Boston Bombing Lessons: Martial Law Doesn't Work

[FrankRep]

http://www.thenewamerican.com/media/k2/items/cache/adf91adc78adc26b33d87fb6b1bec1c8_M.jpg (http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/15163-boston-bombing-lessons-martial-law-doesn-t-work)



Only after the curfew in Watertown, Massachusetts, was lifted and alert resident David Hanberry went outside to get a smoke, according to news reports, did the case of the Boston Marathon bombing manhunt for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev crack open.


Boston Bombing Lessons: Martial Law Doesn't Work (http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/15163-boston-bombing-lessons-martial-law-doesn-t-work)


The New American (http://www.thenewamerican.com/)
20 April 2013

[Brett85]

I agree that it was unnecessary for the officials in Boston to ask people to stay in their homes, but asking people to stay in their homes isn't the same as martial law. If they had had martial law, anyone out on the street would've been arrested.

[FrankRep]

I agree that it was unnecessary for the officials in Boston to ask people to stay in their homes, but asking people to stay in their homes isn't the same as martial law. If they had had martial law, anyone out on the street would've been arrested.

Having a curfew and having Martial Law would have the same type of effect, except you won't get arrested.

In either case, the curfew didn't work and nor would Martial Law.

[TER]

It would seem to me that the reason to have a curfew in this particular instance (where a crazed gun-firing, bomb-throwing criminal is involved who may be strapped with explosives) is not so much to catch him per se but to prevent a mass casualty scenario. At least that is how I understand it with the very limited emergency disaster training I have. Thus, airports were closed not because he might get on a plane, but so that he doesn't blow himself and several dozen other people up with him in the airport..

[Brett85]

I don't know. There seems to be conflicting reports about whether or not it was actually mandatory for people to stay in their homes. Either way, I agree that the lockdown was a mistake, but I can still understand why they did it.