Police State in Watertown

[bigtree]

Ray Gonzales ?@KensandMadsDad 8m
Share this picture. #rt #watertown #bostonstrong Worst fascist government ever! pic.twitter.com/9SIuK1HPkg

[Buzz Clik]

1. +1. Awesome, 'tree.

[blkmusclmachine]

56. Nobody's forgetting that DC wrote itself around the Constitution & Bill of Rights,

regardless of some cop carrying a jug of milk in Watertown.

[Buzz Clik]

60. -1

[Honeycombe8]

2. Oh, no! Is he going to throw those jugs at the children? Oh, no! nt

[greytdemocrat]

3. Good job!!!

[TwilightZone]

4. I love it.

[jakeXT]

5. Judging from his facial expression, he's not pleased

[Earth_First]

12. I read it as a look of slight confusion...

Front door? Side door?

[blackspade]

35. He could have just sneezed.

Facial expressions caught on film do not really reflect the reality of the event.
It merely catches a moment of transition.

[FailureToCommunicate]

37. Hey, milk is heavy!

(Just Kidding!!)

[CanonRay]

61. Did you ever think that maybe he's just tired?

[Fuddnik]

64. Not used to lifting anything heavier than a donut.

[WilliamPitt]

67. Who gives a shit?

He did it.

Everyone needs to have the proper facial expressions now?

[mzmolly]

69. What should he be pleased about?

eom

[FourScore]

81. So what's your point? n/t

[morningfog]

6. Is this for real?

Even if it is, I am troubled by what happened.

I understand the why, but it still bothers me. I am happy with the outcome, but it still bothers me.

[RedCappedBandit]

13. I agree

I'm glad the outcome wasn't worse than it was. But still, there's definitely SOMETHING eerie about seeing all the militarized police forces throughout the city. Not saying it's a police state, not saying it was the wrong thing to do. But it definitely felt odd to see.

[randome]

15. Do you want it to feel 'normal'?

It SHOULD feel odd!

[RedCappedBandit]

18. Can't argue with that, lol

[randome]

23. Didn't mean to come across angry, BTW!

[RedCappedBandit]

24. Not at all!

[zeemike]

25. But soon it will feel normal.

That is what conditioning is all about...Putting a saddle on a horses back does not feel normal to the horse at first...but you can condition the horse to feel OK with it if you take it slow at first.

If children grow up with this to them it will be normal.

[randome]

27. Damn! How depressing!

[zeemike]

34. Well sorry...but I feel depressed about it.

And it has been a slow process for me...seeing it go from being police to a military swat team if full gear....and seeing people accept it as normal is depressing.

[MannyGoldstein]

30. Not around here.

I think this picture sums up our local police - Watertown, Boston, Newton etc.

They're really here to be helpful - they feel like part of the community, not the keepers of the community. They're never hard asses unless they need to be, even in a shitstorm.

[zeemike]

32. Well I am happy for you then.

And wish it were like that everywhere...but it is not...that is more the exception than the rule.

[aquart]

65. Still trying to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory?

We used our government as it should be used to minimize casualties and catch these twits.

And we did it without going to war overseas.

[zeemike]

68. What victory?

We have over the last 30 years created a state of constant war and fear and we call if victory because more could have died and did not?...I don't see any victory in that....I see nothing but sadness.

I would call it victory if something was done to stop the violence...you know like bringing our troops home and giving them real jobs instead of paying them to kill people in other lands...that would be victory.
Stopping the drones from killing innocent people would be victory and would lessen the hatred of many for us as the world's bully...

Victory to me would be de militarizing the police force and returning them to criminal prevention and control.

But that is just me...so just ignore me and it.

[Gormy Cuss]

33. And people in the Boston area are just about the LAST ones who would trade security for liberty n/t

[Hekate]

52. So every time there's a terrorist bomb in a crowd, what would you have the authorities do?

Please tell me.

Or should we just become accustomed to THAT so we don't get saddle-broke by the sight of law enforcement officers coming to our rescue and catching the bad guy(s) with no further loss of life?

Help us all out here.

[zeemike]

59. It is not about them it is about us.

Do you think this is the first time a bomb has been used as a terror weapon?
But when you see the whole nation hanging on the TV...and cheering crowds, and heroes and villains it looks more like a TV program to me than a real tragedy.

And you can bet right now there are some other deranged people out there planing something bigger so they can have the media attention too...
It is a minority opinion I know...and not popular here, but needs to be said as far as I am concerned.

