"Shoot first and inquire afterwards, and if you make mistakes, I will protect you"
Hermann Göring, March 3 1933
That statement was in the speech that Hermann Göring, Hitler’s minister, gave in Frankfurt in the spring of 1933; it encouraged the use of police violence, telling Prussian law enforcement directly that the government supports such actions and will indemnify them even against the most egregious actions. Göring led the consolidation of decentralized, local police departments in Germany into a unified security force.
Once you get digest the word salad that is in the Executive Order that Trump signed on April 28th, in the spring of 2025, the meaning isn’t far from Göring’s, and it’s not difficult to see it as the beginning of a similar process.
The order is titled “Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement to Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens”, and it directs the Attorney General to create a mechanism for legal resources and indemnification for law enforcement officers who incur expenses and liabilities for actions taken during their official duties - including pro-bono assitance from private sector law firms (some of which were recently strong-armed into providing such pro-bono services).
The order also further militarizes local law enforcement by transferring armored vehicles, tactical gear, and surveillance technology.
Increasing militzrization of police, providing immunity against legal action, increased sentences for “crimes against officers”, providing increased pay from federal sources - all of this points to increased involvement of federal agencies in local law enforcement, aming to reduce their independence and governance by local authorities.
The “shoot first, ask questions later” approach is likely to result in some serious confrontations, especially with anti-Trump demonstrations on the rise, and blue state governors and officials pushing back against the fascist take-over.
Another step in the march towards fascism.