Law Enforcement
Islamaphobia within law is exemplified and shown explicitly in law enforcement. In a post 9/11 America, the legal enforcement of the law became excessively militarized, excessively violent, and excessively racist. This has been specifically shown in variety of different places, such as in the UCPD as well as in Guantanamo bay.
Police Force Milatarization
Militarization of the police force is a method of teaching and utilizing military equipment, techniques and personal by civilian law enforcement on civilian populations. This is included but not limited to the utilizing of assault rifles and high power weaponry, utilizing large armored vehicles like tanks, and the utilization of SWAT teams and militarized policing actions. Various bills and programs have been passed which provide these civilian forces with surplus military equipment, “outfitting officers with firepower that is often far beyond what is necessary for their jobs” as the ACLU states. In fact, every 28 hours, a black man is killed by the police. This trend of militarization can be traced back to the 1981 Military Cooperation with Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Act which started as a power boost to the police in the War on Drugs. Furthermore, after 9/11 the Patriot Act in 2001 allowed law enforcement access to search homes and businesses with owner’s consent, without a warrant, if terrorist activities were suspected, a clear violation of civil liberties and rights. Another factor is the training that is received. In a Department of Justice report on the Philadelphia Police Department,
“A) many officers have the mistaken assumption that being "in fear of their life" is justification for the use of deadly force, but fear should not be a factor - it's a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to avoid death or serious injury; b) instruction about policies on the use of force is confusing; c) most training scenarios end in some type of use of force and officers are rarely, if ever, trained how to resolve confrontations peacefully; d) 80% of shooting victims were black - black suspects were much more likely to be perceived as a threat; and e) no consistent procedure was in place for shooting investigations, no audio or video recordings of officer interviews were being made, and officers are often interviewed months after the incidents”(Rivero)
This clearly indicates that oftem the type of training that the police force receives isn’t necessarily the greatest in peaceful conflict resolution, and the process should be rethought.
Islamaphobia within law is exemplified and shown explicitly in law enforcement. In a post 9/11 America, the legal enforcement of the law became excessively militarized, excessively violent, and excessively racist. This has been specifically shown in variety of different places, such as in the UCPD as well as in Guantanamo bay.
Police Force Milatarization
Militarization of the police force is a method of teaching and utilizing military equipment, techniques and personal by civilian law enforcement on civilian populations. This is included but not limited to the utilizing of assault rifles and high power weaponry, utilizing large armored vehicles like tanks, and the utilization of SWAT teams and militarized policing actions. Various bills and programs have been passed which provide these civilian forces with surplus military equipment, “outfitting officers with firepower that is often far beyond what is necessary for their jobs” as the ACLU states. In fact, every 28 hours, a black man is killed by the police. This trend of militarization can be traced back to the 1981 Military Cooperation with Civilian Law Enforcement Agencies Act which started as a power boost to the police in the War on Drugs. Furthermore, after 9/11 the Patriot Act in 2001 allowed law enforcement access to search homes and businesses with owner’s consent, without a warrant, if terrorist activities were suspected, a clear violation of civil liberties and rights. Another factor is the training that is received. In a Department of Justice report on the Philadelphia Police Department,
“A) many officers have the mistaken assumption that being "in fear of their life" is justification for the use of deadly force, but fear should not be a factor - it's a reasonable belief that deadly force is necessary to avoid death or serious injury; b) instruction about policies on the use of force is confusing; c) most training scenarios end in some type of use of force and officers are rarely, if ever, trained how to resolve confrontations peacefully; d) 80% of shooting victims were black - black suspects were much more likely to be perceived as a threat; and e) no consistent procedure was in place for shooting investigations, no audio or video recordings of officer interviews were being made, and officers are often interviewed months after the incidents”(Rivero)
This clearly indicates that oftem the type of training that the police force receives isn’t necessarily the greatest in peaceful conflict resolution, and the process should be rethought.
UCPD Militarization
This militarization isn’t limited to pure police. It is also applicable to campus police services as well. The University of California Police Department has received more than a dozen military grade M16 rifles in 2006. The government has a surplus of weaponry, which instead of being disposed of, “allows for federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to obtain excess property from the U.S. Department of Defense deemed overstock and that would otherwise be destroyed” (Landa). Furthermore, Berkeley Police Department and the UCPD have signed mutual aid memoranda, meaning that they can utilize one another’s equipment and training. This results in rather violent and over equipped campus security entity. Lastly, the UCPD has received training from Israeli forces, which are notorious for their brutality and their infringement on civil rights. The militarization of the UCPD shows itself in one particular situation in UC Davis, where students who were protest peacefully as part of the occupy movement, were handcuffed and zip tied and then pepper sprayed, after they had been constrained. These actions were met with huge response from the general community, resulting in sensitivity training by the police, a step that should be taken preemptively, and be integrated in their training.
Prison Militarization
Another form of militarization of the police department that is usually kept out of sight, and thus out of mind, is the industrialized prison system in the United States. However, even more so than that, are the prisons in other parts of the world, such as Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, often referred to as Camp delta is located in Cuba. Because its technically not on US soil, many civil rights have been infringed in Guantanamo, including but not limited to not charging the prisoners, not informing them of what they’re there for, and for various methodologies of torture. The prison system has become increasingly brutal, resulting in a rise of suicides, a larger number of inmates, and a more difficult time for ex convicts to rehabilitate into society.
Another form of militarization of the police department that is usually kept out of sight, and thus out of mind, is the industrialized prison system in the United States. However, even more so than that, are the prisons in other parts of the world, such as Guantanamo Bay. The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, often referred to as Camp delta is located in Cuba. Because its technically not on US soil, many civil rights have been infringed in Guantanamo, including but not limited to not charging the prisoners, not informing them of what they’re there for, and for various methodologies of torture. The prison system has become increasingly brutal, resulting in a rise of suicides, a larger number of inmates, and a more difficult time for ex convicts to rehabilitate into society.