Post by LIFE AND DEATH on Jul 26, 2005 18:20:20 GMT -5
Rise in Security Measures Sparks Debate
BET.com Staff Writers
Are the sacrifices worth it or have the terrorists won? Click "Discuss Now" to comment.
Posted July 25, 2005 – In the wake of last week’s bombing at three London subway stations, an innocent man was shot dead by police. In New York over the weekend, the subway system was backed up for hours after authorities, acting on a tip from a passenger, pounced on an unsuspecting Muslim-American carrying a backpack; it turned out that the pack contained only papers and books.
Most experts agree: Things are likely to get a lot worse. But for many people, an occasional misstep is a reasonable price for security in a world where there are te bent on death and destruction.
“The only way to deal with this is to shoot to the head. There is no point in shooting at someone’s chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be,” said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, following the death of a Brazilian electrician who was mistaken for a terror suspect. “This is a tragedy. The Metropolitan Police accept full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets.”
In New York and other U.S. cities, plans reportedly are underway to bump up the number of closed-circuit TVs to monitor civilians’ activities as well as the frequency of random searches of automobiles and personal property of bus and rail commuters.
Clark Kent Ervin, an African American and the former Homeland Security inspector general, is one who believes that sacrifices have to be made for safety’s sake. "It really seems to me a matter of time before happens in our country -- in part because it's so easy to do,” he told The Washington Post earlier this month.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “We just live in a world where, sadly, these kinds of security measures are necessary. Are they intrusive? Yes, a little bit, but we are trying to find the right balance.”
However, some argue that a likely increase in racial profiling and wrongful shootings – particularly among Muslims and “Muslim-looking” people – is too high a price to pay. A proliferation of police-state tactics, they say, means that the terrorists have been successful by creating an atmosphere of fear.
“We’re giving the police an unbelievable amount of power without scrutiny, and all they have to say to get it is ‘terrorism.’ I’m concerned about public safety, but I’m also concerned about what unchecked police powers can do,” Eric Adams of New York’s 100 Black Law Enforcement Who Care told the New York Post.
BET.com Staff Writers
Are the sacrifices worth it or have the terrorists won? Click "Discuss Now" to comment.
Posted July 25, 2005 – In the wake of last week’s bombing at three London subway stations, an innocent man was shot dead by police. In New York over the weekend, the subway system was backed up for hours after authorities, acting on a tip from a passenger, pounced on an unsuspecting Muslim-American carrying a backpack; it turned out that the pack contained only papers and books.
Most experts agree: Things are likely to get a lot worse. But for many people, an occasional misstep is a reasonable price for security in a world where there are te bent on death and destruction.
“The only way to deal with this is to shoot to the head. There is no point in shooting at someone’s chest because that is where the bomb is likely to be,” said British Prime Minister Tony Blair, following the death of a Brazilian electrician who was mistaken for a terror suspect. “This is a tragedy. The Metropolitan Police accept full responsibility for this. To the family I can only express my deep regrets.”
In New York and other U.S. cities, plans reportedly are underway to bump up the number of closed-circuit TVs to monitor civilians’ activities as well as the frequency of random searches of automobiles and personal property of bus and rail commuters.
Clark Kent Ervin, an African American and the former Homeland Security inspector general, is one who believes that sacrifices have to be made for safety’s sake. "It really seems to me a matter of time before happens in our country -- in part because it's so easy to do,” he told The Washington Post earlier this month.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said: “We just live in a world where, sadly, these kinds of security measures are necessary. Are they intrusive? Yes, a little bit, but we are trying to find the right balance.”
However, some argue that a likely increase in racial profiling and wrongful shootings – particularly among Muslims and “Muslim-looking” people – is too high a price to pay. A proliferation of police-state tactics, they say, means that the terrorists have been successful by creating an atmosphere of fear.
“We’re giving the police an unbelievable amount of power without scrutiny, and all they have to say to get it is ‘terrorism.’ I’m concerned about public safety, but I’m also concerned about what unchecked police powers can do,” Eric Adams of New York’s 100 Black Law Enforcement Who Care told the New York Post.