Federal Agents Deployed to Terrify Citizens, Not Protect Them?
Newsweek diligently reported on federal agents using flashbangs against anti-ICE protesters, describing the scene as 'terrorizing' ( Newsweek ). This 'terrorizing' response to domestic dissent isn't an isolated incident. From Occupy Wall Street to Black Lives Matter, and now migrant rights, the playbook for 'unrest mitigation' often involves disproportionate force. One might wonder if the
government is more adept at suppressing its own citizens than addressing the root causes of their protests. Instead of critical inquiry into why federal forces resort to such tactics, or the funding that militarizes domestic law enforcement, the media often presents these events in a vacuum. It’s almost as if acknowledging a pattern of state violence against protestors would be too uncomfortable,
certainly less palatable than simply quoting a ‘terrorized’ protester. How many flashbangs does it take before we question whose 'peace' is being kept?