Americans are protesting because they are tired of the number of black Americans that are being killed by police. Smart phones are capturing these deaths and we are watching these videos on TV.  The blatant murder of George Floyd by four police officers was the straw that broke the camel’s back and was the catalyst behind months of protests.

While I am tired of the prolonged protests that go on into the night for months, I realize history tells us that nothing changes quickly without prolonged protest.  We know that school children can be shot by assault rifles time and again but nothing changes–assault rifles are still too easy to get by too many people.

The majority of Americans believe we need police.  Mark Twain has been quoted saying aren’t you glad we don’t get all the government we pay for?  The big debate is about paying only for the police that we want and use the remaining money to fund other services. 

Police forces throughout America have officers that should not be officers.  Police Chiefs know this; Mayors know this.  Unions fight it and fellow officers condone it.  Officers have qualified immunity so they can’t be criminally charged for their actions.  For me, not all police officers deserve to have qualified immunity.  Officers that get complaints that have been independently reviewed and found legitimate, should not have qualified immunity.  Maybe they will quit as a result.

But, while government is re-imagining how to deploy police, the Trump/Barr administration has been deploying federal law enforcement officers in Portland without approval of local or Oregon state authorities, without clearly identifying who they are, and without a clear law enforcement mandate.  Trump has sent federal troops/agents into our cities uncoordinated with local police.  If police need help, a governor can bring in the National Guard.  It doesn’t need Trump/Barr to send in the feds.  What does that remind us of?

The Schutzstaffel was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz (“Hall Security”) made up of NSDAP volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich.

The Gestapo and the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) organizations were tasked with the detection of actual or potential enemies of the Nazi state, the neutralization of any opposition, policing the German people for their commitment to Nazi ideology, and providing domestic and foreign intelligence.

You know who would be outraged over uninvited military coming into his city to independently act against protesters?  New York City Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, that’s who!  The Blue Blood guy.