The recent unrest in the town of Ferguson, Missouri seems more like a wartime environment than simple protests, and much of this has to do with what is turning out to be a far more militarized police force than anyone would have suspected existing in and around a small Missouri town of around 21,000 people.
While the cause of the shooting and identity of the officer involved are still not known, but what you can see from the events in Ferguson is that the police in this town are not about protecting and serving the people, but instead about protecting norms and themselves.
It is this idea that has been lost in the shuffle and unrest, but as a prepper you should know that the police aren’t the military. There is meant to be a very solid line drawn between the two but in recent years in the post-9/11 world this line has been fading more and more as police services around the country receive military-grade weapons, clothing, and tools like armored personal carriers and the LRAD. While the image above shows a quote from a fictional character, the words ring true.
With police forces becoming more and more militarized, we as preppers must understand that not only will the police not be there for us when a major disaster strikes, but they may very well be against us. This isn’t a call for violence at all, but instead a wake-up call for us all to get our prep in order in case the next Ferguson is your town.
What Has Been Done So Far
The best way to understand what this type of police militarization means to good, non-violent preppers is to see the changes that have happened in the city of Ferguson after the shooting. Without Marshall Law being instituted, tear gas has been used, rubber bullets have been fired at non-violent protestors, and even news crews have been attacked by police forces to protect their actions.
The LRAD has been used on protestors to disperse them and even the airspace under 3,000ft over the town has been shut down. This is the power that police forces have.
Once again, this isn’t to say that all police are bad, far from it. But the actions being taken show a direct link to the militarization of police and how unchecked this can run out of control. Remember, the police are not required to protect or serve the people, no matter what it says on their cars.
No Duty to Protect
Many people believe that the police are legally required to protect you, but this is actually not the case. The US Supreme Court actually ruled in 1989 that the duty to protect does not exist. While there are some lower court decisions that tread in and out of this idea, the picture is pretty clear, we’re giving military hardware to a group of people that aren’t legally required to use it to protect us.
So how does this relate to Ferguson? Well, for starters this means that the police are currently not being deployed to protect the people of the town, but to protect themselves. Tear gas, explosives, and rubber bullets are generally not ideal ways to protect people.
What Does This Mean For You?
What this means for a prepper is that the need to be self-sufficient is more important than ever. Situations like this can come up in any area and while the events in Ferguson are being magnified due to racial tensions, the escalation and occupation could happen in any town under the proper circumstances.
You need to have a plan in place to not only bug in and ride out any issues yourself as well as a plan to get out of Dodge when things get really bad. With police forces not doing standard protection any longer the need for your own personal protection is vital. Clean and test your guns, and make sure you have enough ammo to protect you and your family, as if there’s anything to learn from Ferguson, it’s that in a real emergency, you’re on your own.
Once again, this is far from a tirade against police forces or individual police, but instead should serve as a proof of concept that your prepping and attention to world events is justified and may come in handy well before you thought it would.