The Examiner is reporting that Washington, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier plans to lock down violent neighborhoods with police checkpoints, ID checks, and the stated intent to turn away or arrest anyone without a "legitimate" reason to be there.
More below...
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Under an executive order expected to be announced today, police Chief Cathy L. Lanier will have the authority to designate "Neighborhood Safety Zones." At least six officers will man cordons around those zones and demand identification from people coming in and out of them. Anyone who doesn’t live there, work there or have "legitimate reason" to be there will be sent away or face arrest, documents obtained by The Examiner show.
I can understand Chief Lanier's predicament. How do control a city that seems determined to eat itself alive? But is this the best they can come up with? Maybe they should be talking to social psychologists, advertising firms, and the clerical community. You need to change minds if you want to change behaviors. Trying to impose order from the top down just starts a feedback cycle of stricter control against repressed actions. This is a road that leads to China. We need to ask, do we really want a Golden Shield in America?
The Chief assures us that this is "constitutional" and that "This is a very targeted program that has been used in other cities". Forgive me if I see things a little differently, Chief. It looks to me like you've simply failed at your job of protecting both Law and Order. One just isn't enough.