chapotraphouse

my former high school in my hometown has gradually ramped up the number of cops. It's been directly proportional to how many black people have moved into the town from nearby areas.

When I was a student, there was a constant fear from the adults about terrorists. The Iraq war was still going on, so the three cops were presumably to guard against Al-Qaeda somehow. One time one of the cops pulled me aside and in very serious terms asked me if I had seen anyone suspicious wearing a turban. It was like having three cartoon versions of Barney Fife bumbling around the school. One time one of them actually lost a gun (it was in their squad car). Towards the end of my time there the rhetoric had changed, now the fear was about gangs in the school (there were no gangs in my hometown, just groups of black kids who were friends)

Fast forward to today: 20 something armed and armored cops, some with SMGs. The cops often bring their German shepherds too. This is for a small town high school with less than 200 students total. Metal detectors at the front. All book bags need to be mesh or clear. Lockers aren't permitted to be locked. The kids have to do regular head counts and walk the hallways in single file like it's a prison. The school has a uniform policy, which is a little unusual for an American public school. The stated reason is it cracks down on gangs (again there is no gang activity in my hometown). also every morning the principal comes over the loudspeaker and does an explicitly Christian prayer