[Hekate]

76. So what would you have the authorities do?

I'm well aware of what has been going on overseas ever since WW II ended. Algeria and its plastic bombs when I was a small child, the IRA, the Red Army, the ... I'm aware.

So since the main complaint at DU (among some) is against the law enforcement authorities and not the terrorists themselves, what would you have them do?

[zeemike]

77. Honer the constitutional provisions...

It is not that hard...and it has been done in the past and the country did not fall apart and the bad guys still got caught.

When any country turns itself over to fear it is doomed...cause fear is a tool of despots and always has been.

[woo me with science]

101. +10000 "Honor the Constitutional provisions."

So simple, isn't it. For privacy, for search and seizure, for due process...

What a creepy time we live in, that not doing so would be placed here, repeatedly, for "debate."

[Lucinda]

7. Awesome!

?

[sheshe2]

8. Boston is awesome in so many ways!

Thanks bigtree!

Boston Strong!
Boston Proud!

[freshwest]

47. +1,000

[Cha]

9. Oh You!

Brilliant

thanks bigtree!

[DainBramaged]

10. Got my rec

milk not guns

[randome]

11. But...but...she asked for 2%!!!!

[longship]

14. "Ma'am, here's your kids' milk. Please stay indoors and keep them safe. We've got your back."

That is what I want him to be saying here .

R&K for an awesome post.

[WinkyDink]

31. There was no "please" about it.

[longship]

38. What about "shelter in place" do you not understand?

Bostonians were more than happy to comply, as would I under similar circumstances.

What would you do? Hold a street party?

It was voluntary!!!! And Bostonians willingly volunteered. As would I. As would you, most likely.

...but possibly not. Complicating things for the already stressed out law enforcement folks.

Law enforcement in Boston's behavior was exemplary.

[reformist2]

16. Umm, we asked for 2%. Would you be a dear and go get the yellow-cap jugs?

[OneMoreDemocrat]

17. Huh, I thought it was voluntary...

So if they were out of milk they could have voluntarily gone out for some...guess not.

Nice Photoshop job though.

[Skittles]

20. WTF

are you for real?

[denbot]

36. Another live one there Skittles..

How ya been beautiful?
denbot A.K.A. puerco-bellies

[Skittles]

41. aw I'm dong good, denbot

sheesh, what a week, huh?

[denbot]

42. I'm driving truck now, so I get the drama in bite sized doses..

Makes it a bit easier to process, but yeah, it was some week.

[Skittles]

45. well I work 12 hour nights and don't watch TV

so I get it in doses too

[pinboy3niner]

53. Good to see you, denbot!

The group is going well despite your abandoning it.

Just kidding. There's very rarely anything for a host to do there. And I'm happy to hear that you're on the road.

Keep on trucking!

[MirrorAshes]

54. And voluntarily put themselves in that mess?

That would have done zero good for anybody. Guess you just can't grasp random acts of kindness even in the darkest hours? How very sad.

[nobodyspecial]

91. Umm... perhaps the parents thought better of going out

when a fucking terrorist was on the loose and opted not to possibly make their kids orphans.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

19. This is weird...

Check out what I posted that day...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2712959

[randome]

21. I've seen that look before. Cat's got a drinking problem.

[agent46]

22. This is great for the BPD. Good job, guys and gals.

But I still have a lot of questions about what happened to the Occupy movement when it was in the streets and asserting a legitimate voice of dissent nationally. Police Depts. across the country are coordinated by the DHS now. There's still an iron boot there. Some of us haven't forgotten just because they're the good guys this time around.

[MannyGoldstein]

29. I think he's Watertown PD

Boston cops are usually really good too, though.

[magic59]

46. Using teargas on Occupy protesters, filling for profit prisons with pot smokers

I all but gave up on law enforcement until I witness what they should be and can be when push comes to shove. They did a fine job, an outstanding job keeping Bostonian s safe.
Now, if we can just keep for profit prisons from dictating our laws and give protesters back their rights then maybe we can reverse the police state mentality.

[grantcart]

26. Exactly, where are the god damned cookies?

[pinto]

28. +1

[Yo_Mama]

39. THE TERROR!!

It was not organic. ...

[freshwest]

49. The corporate state strikes again! LOL.

[adieu]

40. Those weren't milk

they're liquid magnesium that you pour around the perimeter and then set on fire.

[lib87]

44. Gees!

[awoke_in_2003]

43. The conspiracy?...

the family was vegan. I hate massachusetts milk nazis.

[pinboy3niner]

48. Oh, yeah?

[freshwest]

50. Oh, the horror...

[hfojvt]

85. worse

it looks like whole milk

won't somebody please think of the trans-fats?

