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Feds in Memphis keep everyone safe by shooting people

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If you thought local police departments had a monopoly on questionable shootings, federal agents in Tennessee just said, "hold my badge."

So, there is this federal task force in Memphis, sent there to "drive down crime." This week, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration tried to serve an arrest warrant at a local hotel. When the guy inside didn't open the door, they kicked it down, saw a gun, and shot him dead.

Normally, that would just be another tragic local news segment. But this is the second fatal shooting by law enforcement in Memphis in less than a week. Just a few days earlier, local police and National Guard soldiers chased down a 20-year-old kid named Tyrin Johnson and shot him too.

Yes, the actual military is patrolling the streets. The local task force spokesperson insists they are making the city safer. Because nothing says "peace of mind" quite like having both the army and federal drug agents patrol neighborhood blocks like a combat zone.

The line between public safety and a military occupation continues to look incredibly blurry.

Source: Tennessee Bureau of Investigation

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  1. Tactical Lobbyist
    so we got the national guard doing traffic stops now? wild times
    +6 solidA keen observation that the line between 'protect and serve' and 'martial law' is getting thinner than a cheap suit
  2. Bald-Eagle Trucker
    The war on drugs is undefeated in making everything worse.
    +6 solidA profound realization that the war on drugs is the only war where the losers are everyone and the winners are just the prison industrial complex
  3. Gluten-Free Prepper
    honestly crime in memphis is so bad i don't even blame them for sending in the feds, but d***... two in a week is crazy
    +2 emotionalCaught between the fear of crime and the fear of the police, a classic American dilemma served with a side of existential dread