by Interloper on Fri Jul 31, 2009 3:24 pm
This is just horrifying. Whether you have children or not, just that any child would be treated in that way is a frightening testament to the chilling change from "The policeman is your friend," to "Big Brother is watching you, and his henchmen will deal with you."
The observation that police in the U.S. have been militarized is the truth. A few months ago, I had to stop into my local police station to drop off a form, and was shocked to see how different police stations have become, since my childhood (it's been that long since I've been in a police station).
Where there used to be a public-friendly entrance and front desk, with a kind of "Barney Miller" style office setup, there was instead a veritable fortress. As I entered the double doors, a sign informed me that the premises were under video surveillance, and sure enough there were cameras shooting every angle. Instead of a front lobby with chairs or benches, there was just a small space facing a thick, tinted bullet-proof glass sheet of a window that obscured what was going on behind it. And for "public interface," there was a small slot where you could slide notes, and a microphone to speak to the officer on duty.
I had to surmise that prisoners and people getting taken into "protective custody" were hustled past this and through a narrow passageway to the side, where... god knows what takes place.
The cop at the window wasn't very friendly, either, come to think of it.
Pariah without peer