The excessive use of force by police officers in Ferguson, Missouri draws a distinct, yet credible connection to the disproportionate use of hellfire missiles by IDF, in their misguided efforts to put down the Palestinian uprising.
The blockade of goods and medicine, use of heavily armed checkpoints, and economic crisis in Gaza strips the freedom of ordinary citizens. In Ferguson, the tanks, tear gas and rubber bullets on display showed CNN viewers that the police were as ready for a riot as US Marines were ready for a multiethnic civil war in 2003. The show of force becomes fuel for the opposition and sets the obvious example of the have v. have- nots. Additionally, the lack of community engagement further exacerbated the divide between the all white paid officers and the predominantly black community- those they were paid to protect.
Although, police did not use laser guided bombs as IDF uses against civilian targets, the lack foresight and misuse of urban combat contributed significantly to the escalation of violence. If the Ferguson riots were equivalent to the Palestinian conflict, the police department would have characterized all citizens as terrorists that use children as shields for cover.
Insurgencies happen for a reason - they adapt dynamically to changes in the environment. Underlying tensions and conflict in urban areas can arise from distrust and misperceptions in both rich and poor communities. Bridging the socioeconomic gap, increasing social interactions, equal rights, education and a police force that knows the names of the citizens they are paid to protect will go a long way to the new deinstitutionalization of segregation and racism that exist in the US and the Gaza strip.
The institutionalization of racism is a function resulting from a combination of income inequality, homogeneous social networks, fractured cities, local government and prohibitive zoning laws that segregate populations. The proportionality of violence triggers unrest and violence in the presence of underlying tensions from segregated populations. When the violence occurs outside of St. Louis or in Gaza, the details of who was acting in good faith are irrelevant because the socio-economic forces are so far apart in terms of physical location as well as the mental state of disjointed communities- Black-and-white, Israeli-Palestinian. Natural violence occurs when segments of populations are marginalized by political elite as rational actors seek to maximize political capital in response to community reaction. The tendency for rational actors to minimize the political clout of segregated minority groups has been seen throughout history, most notably during the Civil Rights movement and riots that occurred throughout the US in the 1960s.
The most difficult aspect of this urbanized phenomenon is lack of political power- where riots and violence attempt to reverse the risk-reward calculus. In Missouri, citizens can vote. In Gaza, the people can also vote, but because one political organizations is also a terrorist organization, the democratic process becomes a hypocrisy and is not recognized when the outcome does not go accordingly. It should be noted that Hamas was only part of the coalition government- just as Hizballah represents a portion of the Lebanese Parliamentary system.
The blockade of goods and medicine, use of heavily armed checkpoints, and economic crisis in Gaza strips the freedom of ordinary citizens. In Ferguson, the tanks, tear gas and rubber bullets on display showed CNN viewers that the police were as ready for a riot as US Marines were ready for a multiethnic civil war in 2003. The show of force becomes fuel for the opposition and sets the obvious example of the have v. have- nots. Additionally, the lack of community engagement further exacerbated the divide between the all white paid officers and the predominantly black community- those they were paid to protect.
Although, police did not use laser guided bombs as IDF uses against civilian targets, the lack foresight and misuse of urban combat contributed significantly to the escalation of violence. If the Ferguson riots were equivalent to the Palestinian conflict, the police department would have characterized all citizens as terrorists that use children as shields for cover.
Insurgencies happen for a reason - they adapt dynamically to changes in the environment. Underlying tensions and conflict in urban areas can arise from distrust and misperceptions in both rich and poor communities. Bridging the socioeconomic gap, increasing social interactions, equal rights, education and a police force that knows the names of the citizens they are paid to protect will go a long way to the new deinstitutionalization of segregation and racism that exist in the US and the Gaza strip.
The institutionalization of racism is a function resulting from a combination of income inequality, homogeneous social networks, fractured cities, local government and prohibitive zoning laws that segregate populations. The proportionality of violence triggers unrest and violence in the presence of underlying tensions from segregated populations. When the violence occurs outside of St. Louis or in Gaza, the details of who was acting in good faith are irrelevant because the socio-economic forces are so far apart in terms of physical location as well as the mental state of disjointed communities- Black-and-white, Israeli-Palestinian. Natural violence occurs when segments of populations are marginalized by political elite as rational actors seek to maximize political capital in response to community reaction. The tendency for rational actors to minimize the political clout of segregated minority groups has been seen throughout history, most notably during the Civil Rights movement and riots that occurred throughout the US in the 1960s.
The most difficult aspect of this urbanized phenomenon is lack of political power- where riots and violence attempt to reverse the risk-reward calculus. In Missouri, citizens can vote. In Gaza, the people can also vote, but because one political organizations is also a terrorist organization, the democratic process becomes a hypocrisy and is not recognized when the outcome does not go accordingly. It should be noted that Hamas was only part of the coalition government- just as Hizballah represents a portion of the Lebanese Parliamentary system.
