To the editor:
Mr. Crean had questions about my letter published June 18.
First, regarding the Los Angeles protests, he asked whether a president should use force “if the protests are violent,” and what bar should be set for demonstrators’ behavior.
This shifts the focus away from law enforcement’s behavior, which was the topic of my letter. Officers have more power than protesters, requiring higher standards of conduct. There are videos of Los Angeles Police Department shooting reporters and random people point-blank with “less lethal” weapons, which can kill and maim. What’s the defense of that?
The question of what to do “if the protests are violent” is hypothetical, because the protesters in LA were nonviolent. The news endlessly repeated footage of burning cars to paint a picture of chaos; exactly five driverless cars were burned. Even if you hold all the hundreds of demonstrators responsible, “violence” cannot be committed against inanimate objects. There are differences between property damage and bodily harm (like LAPD inflicted) and between actions by regular people and government agents. Nevertheless, to answer the hypothetical: The law has precedents guiding how the government can act in the interest of public safety. Our first amendment rights to speech and assembly are fundamental, so the government needs airtight reasons to violate them. In the case of LA, they had no such reason.
Second, Mr. Crean asked whether it’s fair to say Immigration and Customs Enforcement
“abducted” people if ICE has “probable cause to detain someone and they are given the opportunity to state their case.” My letter referenced ICE’s imprisoning legal residents and even citizens. Clearly in those cases ICE didn’t have probable cause — specific evidence that these people violated immigration law — because citizens and legal residents haven’t violated immigration law. Masked men without badges are grabbing people off the street; how do we know they’re even ICE? We’re a nation of laws; unless ICE identifies themselves and follows actual immigration law, which is much more than merely letting someone “state their case,” ICE is abducting people.
I maintain my original position: Power means a higher standard of behavior, not excuses.
Rob Kipp
Presque Isle
