Originally Published in August of 2014 on marijuana.net

Is The Militarization of Our Police a Result of the Failed War on Drugs? Clashes between police officers and citizens are nothing new. The tension actually symbolizes a great deal of what made America special. There are laws to uphold (including those meant to protect) and there are those legally permitted to voice their opinion. Unfortunately, these clashes can escalate dramatically, bringing into question such issues as free speech, police brutality, and keeping the peace. During the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, it was commonplace for black Americans to be treated harshly while protesting. Dogs and fire hoses were often used to suppress protesting crowds. While non-white Americans certainly have more rights on paper post-Brown v. Board of Ed, it would seem that they are often the victims of grey area (or outright wrong) policing. We will never fully know all instances of police brutality over the decades, but today, as most Americans have surveillance equipment in the form of phones in their pocket, we seem to be getting a more candid view of exchanges between officers and civilians. Police officers seem to have much more powerful firearms than is necessary to protect the peace. This is likely why "peace" is not a term often associated with police work these days. Where is this mindset that American civilians are the enemies coming from? Once we decided to criminalize our population during Nixon's War on Drugs, we started on a slippery slope. Police were armed with military style weapons, thereby creating several problems simultaneously. Suddenly, residents felt under siege as police started breaking down doors and arresting people for crimes even as minor as possessing a marijuana joint. Additionally, as we can see today, the issue of escalation comes directly from the war on America's own citizens. Once police officers started to carry more firepower, while creating a black market for controlled substances, it was obvious to see that criminals would also seek more powerful weaponry to protect their investments. As video after video is uploaded showing police officers acting brutally toward residents that are non-threatening, tensions are mounting. Both the NYPD and LAPD have had to explain a number of incidents where eyewitness video seems to show unnecessary force has been used on unarmed residents. Since an unarmed teen was recently shot and killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri, protesters and police have clashed, creating a dangerous situation. Law enforcement seemed to have the idea that they should go in aggressively and suppress any protests. Conversely, while much of the protesting has been peaceful, some acted violently toward police and there have been instances of destroyed property. There were reports of a molotov cocktail being thrown at police and two protesters were shot. Ferguson Police says the shots were not fired by officers. The beginning of these standoffs can make all the difference and hopefully prevent a situation from deteriorating. As retired Lieutenant General Russell Honore told media outlets last week, "You're in trouble when your SWAT team is on the front line of dealing with a civil disturbance."

We do not want to paint every officer with a broad stroke. Many are dedicated and have only the best intentions. Additionally, sometimes people do their best to escalate situations with officers as well. The situation in Ferguson has become volatile on both sides and new details are coming in daily in regards to what really happened. However, law enforcement agents across America have been armed to the teeth , without even as much as a conversation with the American people. Authorities launched the War on Drugs and somehow made the issue worse in both North and South America. Instead of a drug free utopia, we have divisions of local law enforcement that look ready to fight a war in far away hostile country. Surveillance from law enforcement is sure to increase significantly, but so will surveillance from the people. There is too much money at stake to be made in technology. As smart phones give way to devices such as Google Glass (or even more innovative products) , these unfortunate incidents will become more visible. While the conversation should have taken place decades ago, our elected officials may finally have to tell us exactly why they are so scared and why they feel the need to display everything in their arsenals before the threat of violenc e.