HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-30-14 Rose, Armored Vehicle Public CommentFrom:Faith Rose
To:Agenda
Cc:citydesk@dailychronicle.com
Subject:Wisconsin armored vehicle used to collect civil debt
Date:Thursday, October 30, 2014 6:44:33 AM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Mayor and City Commissioners,
Please take a few minutes to read this referenced article on how an armored vehiclewas used against an unarmed 75 year old man, with absolutely NO history ofviolence, but simply because he had a history of being a cantankerous old man whowas uncooperative with the city collecting a civil judgment against him in the smalltown of Stettin, Wisconsin, population 2,550: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/armored-vehicle-helps-collect-civil-judgment-in-small-town-b99376798z1-280427872.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed
Marathon County, population 135,000, procured this armored vehicle in 2011 andhas used it 53 times! They claim it is necessary to use the vehicle because "as soonas the MARV showed up, people give up." The police may find that reassuring, butas a citizen, I find it a strategy of police domination that leads to violation of ourrights.
At the commission meeting our police chief claimed that this vehicle was notobtained to be used for crowd control, even though that is EXACTLY what wasstated as the reason for procuring it on the grant application. He then clearly toldthe commission they wanted the vehicle to use against individuals, indicating a lonegunman, which was clearly NOT on the grant application.
By voting to keep this vehicle, you accepted this obvious contradiction and approvedthe illegal and surreptitious way in which this vehicle was obtained, and now, afterletting them get away with that, you expect them to abide by the rules? And nowyou can read about how this vehicle has actually been used in a civil case againstcitizens.
I find police militarization and domination threatening, not comforting. This incidentconcerns me greatly, and I challenge you to make certain that abuses such as thisdo NOT happen in Bozeman.
Faith Rose850 Cape AveBozeman