Thursday Night Ferguson Links

Some links I’ve come across on the crisis in Ferguson, Missouri, since my link post this morning:

* 11 chilling facts about America’s militarized police force.

* Why there wasn’t accountability for the police in Ferguson.

* Why Ferguson’s government is so white.

* Ferguson Mayor Defends Police: ‘I Can’t Second-Guess These Officers.’

* House Democrat Unveils Bill To Demilitarize Local Police.

* Rand Paul: We Must Demilitarize the Police.

* It’s not just Ferguson: America’s criminal justice system is racist.

* I guess we should have tried turning the police state off and on again before calling the help line.

* Peter Frase: Here are some occupations with higher fatality rates than being a cop.

* Program 1033: “Local police acquire more firepower.”

* Rubber bullets are absolutely unsafe.

* Things To Stop Being Distracted By When A Black Person Gets Murdered By Police.

* When Terror Wears a Badge.

* Enter the ACLU.

* I want to suggest that there may be a strong connection between the visual style of video games and the visual style of American police forces — the “warrior cops” that Radley Balko has written (chillingly) about. Note how in Ferguson, Missouri, cops’ dress, equipment, and behavior are often totally inappropriate to their circumstances — but visually a close match for many of the Call of Duty games. Consider all the forest-colored camouflage, for instance…

* Mike Brown was a man.

Once you’ve accepted that the people sworn to protect you might just kill you, there comes a clarity.