The 57 Buffalo officers formerly of the Emergency Response Team ought to remember that just following orders doesn’t cut it. As peace officers, they and all law enforcement officers have a moral imperative that should put life above the use of force. And in spite of that, we watch yet another instance of uniformed, though less militarized, at least in equipment if not in mindset, police respond with violence to unarmed protestors. We watch yet another instance of police escalate a situation with potentially lethal force. If you want peace, prepare for war. Should it not be: if you want peace, prepare for peace?
The evidence is clear that if weapons of war are put in the hands of officers of peace they will be corrupted by them. If the society those officers police does not equally value black, indigenous, and people of color lives, the intersection of military weapons, tactics and attitudes with the aforementioned communities will be one of aggression and indefensible violence.
The funneling of weapons of war to police departments must end. That money is better used to build instead of destroy.
Mike Ulen, Grand Marais
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