[awoke_in_2003]

96. We're from the government...

and we're here to give you trans fats.

[Zoeisright]

51. Perfect!

God, the stupidity on this board is sometimes mind boggling.

[blkmusclmachine]

55. What a burgeoning POLICE STATE does -->

Last edited Sun Apr 21, 2013, 07:13 AM - Edit history (1)

Write itself around the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Give itself authority to execute citizens without trial, jury, evidence, or facing peers.

End Miranda and speedy trial.

Torture. Use secret, private prisons.

Employ Total Information Awareness (George Bush's CIA program).

LIE.

LIE.

LIE.

[bigtree]

57. I must have missed this

. . . all of this happening in Watertown?
ANY of it happen in Watertown?

[blkmusclmachine]

93. Can't conflate what DC's done to our Constitution/Bill of Rights to some cop lugging milk in Boston.

Apples and oranges!

[woo me with science]

97. +10000

[James48]

58. union thug. n/t

[Thor_MN]

62. Hey, check out the jugs on that cop.

It annoys me to no end how the "news" media tries to market and sensationalize the news. They couldn't get enough of "lock down!!" and "entire city shut down!!". They are still trying to extend the story this morning. Hours of inane regurgitation of idle speculation.

[barbtries]

63. aww...

that's what i kept thinking about during the shelter-in-place hours: families with no milk, no diapers, no dog food. i mean, i've run out of shit before and had to run to the store.

[Zorra]

66. See? The nice man with the gun in the black uniform is bringing milk to the hungry children.

This proves we don't live in a fascist police state!

[BethanyQuartz]

71. It's a great photo

And the officer bringing the milk is probably an all around good guy. But this is still a good point.

Also, not all police have the same culture from city to city. How would this have played out in Los Angeles? And let's not forget Hurricane Katrina, where some cops were apparently more interested in shooting looters than in making sure the people in the dome had necessary medication, food and water.

Still, in a society that isn't (yet) collapsed we should all be doing everything possible to bring feds, police, and military over to our worldview. It's their world being torn apart by insane greed and corporate policies just as much as it's our world. It's the security of their families threatened just as much as ours by these endless wars and by the lack of compassion among the rich and powerful.

The minute we see all of law enforcement as faceless forces of evil (or as faceless forces of good) we lose opportunities.

I define 'our worldview' loosely to include social democrats, all out lefties like me, and everything in between. In fact, I include everyone who sees corporate power over resources, government, and military as a major threat to our species no matter what their other politics.

[Zorra]

74. Wow. Excellent, thoughtful post. A big welcome to DU, BethanyQuartz ~

I agree, the photo is great, the cop may be a good guy, but the caption, no, not so good.

It's the use of this type of propaganda, using a photo captioned like this, to try to prove that we don't live in a fascist police state, that I have a problem with, because it proves nothing. IMO, it becomes an insidious propaganda device with the caption, all too similar to some European fascist propaganda of the early-mid 20th century.

A picture speaks a thousand words. And that photo can definitely speak for itself.

I have beaten twice, for doing absolutely nothing wrong, by the police, and when engaged in Occupy non-violent actions, I witnessed other totally unnecessary brutal attacks on non-violent protesters committed by police on several different occasions. I could post you a viideo of one of these attacks, if you like.

Yes, it would be great to have the cops, feds, and military on our side. And I do believe in giving credit where credit is due, and I have remarked about what a great job the police in Boston did with respect to the recent unfortunate incident in Boston. Truly commendable.

But until we reach critical mass and it looks for sure like we are going to win, the police will continue to primarily serve the interests of the 1%, and I'm not going to pretend that they are something that they are not.

They do serve a purpose in sometimes protecting us from criminals, but at the same time, they are protecting and maintaining the status quo injustice and inequality of the very system that creates the criminals.

It's our lot to figure how to solve this catch-22.

Again, thanks for the thoughtful post, and welcome to DU.

[woo me with science]

98. This is an excellent post, too. nt

[BethanyQuartz]

106. Thank you!

I've seen some of the brutality carried out by police against modern day protesters. It's horrible. But it used to be worse. And there used to be far more bigotry among federal and local law enforcement and far more willingness to use lethal force. Which shows, not that they are allies (yet), but that they can change.

Actually I shudder at the idea of CIA agents as allies. I know more than most about what they are and what they do. It's not that I think it would be 'nice'. I don't think it's nice at all. But I do think it's necessary. They've spent decades disrupting and destroying our movements. They're very practiced at it. Very good at it.

