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Not a big fan of the red berets
By adamg on Thu, 03/29/2007 - 8:07pm
In fact, Shawn McCormack explains why the Guardian Angels remind him of the Ku Klux Klan and worries what will happen on the Orange Line:
... You now have a group of citizens, with 3 whole months of "martial arts" training, an ax to grind, and a sense of entitlement riding the subways like they have some right to tell you what to do.
And they are accountable to no state actor. [At least when you hire mercenaries, you can regulate through contract.] Which means that if you get stopped and searched by a idiot in a red beret, you have no 4th Amendment protections because they are not state actors. Or if you get jumped by a bunch of idiots in red berets, and they use their "martial arts" to knock your teeth onto the sidewalk, you have no federal tort claim under § 1983. ...
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Comments
here, here well said. I
here, here
well said. I doubt I should have any run ins with these clowns, but if it should happen I will give them roughly the amount of attention and credence that I give the spare change guy
Yeah...
Because, it's SO much better when those with the sense of entitlement are one's elected officials, being chauffeured around town in their taxpayer-funded SUV's with their armed security details close by, telling the commoners what they can and cannot do.
The rest of his "if"s are hyperbolic at best.
If a group of individuals grabs you and begins going through your pockets, it's called assault and aggravated robbery. It matters little what they're wearing on their heads.
But, hey, nothing like a little paranoia to start one's day.
Sure...
Its not like the beret brigade knows anything about paranoia, do they. A bunch of out-of-town wanna-be thugs is not the solution to Boston's problems. Especially not when the only reason they showed up is because a white girl got killed. I ride the Orange Line so I might have to deal with these fools. If any of them say one word to me, I'm going to tell them off. "Martial arts" training be damned. Yeah, there are idiots with a badge, but at least they can be held accountable. That's the problem with vigilantes. They are accountable to no one. That shouldn't make anyone feel comfortable. If the police department is broken, then we fix it. We don't override it with an entity which doesn't have any reason to respect basic Constitutional protections.
Right on, BStu!!
That's just what the whole thing with the Guardian Angels smacks of--vigilantism, in the rawest sense. These guys think they're above the law and can operate however they please, and they're not held accountable. Granted, there are cops with a badge who've gone above the law and beyond what's legal and acceptable in the way of force or whateve, but, at least, as you've just succinctly pointed out, BSTu, they can be held accountable and responsible.
The Guardian Angels will not solve Boston's crime problems!! No way!! People should not be fooled by the Guardian Angels, as they've been known to make volatile situations even worse.