ArcaMax

As much as some politicians howl about "big government," Ferguson raises larger questions about threats to liberty posed by small governments.

One well-known example highlighted by the Ferguson unrest was the militarization of local police, causing local peace officers to look and behave more like an invading army.

A less visible menace is posed by what Professor Trounstine calls "political monopoly," unobstructed one-party rule that leaves incumbents and their cronies free to abuse the privileges of their safe seats.

The most egregious example of this era of virtually unchallenged state and local abuses, as Foer argues, may be civil-asset forfeiture. Intended originally to go after drug lords and the like, civil-asset forfeiture allows law enforcement in many states to seize a person's cash or property without ever charging him or her with a crime.

All the authorities have to do is claim they believe the property was acquired illegally. Although this tactic is often used legitimately, horror stories include a SWAT team raid on a party at the Contemporary Art Institute of Detroit in May 2008. Guests were knocked to the ground and forced to hand over their cars. Their offense? Partying in a space that wasn't properly permitted.

Justice Department investigators are looking into a similar abuse in Ferguson, where police processed an average of three warrants for each household. Millions in fines and court fees were collected from the city's poorest residents to fund various city operations.

Those are the same sort of residents who are least likely to turn out and vote in local elections. I expect their future turnout to improve significantly.

Or, as the Rev. Al Sharpton told local residents after Brown's death, their abysmal voter turnout "is an insult to your children."

I don't often quote Rev. Sharpton, but in this case he's right on point.

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E-mail Clarence Page at cpage@tribune.com.

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