Posted on 08/15/2014 2:08:15 PM PDT by bamahead
I agree. We’re on the same page here. Thanks.
“I’ve heard both accounts - that protests were peaceful until the heavily armed police showed up - and vice versa - that the heavy armor was just the response to riots.”
Force was needed to stop the worst of it. But too much will only incite more violence, especially when cops start stomping on 1st Amendment rights.
Everyone one is making easy claims about rioters. Riots occur for many reasons. Ya, some are just trash. Guess what the other cause is? When people have no confidence that their government or LE agencies are listening.
Boston Massacre was considered a riot too, hence the gun fire by Red Coats. Those people also felt government wasn’t listening.
“We may never know which is really the case. Fog of war.”
Please don’t use that term. Police are militant enough, without more military terminology, no matter how technically apt.
“But whatever the case, the change in police tone has definitely helped to de-escalated the whole situation.”
You can’t win a war of public opinion with m-4s and soldiers/cops. This all started with the belief that cops were out of control with deadly force.
Then the cops kept pushing, even to the point of trying to block 1st Amendment rights of people doing nothing wrong. Only one conclusion is possible with that. They know they are doing things they aren’t supposed to do.
“Or - it could simply be that the vast majority came to their senses when they found out that Big Mike was a strong-arm robbery thug...”
I’m not sure how many people even cared. The chief flat out admitted his crime had nothing to do with his stop by the cop. One had nothing to do with the other.
Ya, he is obviously a criminal. But we have a system in place for punishing him. The constant statements that his death means nothing, because of his crime, are as bad as the rioters. Cops aren’t supposed to be Judge Dredd. His death must still be taken as seriously as though he was innocent of his crime.
Not saying the cop did this, since they admit they didn’t even know he was a criminal, but people want to excuse his death because of his crime.
For myself, I don’t trust the cop. Bluntly, I’ve seen too many incidents of killings by cops that were way off reasonable or flat out criminal, and excused by cops. I don’t trust them to investigate this honestly.
“Give me a break. A girl cries in fear at the sight of the police, when she live among violent ghetto thugs and goes to school with them? She must stay drenched in tears then.”
I can believe it. Many here have made the comment that they get nervous near cops, even though they are doing nothing wrong.
I too, though very clean, get as nervous as a mouse around a cat with cops. I don’t trust them. I know they have no honor. I know they are paranoid. I know full well the harm they can cause me, all for nothing.
Remember the NM guy anal probed over clenched butt cheeks? The wii shooting? Dorner hunt foul ups? If it happened to them, innocent people all, what could cops do to other innocent people?
A 6' 2", 270-lb "child" who strong-arm robs convenience stores.
That's apparently what Rand Paul thinks too
I think I see a bumper sticker there.....
The reporters were not by any protesters...it was abuse plain and simple. Dont forget that one police department pulled thier officers due to the blatant violations of the medias and protesters civil rights.
I findnit disappointing that people here dont support the first admendment as much as they support the second.
If this were a protest absent the destruction of the prior days, I would join you in your disgust. Several hundred angry people there building momentum to perpetrate more mayhem, and I’m not buying in.
The police ordered them to disburse and I support them in that. There are decent enough reasons to not want these people congregating. It was an unlawful assembly once the officers declared it to be and asked people to leave? Why, because the officers wished to prevent more destruction.
The protesters have legal recourse. They can start litigation over it.
As for the reporters, they are often the real reason the protesters remain. They want to make the evening news. Get the reporters to leave, and the possibility of being on television is over.
In a circumstance of civil disorder, I don’t have a problem with the police demanding the press vacate. As far as I am concerned it is part of crowd control. Violence being highly probable the officers should have leeway to get the crowd to disburse, and incentives to stay being problematic, I support the press being made to leave.
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