Scenes from a militarized America: Iowa family ‘terrorized’
By Radley Balko, Updated: February 4 at 10:37 am
Watch this video, taken from a police raid in Des Moines, Iowa. Send it to some people. When critics (like me) warn about the dangers of police militarization, this is what we’re talking about. You’ll see the raid team, dressed in battle-dress uniforms, helmets and face-covering balaclava hoods take down the family’s door with a battering ram. You’ll see them storm the home with ballistics shields, guns at the ready. More troubling still, you’ll see not one but two officers attempt to prevent the family from having an independent record of the raid, one by destroying a surveillance camera, another by blocking another camera’s lens.
(snip; video at link)
From the images in the video, you’d think they were looking for an escaped murderer or a house full of hit men. No, none of that. They were looking for a few people suspected of credit card fraud. None of the people they were looking for were inside of the house, nor was any of the stolen property they were looking for. They did arrest two houseguests of the family on what the news report says were unrelated charges, one for a probation violation and one for possession of illegal drugs.
Quote: Frank Cannon wrote in post #2Looks like these people just hit the Powerball. The lawsuit emanating from this is going to be epic.
What struck me about this particular video, Frank, is that the jack-booted thugs ripped down one of the family's surveillance cameras and covered another.
That in and of itself is chilling.
The duty of a true patriot is to protect his country from its government. ~ Thomas Paine
Quote: Frank Cannon wrote in post #2Looks like these people just hit the Powerball. The lawsuit emanating from this is going to be epic.
What struck me about this particular video, Frank, is that the jack-booted thugs ripped down one of the family's surveillance cameras and covered another.
That in and of itself is chilling.
It's only chilling if these people sit back and do nothing about it. The knock and entry alone should be in front of a jury. It violates the spirit of the law. I would also like to have these thugs explain why the surveillance cameras were disabled in front of a jury. The one in the living room was disabled after the place was secured. Were they stealing stuff? Were they attempting to rape the suspects?
I also hope that the lawyer they hire to sue these assholes back to the stone age doesn't go for the deep pockets, i.e.; the police dept. They need to personally sue each and every police officer under Section 1983. 1983 allows for US citizens to sue and collect damages from govt' officials for violations of Constitutional protections. That means if a cop violates your rights and you can prove it, you can take his personal property. His house. His car. His dog. His pots and pans. If more of this was done, cops would not pull this crap because they would realize they are personally liable for criminal behavior.