David Codrea: Bratton ‘resisting arrest’ proposal a ploy to strengthen police state

Attempting to further bolster a de facto monopoly of violence in New York City, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton proposed additional edicts to tip the power scales even more in favor of enforcers over citizens, the New York Observer reported Wednesday. In addition to stiffening penalties for things like wearing protective body armor, tinting windows and holding police to similar information disclosures that “civilians” (a telling attitude in itself ) are subjected to, Bratton said it would be “very helpful” if charges of resisting arrest were upped from misdemeanors to felonies.

Who that would be very helpful to is obvious. And, as with so much of what Bratton has stood for throughout a long career as a tax-fed serial oath-breaker, the potentials for further assaults on liberty and shielding of a corruption are intentionally terrifying -- if we let ourselves be cowed by them.

"There's a widespread pattern in American policing where resisting arrest charges are used to sort of cover -- and that phrase is used -- the officer's use of force," retired criminal justice professor and expert witness Sam Walker told WNYC in a December analysis of police abuse. "Why did the officer use force? Well, the person was resisting arrest."

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