The War on “Hateful” Thoughts
November 10th, 2007The word Orwellian is thrown around so much that I am reluctant to use it. However as I was driving down the road listening to Robert Siegel on NPR interviewing Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Downing on his program to map Muslim enclaves in the city no other word came to mind. My mouth literally fell open while listening.
Chief Downing indicates that he is not targeting any specific race or religion, yet he specifically and continually references Muslim communities. He indicates he is concerned with how these communities express themselves which is his basis for identification. He also feels that certain religious teachings are a matter for the police. Implied in his talk is that his police department is the arbiter of what sorts of teachings or other expressions are hateful or violent.
I personally am nothing short of terrified that a leader in the police department of one of largest cities would give special treatment to groups of people whose thoughts and words, not deeds, are of an extremist nature. I might point out that those who founded our country were considered by the authorities at the time to be violent extremists, although I am sure I would take unending criticism for comparing our founders to would-be terrorists.
Deputy Chief Downing goes on to say, “law enforcement’s ultimate goal is to engender continued loyalty”. Still more shocking was his statement that it is a citizen’s duty not prerogative, that is a required activity, to involve the police when they hear someone engaged in “hateful” rhetoric. Perhaps I was naïve to think that the function of law enforcement was to protect and serve not to demand by threat of force conformance to the ideology of the state.
If this were some random person espousing these misguided ideas, I would have little concern. I would still lambaste those ideas as the naked authoritarianism that they are, but I would have no fear. However this man is in a position of authority in the LA Police Department. Moreover he is a man with a plan and the power to enact those ideas. I weep for the future.
November 10th, 2007 at 11:29 am
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November 10th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
I have to differ with the War on “Hateful” Thoughts post. I believe the LA Police are doing exactly what is needed – being alert to any form of suspicious or potentially criminal activity.
Mapping Muslim areas is no different than mapping gang areas, or mapping drug areas, or any other area with a higher than normal potential for crime and other threats. If the threats came from the Irish folks, then map the Irish areas – the police should be equal opportunity observers.
There is a key distinction, however, between observing and taking action. If the police were to, say, disperse crowds just because Muslims were talking, that would be wrong (unless the speech contained incitements to riot or other threats to the community). If they were to, as the British did in WWII, “strongarm” suspected bad guys (catch them down a dark alley and give them a good beating), that would be a major cause for alarm. But that’s not what’s being proposed here.
To be sure, not everyone living in a gang area is a gangbanger. Most aren’t. But if this is where the gangbangers congregate, then that’s where the police should be extra observant. The same goes for disenchanted, angry young adults, wherever they are, and no matter that many or most of their neighbors are good, upstanding citizens.
I want our police to be observant and alert to potential trouble sources, and unfortunately today that includes portions of the Muslim community.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:53 pm
Brit,
As a percentage of a group’s population, CEOs are more likely to commit crime than Muslims. Would you advocate the police target areas with high chief executive activity?
By your standard, there are many groups that the police should target because of high rates of criminal activity before Muslims. The reality is that the LAPD is targeting “extremist” Muslim groups because it is politically palatable, not because of an actual threat.