Police are now armed with military-grade equipment. They have heavy rifles, very large armed vehicles, and other weapons that I wouldn’t exactly describe as “necessary”.
“The police wore military style clothing called camouflage. They stood in armored vehicles and pointed powerful rifles at the protesters,” (Newsela).
In Ferguson, Missouri, a police officer shot and killed an unarmed teenager with his hands up, causing residents and others to protest against the police force. It wasn’t long after the peaceful protesters were confronted by more police officers, but this time with more powerful equipment. Should the police not receive these type of arms from the government, or is it necessary to keep the citizens under control?
https://newsela.com/articles/military-police/id/4872/
I agree with you on the statement that police should not have military grade equipment, but I'm wondering if they ever need that equipment to keep the people safe? I feel enlightened about what you wrote about the boy in Missouri. What you said about the protesting had me wondering about violent protests. Have you considered that?
ReplyDeleteI really like your story because it shows the control the government is exerting on people in society. Although, they may be trying to just maintain order, it is concerning that they are carrying military grade weapons for just a protest(for the most part it has been relatively peaceful). I believe that the police should not carry such extreme weapons, but they should should stand by with lesser weapons so they are able to control the riots.
ReplyDeleteI feel like you genuinely care about what you wrote in the Ferguson blog and this is a very interesting issue. What you said about the police using military grade weapons had me wondering about would it really make a difference if a person got shop with a military grade rifle or a police rifle that basically shoots the same caliber of bullets? Have you considered looking into the different weapons that the police use, and seeing if the the guns are too heavy duty for the job? That would be really interesting to hear about!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I personally think that the police should have whatever equipment necessary to protect us, I do not believe that our, or any, police force has demonstrated enough responsibility to carry those weapons. Many incidents like this have occurred, some even worse, which demonstrate the lack of control police tend to have even with lower grade weapons. Dangerous equipment tends to give police the idea that they're supposed to use them and that they're impulsive thinking is the way to go.
ReplyDeleteAhmed, I appreciate that you included your own opinion on the issue and that you did so in a tasteful manner. I also liked that you asked your readers to ponder their view on the topic. However, I think it would be beneficial for you to add some more details and specifics to your post. For instance, you could expand on why the police thought that they needed to bring in military-grade equipment, and to include their side of the story. Surely, the protesters weren't all peaceful; were there any incidences in which the demonstrators became violent? Also, why do you believe that the police should not be given such powerful weapons? Maybe, if incidences similar to Ferguson continue to occur, the military should be brought in to keep the peace.
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