Quote Originally Posted by maxmixiv View Post
"police state" in Russian has other meaning.
Lawlessness has almost opposite meaning.
This is high level of violence in my opinion.
Americans are used to kill children, kill disabled men, and very often shoot in schools and kindergartens.
Nothing new happens, no?
It's like Russia (except shooting kids), but our police usually deals with foreigners with more piety.
This is main reason I don't want to visit U.S. (considering my English especially )

I wish I could just reassure you and say, no, no, please come visit - you'll be safe here!
Truth is, sometimes I am scared myself.
Our police are not the same as they were 20 or 30 years ago. These days they are very militarized and most of them are veterans of our wars Iraq and Afghanistan.
This was a total overreach of authority and the two police who beat him should have been stripped of their badges and guns. Unfortunately they are still in uniform two years later.
I think you can still safely visit the US. As horrible as this incident was, it doesn't happen to everyone, every day. The main thing is, it's better to be with a friend and not alone. That way, you always have a witness.