Space Travel News  
DEMOCRACY
US police, military confront enemy within after Capitol riot
By Bob Chiarito
Chicago (AFP) Jan 14, 2021

They swore to serve and protect. But, a week after extremists stormed the US Capitol, police departments and military branches across America are investigating reports some of their own formed part of the mob.

From Ashli Babbitt, the Air Force veteran shot dead as she tried to force her way toward the House chamber, to retired Air Force reserves, Army officers and law enforcement from Seattle to New York, reports have emerged of off-duty police and former members of the military participating in the riot.

The reports have forced a spotlight on a threat that experts have long warned about, largely in vain: extremism and white supremacy within American security forces.

"We've neglected this threat for ten years. Ignored it, minimized it, turned a blind eye to it. This administration has actually coddled these people, calling them special," said Daryl Johnson, a former Homeland Security domestic terrorism team leader and intelligence analyst, who served from 2004 to 2010.

Christian Picciolini, a one-time white supremacist who now works to deradicalize extremists with The Free Radicals Project, said he was not surprised some police and ex-military were among the rioters on January 6 seeking to overturn the election results.

"It has long been an effort by white supremacists to infiltrate and recruit from the pool of law enforcement, military and other first responders," Picciolini said.

The fears extend to the Capitol Police, the agency in charge of securing the building.

Several officers have been suspended and around a dozen are being investigated after reports of taking selfies with the mob and videos which seem to show them allowing protesters into the building.

In 2006, the FBI published a report on infiltration of law enforcement by white supremacist groups, and in 2009, the Department of Homeland Security issued a warning authored by Johnson about infiltration in the military.

Both times, the warnings largely fell on deaf ears.

"When that 2006 report came out it was just after 9/11 and no one wanted to focus on domestic terrorism," said Georgetown University Associate law professor Vida Johnson.

As for the warning in 2009, "the new Obama administration didn't have the political capital to take that on, particularly with a Black president," she said.

"So here we are 11 years after that, having taken no concrete steps to weed white supremacists out of policing or the military."

- 'They know better' -

The problem has been around since long before Donald Trump announced his presidential campaign in 2015.

But, experts say, since then he has given such extremist views a platform, and there is a straight line between his rhetoric and the riot at the Capitol.

"He's directly responsible for it. He invited everyone to the Capitol... and the Stop The Steal campaign (to overturn the results of the presidential election) has been an intentional disinformation campaign meant to rile people up," said Lecia Brooks of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups.

Trump's strongest support comes from white men, Vida Johnson pointed out -- the same demographic which dominates representation in law enforcement, meaning it is "not a surprise" that the two groups overlap.

When confronted with the problem in the past, some police departments have cited another favoured Trump talking point: free speech.

Daryl Johnson recalled reaching out to a police department in 2017 when his research found more than 100 officers identifying themselves on social media as Oath Keepers, a far-right anti-government extremist group known for recruiting military and law enforcement members.

They said the posts fell under the First Amendment, he told AFP, despite his warning that their allegiance to the Oath Keepers could come before the department.

Other experts have also dismissed the argument.

"If you took that job to protect citizens, even if you're a Trump supporter, your job is to protect all citizens," said Heather Taylor, a former homicide detective sergeant in St. Louis and spokesperson for the Ethical Society of Police, a group that fights racism in police departments.

- Radicalization opportunity -

With the problem finally receiving attention, experts are calling for renewed efforts to tackle it.

Taylor blamed much of the problem on police unions, which some observers say protect bad officers.

They "continue the divide between the police and the community," she said, calling for departments to have a zero tolerance policy for racist social media posts, and for accused officers to be put on unpaid leave while any investigation is conducted.

Vida Johnson also pointed to police unions, noting that they bar many issues of police discipline from being revealed to the public, and said better officer screening must take place.

Daryl Johnson, for his part, feared the Capitol riot was only the beginning of a darker period.

"What happened at the Capitol is a radicalization and recruitment opportunity for these groups," he said.

"They think they did something righteous and good. They think they're patriots."


Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


DEMOCRACY
Biden inauguration: 15,000 Guard troops authorized
Washington (AFP) Jan 11, 2021
The Pentagon said Monday it has authorized 15,000 National Guard troops to be deployed for Joe Biden's January 20 inauguration amid fears of more violence by supporters of President Donald Trump. Already 6,200 are on the ground in Washington, and a total of 10,000 are planned by the coming weekend, said General Daniel Hokanson, chief of the Defense Department's National Guard Bureau. Another 5,000 could be deployed by the day of the inauguration, he said. They will come equipped with riot ge ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

DEMOCRACY
DEMOCRACY
Seven things to know about the NASA rover about to land on Mars

China Focus: 400 mln km within 163 days, China's Mars probe heads for red planet

Tianwen 1 robotic probe to enter Mars orbit in Feb

Fluvial Mapping of Mars

DEMOCRACY
Tiny NASA cameras to watch commercial lander form craters on moon

Chang'e 4 probe resumes work for 26th lunar day

UK eyes plan to send first rover to Moon in 2021

Lunar gold rush could create conflict on the ground if we don't act now

DEMOCRACY
Dark Storm on Neptune reverses direction, possibly shedding a fragment

The 'Great' Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Updates Quarter-Century Jupiter Mystery

Swedish space instrument participates in the search for life around Jupiter

DEMOCRACY
Discovery boosts theory that life on Earth arose from RNA-DNA mix

Astronomers detect possible radio emission from exoplanet

Key building block for organic molecules discovered in meteorites

Device mimics life's first steps in outer space

DEMOCRACY
SpaceX launches Turkish satellite from Florida

Rocket Lab's to launch communications satellite for OHB Group in first 2021 mission

China to accelerate Launch activity in 2021

SLS proceeding with Green Run Hot Fire

DEMOCRACY
Chinese space enterprise gears up for record-breaking 40-plus launches in 2021

China's space achievements out of this world

China's Chang'e-5 orbiter embarks on new mission to gravitationally stable spot at L1

China plans to launch four manned spacecraft in next two years

DEMOCRACY
Remote sensing data sheds light on when and how asteroid Ryugu lost its water

NASA's first mission to the Trojan Asteroids integrates its second scientific instrument

Knowledge of asteroid composition to help avert collisions

EMXYS and Royal Observatory, Belgium to participate in planetary defence Hera space mission









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.