Ferguson vs. Hong Kong: U.S. More of a Police State Than China

We here in the Land of the Free fancy ourselves a "shining city upon the hill" (see Jesus' Sermon on the Mount; John Winthrop's "A Model of Christian Charity"; Ronald Reagan's 1984 Republican National Convention acceptance speech). We like to imagine ourselves living in the most open of open societies; our institutions lawful and corruption-free; our democracy vibrant and fair.

Then there is a moment like yesterday's announcement by Governor Jay Nixon, a Democrat, that Missouri is in a state of emergency pending a decision by a grand jury on whether to indict the police officer who gunned down an unarmed black teenager in broad daylight in August. Monica Davey reports in "State of Emergency Declared in Missouri for Grand Jury’s Decision on Ferguson" that

FERGUSON, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency on Monday, allowing him to activate the Missouri National Guard in preparation for a grand jury decision on whether to indict a white police officer for shooting to death an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, three months ago. 

The declaration was certain to add to mounting tension here as people awaited the grand jury’s decision, which officials have said is expected in mid- to late November. Many here have said they expect the grand jury to decide against indicting the Ferguson officer, Darren Wilson, and they anticipate a show of anger and protest afterward. Some protesters said that calling up the Guard before a grand jury decision was a premature, antagonistic move that presumed that demonstrations would be violent.

Mr. Nixon called up the Guard in August during demonstrations that sometimes grew violent. Although the Guard’s role was limited to protecting a police command post, its presence drew vehement criticism from demonstrators, who said it was further indication of a military-style approach by the law enforcement authorities.

Compare this with a story (Chris Buckley and Alan Wong, "Hong Kong Clears an Area of Pro-Democracy Protesters") about the orderly removal of a slice of the Umbrella Movement encampment in the Admiralty District where the main Hong Kong government buildings are located:

HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government moved to clear pro-democracy protesters from a small area in front of an office building on Tuesday morning in the first move against the demonstrators in weeks. The authorities met no resistance, with student protesters saying they would not oppose the court order. 

Dozens of bailiffs wearing black vests, backed by the police, supervised the removal of barricades in a small section of the main protest area around the Citic Tower after reading aloud a court injunction. They took hours to methodically clear metal barriers and the random items left from protesters who had been living there in tents for weeks, from books to undergarments. 

The operation’s timing was no surprise; it was announced ahead of time. Demonstrators had largely vacated the area, and the police, unlike in past operations against the movement, did not wear riot gear.

Imagine if Hong Kong's leader, CY Leung, had declared a state of emergency and requested troop support from mainland China when students failed in an attempt to occupy government buildings on September 28 which then ballooned into mass protests. The outrage in the West, both official and from the Fourth Estate, would have be volcanic; proof, we would have been lectured, that the People's Republic of China is a totalitarian state hungering to snap under its iron boot heel the supple neck of a democracy-loving, Western-oriented youth.

But when police in St. Louis County, Missouri responded with assault rifles, APCs, flash grenades, tear gas, and helicopters to protesters outraged by the murder of an unarmed teenager there is no parallel outcry.

Yes, the Gray Lady published some excellent stories on 1) the massive militarization of local police forces, and 2) the Jim Crowesque justice system that sees a traffic ticket turn into fines and jail time for mostly black men. Nowhere though was there a thoughtful think piece or unsigned editorial connecting the U.S. with the world.

In Hong Kong, there has been an active occupation of public spaces since September. Police have been reticent to engage the Umbrella Movement youth. In Ferguson, protests have continued since August, but the protesters have never been given any leeway; at one point, during the peak last summer, they were not allowed to stand still, nevermind erecting an encampment complete with barricades. Plus, protesters in Ferguson were faced with a mustering of the Missouri National Guard.

Now the Guard has been activated once again. At this point any kind of indictment of Darren Wilson would come as a shock. The prevailing wisdom is that there will be no indictment. In other words, it is permissible to blow away an unarmed youth. Clashes clearly are anticipated. The injustice is too glaring.

Protesters appear to be well organized. Over 50 groups on the ground. We could be looking at another Seattle WTO or anti-war mobilization in the run up to Bush's invasion of Iraq. The police and the Guard invariably overreact because at the core of their training is the idea to brook no challenge to their use of overwhelming force. (Here, from what I've seen, the Hong Kong police seem much better trained than your average U.S. peace officer.)

The question is what will the Michael Brown protest movement do when confronted with the overreaction. There is a golden opportunity to expand the movement and shut down, albeit for a moment, the police state.