An alarming scene in Washington, DC, showing police casually frisking individuals on the street and even in front of their homes, is going viral right now in light of the heightened law enforcement activity in the US capital. In one of the recorded stop-and-frisk videos, a Black man was even forcibly frisked without consent, and when witnesses asked for badge numbers, most of them refused to give one. Here’s the clip:
In the video, uploaded to the Instagram page dirtyglovebastards, you can see a police White police officer initiating a stop-and-frisk search on a Black man based on mere suspicion. And even though the Black man already revealed that he wasn’t carrying weapons by opening his jacket, the cops still forcibly frisked him in areas where he appeared to be uncomfortable and didn’t consent to.
The person who filmed and uploaded the video afterward asked the half-dozen police officers for badge numbers, but only one of them gave a badge number, and it wasn’t even the officer who initiated the stop-and-frisk. By the end of the clip, the person who filmed the incident was visibly frustrated and began taunting the police officers for refusing to provide badge numbers.
It’s worth noting that stop-and-frisk incidents against Black people and even other people of color in the US are not limited to Washington, DC, as even cops in New York now appear more eager to conduct public frisking operations based on suspicion, even against individuals who didn’t provide consent.
People online are fearing a “fascist” takeover
Due to the disturbing nature of the stop-and-frisk incidents, both in and out of Washington, DC, as well as the other examples of recent police brutality, people online have voiced out their concerns. Some even wondered and argued whether these searches are legal or not, though it appears disputing such frisking attempts can get messy in courts.
“It’s a weird thing that a lot of Americans are also not going to understand: because DC isn’t a state, it’s does have different rules… It’s a lot less clear cut that people usually say, and it’s a good example of why statehood really matter,” discussed jacobissimus
“The Constitutions 4th Amendment against illegal search and seizure applies to all residents in the US. So all states and DC, and US territories,” explains Nandiluv
Other people didn’t want to dance around the terms and have thus labeled the new law enforcement mandates and activities as fascism. In just this week alone, dozens of arrests have been made in Washington, DC, against people who were merely smoking, and even homeless people who have disabilities are being picked up by the police. Thus, certain Redditors have criticized the right-wing “Don’t Tread on Me” slogan for American patriotism.
“This is fascism, plain and simple. F*** every single one of you boot licking MAGAt**ds. What happened to ‘No steppy on snake’?” fumes SadPanthersFan
“‘No steppy snake’ only applies when it’s them. When it’s done to minorities or other people they don’t agree with, it’s cheered on,” points out Mallixx
