Comment on Armed Police in Bristol

bristol | drugs and crime | news report Friday January 17, 2003 13:48 by Anarchist606 anarchist606 at hushmail dot com

What does it mean for those of us who live in the area where the armed cops are?

Armed Police on Our Streets

Typical; the media get hold of a story and the government acts. Now they are doing

something..supposedly. But what are they really doing. In the BBC news article, Deputy Lord

Lieutenant of Bristol David John said: "The mood has changed since the 80s, when there was a

feeling the police were occupying areas like St Pauls. Now local residents want to help." Why

do I get the feeling that the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Bristol doesn't live in St.Pauls. Why

I do I see the warnings flashed by residents every time a police car ventures into the area.

Yes I don't like walking past crack dealers and discarded needles. Yes our community needs

help, but this? It's a PR exercise. I remember the only time a significant police presence

was in Easton was the during the count of the Vote Nobody Campaign. I remember the amount of

police they trotted out for the demonstrations by local residents had against the rapes and

muggings at junction 3 of the M32: Police with cameras videoing all the residents. If the

police are treated like they are occupying St.Pauls it's because they act like it. When one

resident living near the notorious Black & White cafe reported and incident out side her home,

the was asked to go out side and get those involved's names and addresses. How helpful. They

expect residents to do the job they are paid for unarmed, yet when the media spotlight

threatens they blaze into the area like a SWAT team on reality TV.

src="http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38704000/jpg/_38704723_armedpolice300.jpg">

The weapon the police are carrying is a Steyr AUG machine gun originally designed for the

Austrian military. They cost about £3000 each excluding training and maintenance. That's

£6000 worth of ordinance in this photo alone. This is the war on drugs in full effect. I

remember when residents asked for some money to build a community garden near Ashley Hill.

They were told there was no money. Now we know why. Yes I don't like the damage drugs is

doing to where I live, but you'd think that after 50 years of these 'War on Drugs' policies it

might be time to consider something else? Something a bit more radical, because the

powers-that-be's plans seem to consist of either armed cops or developer-based bulldozing of

the community. Neither will work and it will be those of us living in St.Paus who will have to

live with the year-on-year failure of the government, police, media and business fraternities

inability to solve social problems.

Original Article:
href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2665251.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/266525

1.stm

CIA and Drug Dealing:
href="http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ciadrugs/">http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ci

adrugs/

The Militarization Of Police Forces:
href="http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n1304/a04.html">http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v00/n13

04/a04.html