There is an old saying that is very important in its depth – divide and conquer. Yes the Black Community is outraged. But have things really remained the same or are we dealing with a new movement of government against the people? Most Americans are at least aware of or remember the race-related riots that tore throughout numerous cities in the United States during the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1971, civil disturbances (as many as 700, by one count) resulted in large numbers of injuries, deaths, and arrests, as well as considerable property damage, concentrated in predominantly black areas.
What was amazing is that this civil unrest started precisely in 1964, which like 2014 now, was the turning point in the war cycle. What has taken place in Ferguson is simply outrageous. However, the Black Community needs to learn a lesson from history. They will only diminish their own position by characterizing this as simply a race issue. This time – its is different. It is government against everyone.
Although the United States has experienced race-related civil disturbances throughout its history, the 1960s events were unprecedented in their frequency and scope. They coincided with the upturn in the War Cycle in 1964 but characterizing them as simply a race issue then was perhaps on point. Law enforcement authorities took extraordinary measures to end the riots, sometimes including the mobilization of National Guard units. The most deadly riots were in Detroit (1967 picture as the heading), Los Angeles (1965), and Newark (1967). Measuring riot severity by also including arrests, injuries, and arson adds Washington (1968) to that list. Particularly following the death of Martin Luther King in April 1968, the riots signaled the end of the carefully orchestrated, non-violent demonstrations of the early Civil Rights Movement.
Today with the upturn in the War Cycle there is a different issue. The militarization of the police is against everyone. The incident in Ferguson may not be simply a race incident. This may be related to the militarization of police and the hostile attitude they are displaying everywhere. I was stopped in a road-block on my way to work in the morning. It was an unconstitutional stop for every car was stopped to see if you had all your documents. If you did not, they sent you to a line for tickets. There was no smile or friendly police officer asking for your papers. It felt very much like the East German police when I went behind the Berlin Wall – “papers please”, and I am not even sure there was a “please”.
The Black Community would do well realizing that this militarization of the police was NOT designed simply for them. This is against ALL Americans and they should be wise to distinguish this militarization as being un-American. It looks like we may be on a turn in race riots once again. They began precisely in 1964 with the turn in the War Cycle and it appears we are on schedule here as well. If so, the peak will not arrive before 2017-2018.
