can be a very unreliable source of information, they also make mistakes by reporting actual facts from time to time – inconvenient facts that do not fit the ongoing “script” and will therefore never be reported on again, except in the underground media who happened to pick up that information before it got scrubbed entirely from the internet.

Of course we must also understand that not all false reports by the media are necessarily deliberate. In any unfolding events there will be chaos, conflicting reports, and so forth. On the other hand, there are some things that would never be reported at all, unless there was a reason. Reporting that police were conducting a drill that involved a controlled explosion is one such example. Again, keep in mind, that this was reported before the bombs actually went off. So the Boston Globe cannot simply dismiss their reports as being an error because of confusion after the blasts went off. (See here - Strong Evidence ‘Drill’ Was Cover For Actual Bombing In Boston)

So we see from all of this that the questions posed by InfoWars reporter Dan Bidonbi were not at all the product of lunacy, or some hidden agenda to discredit authorities simply for the sake of discrediting authorities. The questions were completely legitimate, should have been answered, and yet still have not been answered.

Despite the most comprehensive, invasive, violent, and Constitutionally offensive manhunt ever conducted on American soil, police actually failed to find “Suspect #2″ Dzhokar Tsarnaev after his alleged shootout with police some 20 hours earlier. Instead, he was found by a civilian homeowner who went out to check on his boat after the declaration of martial law had been lifted, and found the suspect laying inside. Despite the fact that the suspect was not armed, police opened fire on him with high-power weapons.

Thanks to Dan Bidonbi reporting for InfoWars, we have learned now that even though police didn’t bother to check the boat, they had ripped through the rest of the neighborhood with menacing threat of force, and even stormed through the house right across the street from where the suspect was eventually found.

Be sure to check out these video interviews - Boston Gestapo Victims Speak OutThere, we see that Mr. Bidonbi is conducting real interviews, with real people in that community who were directly affected by all that unfolded there. The interviews are rather lengthy, and were not edited to cherry-pick small soundbites to be broadcast for propaganda value. In fact, some of what was said there by the folks interviewed does not fit in line with other InfoWars reports or the consensus of conspiracy theorists.

One such contradiction is that a person who is interviewed there by Bidonbi says that he saw Dzhokar run over his brother Tamerlan, who was laying in the street at police gunpoint. This actually conflicts with other witness statements who claim the police ran over the suspect in the street. Those statements also conflict with the assessment of a doctor, who says that the suspect was not run over at all.

This is what the news is supposed to be – an open funnel of information, uncut, and in the raw. From all of these reports, we can assess for ourselves, and extrapolate whatever truth is there to be found.

Yet, this sort of reporting is dangerous to the real conspirators and their hidden agendas, whatever those agendas might be, dangerous to mainstream media who are being undermined and made fools of by true journalism, but perhaps most of all, dangerous to people like Dan Bidonbi who have the courage to bring you this information.

Given all that is at stake here, the entire public perception of the Boston bombing, of the war on terror, of our own government, it is not surprising that certain powers-that-be would finally engage in direct psychological warfare. Alex Jones and his networks can no longer just be written off as lunacy. Increasing numbers of people are taking these things seriously. People are realizing that we, as a society, have been duped by our government and by the media.

But how do to the powers-that-be undermine the alternative media? How can the liars put the rustling sheep back to sleep, even with wolves scratching at the door? How can the liars discredit the seekers of truth? The answer is, to engage someone like Dan Bidonbi, directly. Make it appear as if the attack is spontaneous. Make it appear as though it is just an average person, a “one of us” sort of person, a “real patriot”  who is utterly offended by the mere presence of someone like Dan Bidonbi in his midst. Better yet, shine the spotlight on a “true believer.” Someone who is utterly incapable of even considering inconvenient facts that run contrary to what is “allowed” to be entered into public consciousnesses. A shill, who doesn’t even realize that he is a shill.

Enter, Roger Nicholson, who launches a misguided and disgusting attack. Sadly though, there certainly are people out there who will be duped by the ignorant vitriol spewed by the likes of this Nicholson character. Indeed, the mainstream media is counting on the vast majority of Americans to be swayed by this vulgar level of propaganda. MSNBC gives Roger Nicholson airtime simply to bash Alex Jones, and to attract national attention to Nicholson’s petty little rant toward an alternate media reporter.

