Show Law Enforcement Not Repression By J. J Edgar Hoover Director FBI People do do not always say what they mean sometimes intentionally For instance instance in in- stance there appears to be a deliberate attempt to place a disparaging label on a proven principle of our society I have in mind the current practice of some who purposely complain of repression repression repression re when they are talking about the supremacy of the law law law- Apparently to them any law enforcement function is repressive I 1 WANT to state emphatically and unequivocally unequivocally un un- equivocally that vigorous effective law enforcement Is not repression rather it is Ls an integral part of a free society and it is necessary to our survival This becomes clearer with every violent demonstration de de- There can be no freedom and there can be no liberty without supremacy of the law And we cannot have supremacy of the law unless the law is enforced Much of the talk a about bout repression comes from those involved in or in sympathy sympathy sym sym- pathy with revolutionary violence on our campuses and in our streets With blind enthusiasm for their diverse causes causes caus caus- es they defy all authority burn bum loot and destroy property and assault police with bricks bottles stones and sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times firearms all in the name of dissent THE FIRST amendment is Ls explicit as asto asto asto to the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government Government Government Govern Govern- ment for a redress of grievances This is a popular and cherished freedom freedom free free- dom and rightly so Peaceably is a key keyword keyword keyword word of the above quote however ItIs it itis itis is conveniently ignored by many persons persons per per- sons who equate dissent with destruction tion tionA A defiant militant with a brick in one hand and a firebomb In the other standing shoulder to shoulder with hundreds hun him of similarly armed protestors blocking a main thoroughfare and silhouetted silhouetted silhouetted sil sil- against a flaming public buildIng building building build build- ing shouting that his right to dissent is being repressed is a picture of paradox paradox para para- dox He may be making news but he heIs heis heis is perverting freedom THERE IS nothing in the first amendment amendment amend amend- ment which guarantees people the right to riot and plunder as means of dissent dis dis- sent Invariably when incidents and altercations occur during public dissent the trouble Is started by participants who knowingly and will will- Broiler output has been expanding and promises to be seasonally heavy over the near term with total production topping top ping 1969 levels by a substantial margin mar mar- gin Turkey from now through years year's end should rule higher than in 1969 but storage stocks are abnormally abnormal abnormal- ly small Hence extreme oversupply will be avoided break the law Then when the constitutional functions of enforcing the law and restoring order are brought into play the participants and their sympathizers sympathizers sym sym- scream repression a typical anarchic response No one claims that members of law enforcement have never overreacted to physical and verbal assaults by rioters one excess against another as it were But let us get one thing straight Prompt effective law enforcement to stop rioting rioting riot riot- ing mobs and wanton destruction is not repression It is a vital cog In our democratic democratic democratic de de- process Some people imply that our choice today may be between anarchy and repression re re- Indeed it is not Our choice today is the same as that of our Founding Founding Found Found- ing Fathers some sonic years ago liberty liberty liberty lib lib- erty and freedom under the rule of law If we enforce the law when it is violated violated vio vio- vio we will perpetuate this choice and we will have nothing to fear from either anarchy or repression Thus let letus letus letus us make certain that the distinction is clear the law and its enforcement are pillars of freedom not repression |