The BearCat vote has been put off another week. This doesn’t come as a shock to many people who have been following the BearCat saga as it unfolded in the Keene Sentinel.
I’ve been tasked with covering this event as a journalism student, and for the last few weeks I have been eating, sleeping and breathing the BearCat.
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In that time I’ve managed to make up my mind, change my mind and change it yet again in regards to what I believe the BearCat is all about.
Even at the moment of writing this, I can safely say that I have formed no strong opinions about whether the BearCat is really necessary.
Being a political nerd and a journalist, I have trained myself to have no concrete feelings and opinions about what the “right answer” is to a problem.
Since I wanted to go into government and public policy, this was supposed to enable me to look at problems from any and all angles, not necessarily the angles I agreed with. In theory, this would make me a crackerjack government official and nearly impenetrable by partisan politics.
Fast forward a couple of years and I’ve realized that this theory of being able to examine problems from any angle means that it’s nearly impossible for me to form a cohesive opinion about what really is the appropriate response to any problem.
I can’t commit to any idea being better than any other. This is the problem I’m running into when it comes to Keene and the possibility of the Keene Police Department being in possession of a BearCat.
The more idealistic side of me believes that a BearCat in Keene is the most absurd waste of federal grand money to ever exist. It is nothing more than a continuation of the military-industrial complex that has been permeating every aspect of American life since September 11.
It represents everything that is wrong with this country, in terms of the liberties we are giving up to feel more secure. It appalls me to my very core that Keene believes it needs to own an armored vehicle such as the BearCat, regardless of its intended uses. There is rarely a time when it seems like a BearCat might even be remotely useful to not only the city, but the rest of western New Hampshire.
As a student, the idea of a BearCat is especially troubling, considering the vast majority of situations where the BearCat could potentially be useful involves college students rioting or running amok. With the Free Keene movement and Keene State students living in the area, it’s not hard to see where a BearCat might become useful to police.
This ties into my idea that the BearCat is nothing more than a tool for the Keene Police to exert control over rowdy students and town residents. My fear is that the BearCat will be used as nothing more than an intimidation tool.
Truth be told though, I am on friendly terms with many members of city government and the police force.
I have faith that the members of the police force and other first responders will use the BearCat responsibly and will not take advantage of the BearCat and overpower citizens. I believe they will use it when absolutely necessary and in situations that warrant its use.
If it were any other person who was supposed to receive the BearCat, I might be more skeptical of their intentions. However, I believe the chief and his officers to be good people.
While I really can’t say for sure that my mind won’t change between writing this column and it’s publication a few days from now, when it comes to making my mind up about the BearCat, I tend to err on the side of caution. Keene does not need a BearCat. Pumpkin Fest is never going to turn into a terrorist attack warranting a BearCat.
It’s absolutely ludicrous to think that a BearCat could be a necessary tool in a community of Keene’s size.
While I believe that the police force in Keene is ultimately good, for the sake of Keene, it’s better to let the BearCat wander off into another community.
Chelsea Mellin can be contacted at cmellin@ksc.mailcruiser.com