By BILL WATANABE
In the old days, before this current administration, there was an accepted standard way of serving a warrant for someone in America to be taken into custody. You have probably seen this legal process on TV many times in the various crime shows about criminal investigations and court trials where police have to present a judicially approved warrant for a search or arrest of someone at their home.
Usually, at least in TV portrayals, the police knock on the door and inform the occupants that they have a warrant to conduct a legal search or arrest for a named person. This was the normal procedure.
American society used to uphold the idea that “a man’s home is his castle” and this value marked the civilized idea that people are protected from “unreasonable search and seizures” as clearly stated in the 4th Amendment of our Bill of Rights. There have been many court decisions where a case has been thrown out due to irregularities in making a legal search or arrest such that police are required to state the Miranda clause to inform suspects they have rights such as the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney, etc. This was normal in the past.
But now, we have seen aspects of our justice system operating much like a police state where law enforcement at the federal level act with impunity and lawlessness. The Republican Party, once committed to “law and order,” remains mostly silent regarding egregious and even murderous actions by lawless law-enforcement officers. We see behaviors that are the very opposite of the 4th Amendment, such as federal officers who are:
• Often without badges and name tags and without legal warrants
• Completely masked to hide their faces and identity and wearing militarized gear more appropriate for combat in a war zone
• Often have their guns, including rifles, drawn regardless of the severity of the charges
• Breaking down the doors of homes or other establishments with forcible entry
• Violently grabbing people off the streets and throwing them into unmarked vehicles
• Arresting people at schools and immigration hearing rooms and separating families on the spot
• Shooting, maiming and even killing citizens for peacefully protesting
This is NOT how America should be and this is not the freedom for which our forefathers fought and gave their blood and their lives. This administration has corrupted our norms of justice and due process that have been shaped over many years into our acceptance and understanding of civil rights laws.
These new illegal activities by federal law enforcement must be opposed and the perpetrators brought to justice. This is not normal and we cannot allow it to become normal.
Someday, perhaps in the not too distant future, the long arc of civil rights will eventually bend towards justice, and America will once again be able to shine as a leader in the struggle for just laws and democracy for all.
This needs to be the norm — so that no matter who you are or what you look like, you too may be able to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without fear of unwarranted searches and seizures. We need to take up the call that used to be a Republican mantra – restore “law and order”!
Bill Watanabe writes from Silverlake near Downtown Los Angeles and can be contacted at ybwatanabe@gmail.com. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of The Rafu Shimpo.