We Need to Stand Up and Unite

WE NEED TO STAND UP AND UNITE

By Darryl E Berry Jr, via CopBlock.org’s submit page
Monday, April 28, 2014

“The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” – Thomas Jefferson

“A society that will trade a little liberty for a little order will lose both, and deserve neither.” — Thomas Jefferson

On April 5th 2014 in Louisville, KY, in the process of exercising my rights and liberties, I was targeted by the very law officials who swore oaths to protect me. I have never been arrested, I have no police record, I work a normal job and keep my car insurance up to date. Yet, after leaving a gun show wherein I bought a firearm – seeking to buy a gun in part ironically because I began to see the need to be ready to protect myself and my fellows from tyranny; and also to exercise a right that some in government are using such fear tactics and manipulation to try to have us relinquish – I was pulled over for the dubious charge of not using my blinker when changing lanes. I soon learned that the real reason for getting pulled over was that a representative of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who was in the gun show singled me out to be “checked out,” and that several others who visit the gun show are also “checked out.”

I was subjected to profiling, detained under false pretenses (not using my blinker), my car was illegally invaded, my bag was illegally searched – I did not agree to let him ‘see my gun,’ when he asked as if he was my best friend wanting to see a new toy. Even though I informed him several times that I did not consent to a search, he still broke the law and infringed upon my rights. And again, this is a person sworn to protect and serve me, sworn to protect my rights; and paid by my tax dollars. I answered all of his questions – my first mistake. I got out of the car when he wanted me to, and he wanted me out of my car when I was apparently being pulled over for not changing lanes with my blinker (sincerely surprised, I asked again to confirm), and after he affirmed that I would be given a warning. To my surprise, when I got out of the car there were about four police cars behind me, and about seven police officers milling about. Pulled over for not using my blinker, indeed.

Before long I was frisked, my hands were on the hood of my car, and here yet another law abiding citizen was being harassed and having his rights infringed upon by those sworn to protect him. And then I knew that what I saw on the multitude of videos, and in the many first-hand accounts, was true. There ARE policemen in today’s world overstepping their boundaries, and infringing upon free citizen’s rights, right here in America. This is not to say that every police officer is bad; I am personally familiar with a few policemen, who as far as I can tell are very stand up guys. This group was clearly not.

Even if only the one that pulled me over, and the other explaining that I was identified to be “checked out,” were the only ones actively participating, the other four or five watched and did nothing. Is this not how the private citizen is often incriminated, charged with a crime? Simply by being around a law-breaker? Sometimes the person thus incriminated is unaware the law breaker was breaking a law, by having illegal drugs hidden on them for instance. Yet the person nearby might still be charged with the crime. Just by being there, their show of force, outnumbering me, was a passive and actual addition to the crimes committed by the primary police officer. And does not their duty to protect and serve also extend to stepping in to halt the criminal acts of those who wear a police badge as well? Should it not extend first and foremost there? I feel that if that initial officer really wanted to stop a crime, or to get a criminal off of the streets, he would have most effectively done so by staying home.

This is by far not an extreme example. By comparison with occurrences of people beaten and killed by police officers, my experience can be classified a minor occurrence. Yet, ANY breach of ANY of our rights, to whatever degree, wherever it occurs, represents a threat to ALL of our rights, EVERYWHERE. It is clear to me now that yes, it can happen to any of us, that those tasked to protect and serve us may do or attempt to do the opposite. Thus it is up to each of us to be willing to actively stand up for our rights, and the rights of our fellow citizens, and to no longer capitulate to fascism and tyranny. I can now say that until this experience, given all of my research and previous experience, I didn’t REALLY believe or accept that these things were going on. The initial shock of the realization, or perhaps some subtle cognition of the responsibility to do something about it, may bring some sense of denial of the true state of our country, and where it’s headed if we the freedom loving citizen don’t intervene.

It can seem so far away when you see explicit video of a police officer in the United States of America overstepping their authority – in some instances even to the point of severely beating or killing a citizen. Some victims of various police assaults will even say it seemed that they were in a third world country, or in a foreign war zone, and not in America. Yet today in America even you, the law-abiding citizen, who never attempts to hurt or rob anyone, who pays your taxes and keeps your insurances up to date, can have your rights infringed upon. While in the course of exercising your liberties and rights, by for instance walking or driving down the street, or acquiring arms to defend and protect yourself and your liberties, rights and duties acknowledged by the US Constitution, you too can have people sworn to protect your rights instead infringe upon them. And when those who are supposed to enforce the law and protect our rights start breaking the law and infringing upon our rights, it’s then time for US the citizens themselves to enforce just law and to unite to protect and stand up for our rights by whatever means necessary.

https://www.facebook.com/CopBlockLouisville

Coming soon: www.darryleberryjr.com

Darryl E Berry Jr

We Need to Stand Up and Unite is a post from Cop Block – Badges Don’t Grant Extra Rights