NolaAnarcha

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

NOPD's Orange Sticker Campaign

The NOPD has announced a new idea in their desperate, futile attempt to convince people that they can solve the crime and violence problem that worries so many in our city. Of course, they can't. They are institutionally incapable of doing what needs to be done to end the cycle of violence and poverty in this city that underlies most crime.


So instead they've come up with a plan to plaster big orange stickers on the homes of anyone who's house has been searched by NOPD for drugs. This plan is so absurd it's hardly worth complaining about, except that it illustrates clearly how close our system is to a real life apartheid police state. Could they make the comparisons between what they are doing and the photo above any more painfully obvious?
Let's see, the Nazis accused the Jews of many things, but some of the foundational complaints that allowed their disregard for human lives to spiral out of control were that Jews were engaged in illegal economic activity, and that they had cultural practices which harmed no one but were met with social disapproval from the non-Jewish German community. Does that sound familiar? Drugs are a black market economy, and drug users are engaged in a cultural activity that harms no one but has been branded illegal.

Not much more needs to be said about how horrible this idea of stickering houses is. They plan to sticker houses after searches whether drugs were found there or not. Fortunately for those who oppose this apartheid-designed practice, such a ham-fisted approach is not only useful for those racist neighbors who call the cops on the black teenagers hanging out outside (because their house is a crowded place, or to get some fresh air, or to chill with their friends and talk about high school without their parents hearing them).

It can also be useful for those of us who oppose this policy and the entire racist drug war: call and report anonymous drug tips regarding the homes of elected officials,  the homes of the old-money luncheon club members who control the politicians, and at the homes of business executives and other local powerbrokers. Once people other than the poor people this was designed to "other-ize" are forced to have these stickers on the outside of their homes, this policy will end the next day.

What's next for the geniuses over at NOPD? How about a patch that everyone who has been though OPP must wear whether they were found guilty or not? Maybe a yellow star to symbolize the Sheriff's Office? Sounds reasonable....

SMASH THE APARTHEID POLICE STATE NOW!

4 comments:

  1. That was my thought exactly when I learned about this new travesty: Someone will surely call in to report Serpas' home for drugs. I'd bet money that Crimestoppers will not deem such tips as "credible." But if it works I hope to read about it here.

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    1. Yeah, they've pre-emptively basically insinuated anyone with any power or ability to challenge their authority will never get a sticker:

      from the nola.com article:
      "Esman said the pilot program appears to allow for the possibility that callers can place bogus, malicious reports of alleged drug activity that will lead to a sticker on someone's house.

      Braden, the NOPD's spokeswoman, noted in an email: "Of course the NOPD first determines the validity of all information received and then contemplates an appropriate and legal course of action.""

      doesn't mean we shouldn't try, i guess....

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    2. Whoops-a-daisy!!

      http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/02/nopd_reverses_course_and_will.html

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    3. Good! At least they are listening to the community. I just wish they would stop worrying about drug violations and catch the people who are shooting up the city! I know it's harder to do than respond to an "I smell weed" call but it's what needs to be done. I bet if they take all the effort they put into catching small time drug dealers and users into catching hard core criminals we would be in much better shape.
      But catching people who commit violent acts of crime doesn't pay like confiscating property & cash from drug dealers & users.
      We're still screwed!!

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