Will Miller Green Mountain Veterans For Peace

Let Cops Be Cops

 

By J.M. Turner

Posted by the Vermont Peace & Justice Center

 

When I think of Vermont, the first thought that comes to mind are the winding rivers beneath the mountains alongside Route 100 between Killington and Warren, where at any given time, a song bird or raptor can be seen perched on an overhanging limb and then lift itself gently beyond the tree line and into the thick forest. I think of the eclectic groups of people who gather throughout the year to celebrate a day just to celebrate, and am reminded of the saying, “In Vermont, we have a festival for that.”  This is of course the appeal that brought me to live in this state some eight years ago after having served three deployments in the Marines between 2003 and 2007, two in Iraq as an infantryman.

 

I was 22 years old when I moved north, having just endured many life changing experiences throughout my time in service. Vermont was, and is to this day, a great place of solitude where in a matter of minutes, you can be at a place where the only others surrounding you are the natural beings that tourists migrate to year round to admire. It is difficult to believe that the state that has become such a large part of my life, and helps me understand the virtues of peace, is now at threat of being armed with extensive military hardware. For as long as I have lived in these green mountains, it has become clear that this tucked away gem takes pride to maintain the quintessential beauty that exists in old villages and the communities residing there.

 

The people of Vermont are back-to-the-landers, communities often police themselves to ensure healthy relationships and to display exemplary models for rising generations. It is a wonderful feeling to walk into a country store and watch shop owners talk closely with old timers, out-of-towners and police officers who make it a ritual each morning to start their day with a cup of coffee and conversation. What sort of message do we send to our children when rather than investing money in their education, federal funds are being spent on large pieces of machinery capable of suppressing riots and police officers, who they know by their first names, are now being donned with SWAT gear and automatic machine guns.

 

I ask, why is it we are choosing to take this course? To state that this gear is to protect us from terrorism I feel is inaccurate. There are plenty of Vermonters with stockpiles of weapons who would be willing to stand and protect their beloved hillsides should we be invaded, not to mention the Air National Guard and Army National Guard that can be at any place within the state quickly should they be called to do so. Who are we being protected from with the militarization of our police forces? Who then becomes the threat should they be equipped with this gear?  Place yourself in the shoes of someone confronted by a large masked man, decked out in bullet proof gear — what is your first reaction? Automatic weapons and armored vehicles are not objects to confront, and with the majority of the occupants within this state being small business owners, farmers and politicians, I ask once more, who is the threat?

 

Each person living here, whether an implant flatlander or 6th generation farmer, have been and will continue to be, collaborative in nature, offering respect to the other knowing that there is much knowledge to be shared regardless of political perspective, 2nd Amendment rights, or religious belief. Unlike many places in this country, we see each other as being equal, truly equal, and that is yet another reason our state is so strong and capable of creating change that we believe in.

 

My thought is this, allow police officers to be police officers and leave the military hardware for our National Guard who are specifically trained to handle this gear. We are a small enough state that should something happen, be it an attack or some other catastrophe, that we as a people will join together and unify our years of experience and materials to sustain our thriving communities, and support those in uniform to keep us safe from harm, whether they are dressed in camouflage or in blue. We must be willing to trust ourselves to make the right decisions should we be confronted with inappropriateness, but those within the political systems, should have faith that we will make the appropriate decisions, and continue to work to create a healthy environment for our children to grow in, without the implementation of tools designed to destroy.

 

We are living in an interesting period of time where our people need to assist each other in transitioning from a fear-based mentality, and move more toward a direction that instills courage to teach our children methods of non-violent communication, ways to care for others and the land that we love and appreciate, and to make the right decisions to sustain good health and happiness.

 

 

Jon Turner is a member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition and is building an educational landscape to assist veterans with re-integration after returning home from war. He is currently working with the VA to facilitate writing workshops for those willing to look at their experience from a different perspective. Jon lives in Addison County with his family and is a student of sustainability and ecological design.