Nicholson’s MSNBC suggested that he was not just some random guy off the street. He has some connections to the media as well. Perhaps this was the channel through which he was recruited as a minion of the agenda. Bona fide shill or not though, this clip is quite revealing as to his true nature, and the sort of person who the powers-that-be expect us to be like, and to identify with.

Finally, in this video, Nicholson actually appears on InfoWars as a guest. His murderous, psychotic nature bubbles to the surface again, though not quite as boldly as in the video above. But here we get a deeper look at how contradictory, delusional, utterly and willfully ignorant he actually is.

Propaganda, Psychological Warfare, and The War For Your Mind In Wake of Boston Bombing is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Submitted by Station 6 Underground

 I have recently had the privilege of having some of my material featured on CopBlock.org. It has been quite interesting, though also disheartening, to see the vicious attacks on me by commenters on the articles posted there. Not only attacks on my works which are, of course, always open to debate and discussion, but on myself personally. Keep in mind, that my person is irrelevant to the issues at hand. I am a relatively anonymous internet persona, that has little bearing on the material I present. I am really just the messenger, so to speak. And I am not singing the blues over hurt feelings either.

What actually disturbs me is the frequency in which ad hominem fallacy is applied in order to deflect from the real issues presented, simply in order to derail the discussion. Ad hominem is not the only tactic used to distract the reader from the truth. It is disheartening to see who can be made to follow a red herring path of emotional appeal and rhetoric into the forest of lies, rather than seeing the truth. 

How does one discredit truth and fact? One uses logical fallacy, rhetoric, disinformation, and the tools of psychological warfare. As much as I might find myself annoyed by shills, liars, and propagandists, this introduction is more of an invitation, for you the reader, to see if you can spot the characters and tactics being used to brainwash you. Have a look at the sorts of comments here at CopBlock, which is a noble, if controversial organization for truth. The shills who come crawling out of the woodwork to distract the readers from seeing the truth. 

Have you broken free yet, can you break free, can you remain intellectually honest with yourself in the face of psychological warfare?

-Captain Six

Also see:

Media Manipulation, Propaganda, and the Rules of Disinformation

Ignorance Fuels Trust In Government, Study

Herd Mentality

A Note from Station 6 Underground is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Former Love County Oklahoma undersheriff Jason Bone was recently arrested and charged on 4 felony counts of embezzlement. Jason Bone resigned amid an O.S.B.I. investigation into missing funds. Jason Bone Seized $73,000 dollars in currency from suspected drug traffickers on Interstate 35. Jason Bone allegedly helped himself to $23,000 dollars of the currency. Former Undersheriff Jason Bone allegedly stole this seized currency out of the safe at the Sheriff’s Dept. (See charges here).

Also, there has been a formal complaint affidavit turned in to the District D.A. Craig Ladd on allegations of Sheriff Joe Russell’s son stating that ” I can get anything you want out of the safe at the station.”

Please follow this story on our Facebook page Southern Oklahoma Cop Block.

We can be reached at OklahomaCopBlock@gmail.com.

Former Oklahoma Undersheriff Jason Bone Pocketed Thousands in Drug Money is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

In yet another not so surprising attempt and likely success at “Fuck(ing)” an innocent man, this un-named (as of yet) cop decides to double down on his idiocy.   He stated,  despite acknowledging his failure to understand the basic fundamentals of ancient through modern mathematics,  he was “gonna write my shit.”  The “shit” he is referring to is likely a sworn police report.  A .016 BAC would be expected, approximately,  for a 180ish pound man who drank 2 beers over the past 2 hours.

On the other hand, a .16 is a completely different story.  According to this online BAC calculator a 180 pound man would have to drink 9 beers in 1 hour to achieve the approximate threshold of a .16.

This cop also refers to the man as, “genius” as he mentions, “that little extra zero doesn’t mean shit.” He continues with, “You know what…fuck it…argue it in court.”

Without fail, he also threatens to “book the video recorder” (take the camera) despite having his own audio recording.

Please post this cop’s name/department in the comments and I will update appropriately.

And Please, always film police.

(Video) Cop Not So Good At 5th Grade Math is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This video depicts a suspect in handcuffs, who clearly is not aggressive in any manner. Apparently, the suspect says something offensive to the officer, which results in him being backhanded across the face. Super professional. Freedom of speech, due process and shit. This is Murrricah.

Cop Backhands Handcuffed Suspect is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights