Are we becoming a police state?

[sea_dream]

Read about what happened to teenagers in Oklahoma City's Bricktown when the POLICE decided to round up curfew violators.

(CBS/AP) OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahoma City police are being criticized for arresting about 20 teenagers for curfew violations, and the city's police chief acknowledges mistakes were made.


The teens were arrested Saturday outside a movie theater in the Bricktown entertainment district. Some parents say the arrests came 20 minutes before the 11 p.m. curfew for those younger than 18, that some were arrested while waiting for parents to pick them up after the movie, and that they had to wait up to six hours to take their children home.


The city's curfew ordinance makes exceptions, including for those who attend a movie and are awaiting an adult for a ride home. Police Chief Bill Citty told The Oklahoman that the incident is under investigation.


Valenthia Doolin, of Oklahoma City, said she arrived to pick up her children at 10:40 p.m. and found a line of police cars and vans and her children were not answering their cellphones.


She said she eventually received a text message from her son saying they had been picked up on a curfew violation.


Doolin said officers refused to listen when they pointed out her car and said their ride was there minutes before the curfew began.


"We felt violated, harassed and frightened at the hands of Oklahoma City law enforcement," Doolin said. "Something has to be done to ensure that it never happens again."


Peggy Hammons said she, her 15-year-old daughter and her daughter's friend attended a movie that let out just before 11 p.m. and the two girls waited in front of the theater while Hammons got the car.


"A female police officer approached them, instructed them to hand over their cellphones and get over and get in that paddy wagon," Hammons said.


"They tried to explain to the police officers, and they were told to shut up and be quiet."


Citty, the police chief, said police are investigating their handling of the situation to see what went wrong.


"The ordinance does provide for legitimate reasons for someone who is underage to be out past 11 p.m.," Citty said. "If they can show they were attending the theater and are waiting for a ride to be picked up, the arrest of that juvenile would not be appropriate."


He said at least two of the citations issued Saturday have been dismissed because they shouldn't have been issued to begin with and that others could also be thrown out.

[provis99]

1. cops are basically government paid gangsters.

It's no different than paying the Mafia for protection.

[Dawson Leery]

2. In their origins, police were intended to protect the landowners.

Most state police owe their origins to being formed by corrupt state legislatures (owned by the mill owners, mine owners, factory owners, etc) to break up strikes and force people back to work.

[OwnedByFerrets]

3. Was this a rhetorical question?

[peace frog]

4. This country IS a police state

[Terry in Austin]

5. There's a steady progression in that direction

Has been since the mid-sixties. It depends on where you care to draw the line between "not quite yet" and "yes."

[Mimosa]

6. The drug war started us into a 'police state'

The TSA is step 2. We're not a police state yet. But we're headed there. We're one or two 'terrorist attacks' away, though. :(

*edited for spelling*

[RKP5637]

7. I don't think it would take much to flip this country into being a complete

police state. It's been building up and building up.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

8. Becoming? This Country IS A Police State, And Has Been For A Long Time

The minute we started teaching school children that, "the nice policeman is your friend," we became a police state.

The minute the phrase, "the Constitution only protects criminals" was uttered, we became a police state.

The minute people started identifying police and prosecutors as "the good guys," and defense attorneys as "scummy, slimy, or whatever other derogatory adjective people use," we became a police state.

The minute someone made the argument, "I don't care if the government taps my phones; I have nothing to hide," we became a police state.

And every time people advocate the loss of their rights in favor of more power for the government/police agencies, we slip further and further into the grasp of the police state.

You know, it's funny, that in most countries where oppression is common, there is a healthy distrust of law enforcement, and the citizens fight and die trying to secure more rights for themselves. In this country, people CAN'T WAIT to give up their rights and hand them over to "the nice policeman."

[nosmokes]

9. ^this^

[Lucian]

10. + infinity.

Seriously. You've hit every point about people and the police in this country.

[upi402]

11. ^yup n/t

[probama2]

12. Martial Law

There are people out there like this guy ive been blogging about named "patriotsurvival"
that think that Martial Law is already here
Check out the video
<http://youtu.be/MKUlcq2hJaY>

[Tallulah]

13. I didn't believe it years ago

but I do now. The police are scary. I have one in my neighborhood.

Think Lakeview Terrace. "I AM THE POLICE". Creepy bastard.

[BiggJawn]

14. "becoming"?

"are" is more like it.
The police attitude is that we're all "perps", they just haven't caught us at anything yet.

[grahamhgreen]

15. We've been one for quite some time.