Seeking opinions, please?

Question

(I also asked this in another section because I'd like to read about all the viewpoints on this that I can.)

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/13/national/main4346790.shtml

Thanks.

Answer 1

Of course the police can and should adopt whatever measures the city council and the citizens see as necessary to control rampant crime.  The police are the extension of the people's will.  They are paid to do what the people want done - within the restrictions of the constitution.  That said, the people spoke and the council voted so there is a 24 hour curfew.  When the crime wave abates, the curfew will no doubt relax also.  This is the same as police protections in place during the aftermath of a hurricane or other natural disaster.  The AFL/CIO should be there first to prevent crime instead of beating their b*****s and rending their hair about the poor rights of the citizens being violated.  The CITIZENS are tired of feeling unsafe and abused by the thugs.  Those are the people who need to be placed in jail and the citizens have a perfect right to demand police do something....even if it takes extreme measures like this.

Answer 2

The missing part is how they got in that shape. If they're not just adjacent to a metropolitan h**l pit of a city, I'd want to know how long they'd had the problem and what they'd tried to do about it before. What resources did the city give the police to deal with it in conventional ways? What resources are or aren't available from the state to provide what the local agency can't. When a small town lets it get out of hand and can't get the help to attack it, they have to do it the long way, a little bit at a time. There are all kinds of populations and all kinds of city governments. But somehow I don't think someone hauled in a bunch of guns and drugs one night and surprised them. At any rate, it's not going to work as anything but an attention getter and a very temporary measure before other efforts start to take effect, if they've got any planned.  

Answer 3

their city councilman is a terrorist!

the founding fathers wrote, the tree of liberty will die unless it is periodically watered with the blood of patriots and terrorists

this is an example thereof...  

Answer 4

A very interesting situation.  However, the constitutional protections have been put in place to protect the law from going too far and the writers of the constitution realized that this would make it harder to catch criminals, but that's the sacrifice we have to make to maintain our freedoms. These people want it the other way - to sacrifice our freedoms to catch more bad guys.  That might work for a while, but not in the long run, which is why the constitution is set up the way it is.  Perhaps we could decide as a society to make a different sacrifice for a different outcome, but that would have to be passed by the nation as a whole, not just 9 people in a small community.

Answer 5

Don't think you will like my answer.  It does sound like the n**i Gestapo operations in 1940's Germany.  However desperate circumstances call for drastic measures.  Sounds like the on-going violent crimes are the reason for these actions.  

I will compare this to the body searches etc. that take place when are preparing to take a flight.  I hate being pawed like a criminal, having strangers go through my personal things and taking off my shoes.  I think you will agree, if this stops a plane from blowing up mid-air and killing innocent men, women and children.   It was worth the aggravation.  The same with this situation.  If these searches save the life of  one young child caused by a drug deal gone bad, a robbery or a drive by shooting, It should be worth the inconvenience for those being "checked out".  One last point, innocent people have nothing to hide.  I am very interested in your view points on this subject.

(((Zilla)))

Answer 6

I'm sort of on the fence.  I can understand it's a drastic situation that calls for drastic measures, but I'm also wondering what did they try before going this route. I'm a big believer in preventative medicine so to speak.  Couldn't they have done something before it got to this point?  Why couldn't they have a 6 to 6 curfew?  Or even a 10:00 p.m. one.  They should go with the later curfew and get more law enforcement out. I doubt those arrests will hold up.