If we can't get their rank and file to question what their appointed bosses and the masters of their appointed leaders (the rich and powerful) are doing I don't know if we can get anywhere in the world. I think we need them to change. They like facts (as do I actually) they like threat assessments. They like realpolitik, not idealism. So maybe it's time for us to take in a dose of realpolitik ourselves, to be able to discuss issues from a more practical, survival-oriented standpoint.

One thing I wonder is, does their hierarchy consider merit, or are the politicians careful to only appoint heads of these agencies from the wealthy? Either way, though, I think it's vital to at least try. These guys aren't our friends. I'm not saying activists should start a 'take a fed out for drinks' night movement. I am saying we need to start understanding precisely how they think, and then we need to be able to have a dialogue within that framework.

[woo me with science]

99. Great post.

Welcome to DU.

[BethanyQuartz]

107. Thank you!

[OnyxCollie]

70. I didn't realize a single individual equalled a "state."

Some should let Nazi Germany know. They got a bad rap.
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[demcoat]

80. +1000

[mokawanis]

73. They didn't bring any milk when they raided this house

[JoePhilly]

78. Did you notice how they threw those guys to the ground??

And the way they shot that dog. And how they took all that stuff from the house?

Me either.

Watch closely, and you'll see them allow the individuals to walk on their own, to a guy who pats them down, and then let's them walk along further, totally unguarded.

Did they cross the street and do the same to the house from which the filming occurs?

You think that maybe they thought the guy was hiding in that house?

naaaaa.

[mokawanis]

82. I didn't say they killed a puppy

or stole someone's tv. I'm questioning their right to remove people from a house and force them to put their hands on their heads and be searched.

[Historic NY]

83. Doesn't look like they arrested anyone........

they cleared the house one by one...it was for their and the occupants safety..

They didn't break in ...... but I assume you'd would have wanted some other action.

How do you know they didn't have a warrant?

Really.....!!

[mokawanis]

105. They were safe before the cops showed up

because the bomber wasn't there. I don't know if they had a warrant or not, do you? I'm simply asking if the cops followed legal procedures. The right to not be forced to submit to unlawful searches is important.

[Historic NY]

109. So obviously your the video grapher...........

or your intelligence is more than the cops or authorities investigating this henious crime or your just an s--t stirrer.

You already know they did according to various other articles out there. No one was cuffed and they were't arrested .

Its over!!!

[mokawanis]

110. "It's over!!!"

Yes, it is.

[freshwest]

86. Police state epic fail. Why not kick the door in? Smash the windows? What, no tear gas cansisters?

Weak sauce, that Boston PD. Nowhere near the drama of the Infowars flicks. I'm bitterly disappointed with this film clip.

[treestar]

87. Very disappointing police state

how wimpy

[freshwest]

88. None of the scary music, either. Just songbirds in the background. Fake! Coverup! Wake up sheeple!!!

Do I need the icon to say I'm tired of heavy breathing at DU about this story?

Wait, I left out teh dronz. Those were Obama's backup plan.

And cue the Schwarzenegger Terminator music. Yup, now hide under the bed.

Wait, that won't save you either. They're coming to get ya!!!11!!!



Nice knowing ya, treestar. Sorry it had to come to this. Not my fault.

[treestar]

89. lol that cat!

[freshwest]

90. As it's often said, no one knows on the internet that you're a cat...

That previous pic was from the onboard cam on their personal computer.

We have it in our data base. You belong to us, now!

Mwuahaha!

[treestar]

92. Resistance is futile, I see

[freshwest]

100. We are all one! Love and Peace!

[rollin74]

75. K & R very cool!

[Apophis]

79. Sensationalism.

Nothing more.

If the lockdown was "voluntary," the parent could have gone out to get his/her own milk.

[stevenleser]

95. They could have, but they preferred not to, as I would have preferred not to. nt

[freshwest]

102. My thoughts, too. Wouldn't have wanted to leave the house in case of explosions or gunfire. Nope.

[michigandem58]

84. Staged photo op

"Boston police tweeted out this Brookline police officer photo"

Read more: http://www.newsnet5.com/dpp/news/national/viral-photo-brookline-police-officer-delivers-milk-to-family-as-boston-on-lockdown-from-bombing#ixzz2R97JWBA8

[stevenleser]

94. That's not a staged photo op. nt

[Apophis]

103. Yep.

[stevenleser]

104. Nope. That isnt close to what a staged photo op looks like. nt

[FreeState]

108. Nope this is a staged photo op:

Police promoting a picture after it was taken by someone other than the police is not a staged photo op.