Will The Military Become The Police? - 2

The first post in this series did not go into detail about the case Lockett v New Orleans.

This post will ask some questions from the details of the case that are designed to add emphasis to the point being made.

MOMCOM is more powerful within the nation than you think, and intends to become much more so.

Those who did read the first post would have noticed the fact that soldiers were doing the work of the police in July of 2008, while Hurricane Katrina, the "excuse" for violating posse comitatus, happened in 2005.

Three years after that hurricane, after years of the news reporting that the emergency is over, why are there still soldiers doing police work?

How well were they doing? Mr. Lockett's version of the facts were:

Lockett also called the emergency number 911, reported that the military police officers had made racial slurs, and requested that NOPD officers be dispatched to the scene. He also called his wife Melanie and requested her assistance at the scene. At about this time, Arceneaux frisked Lockett. A SUNO police officer, Joseph Thomas, stopped at the scene and Lockett complained to Thomas that he was being treated in a hostile and racist manner.

...

By that time, Lockett’s wife Melanie had arrived and witnessed her husband being placed in handcuffs ... [the soldiers] placed Lockett in the military police vehicle.

(Lockett). The narrative goes on to say Mr. Lockett sued for injuries and for false arrest, which did not impress the judicial system:

Lockett contends that the district court erred in finding that the defendants were entitled to qualified immunity with respect to his claim of false arrest. As set forth below, because there is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether the defendants had probable cause to believe that Lockett was driving in violation of the speed limit, his arrest does not violate the Fourth Amendment. The district court therefore properly afforded the defendants qualified immunity regarding his claim of false arrest.

The doctrine of qualified immunity shields government officials “from liability for civil damages insofar as their conduct does not violate clearly established statutory or constitutional rights ..."

(ibid, emphasis added). Soldiers doing traffic stops during which they hurt and insult citizens are now called "government officials" and they have "immunity" from accountability.

Accountability is an ancient notion in this nation that has become extinct, along with a lot of other democratic principles, having been blotted out by "doctrine".

Mr. Lockett was on the way to democracy school when this event happened to our nation.

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.