Posted on 04/30/2015 11:26:39 AM PDT by Usagi_yo
Some people protest police brutality in ways that only remind us of why we need police. That’s how I feel about the Baltimore rioters who some news reports described as “protestors [SIC].” The label falsely flatters the thugs and hooligans who set fires and attacked police, merchants and journalists after the otherwise respectful funeral on Monday for Freddie Gray, 25, who died under mysterious circumstances in police custody.
(Excerpt) Read more at clintonherald.com ...
Exactly. I am so sick of hearing most reporters refer to these a--holes as "protesters".
Just because other people commit a crime protesting something that happened does not mean that citizens of good conscience should not be MAD and demand immediate and drastic change when government is doing something wrong.
I wonder what the actual numbers of peaceful protesters to rioters were.
As with the Eric Garner case, I really have little sympathy for anyone who doesn't comply with a police directive in public; if the say put your hands up or ‘STOP’, no doing so is very dumb and dangerous. However that has *NOTHING* to do with the fact that some cops are out of control and the bigger problem that supposedly ‘good’ cops won't stop them or report them.
Rioters should be shot, but we citizens have every right to demand that each and every use of force against a citizen by any government agent, anywhere in the USA be independently investigated by some entity that has no connection to the police or any motivation to whitewash facts.
Just a cranky .02
Well yea, when I said I’m biased towards the protesters in a different thread on an ancillary topic I was accused of being biases towards the looters and thugs.
I hope you read the whole article because it discusses multiple lawsuits and million dollar settlements from ‘rough rides’.
We are of like mind.
You do understand that by posting a doctored photo (and I’m not talking about the juxtaposition of dates) whatever point you were trying to make just went into foul territory.
Yes, I did. There have been at least three settlements with victims of 'rough rides' by the Baltimore police.
But what does that have to do with whether or not rioting, looting thugs should be called "protesters"?
You do realize that when you accuse someone of doctoring a photo without determining whether they actually did so, whatever point you were trying to make just went into foul territory, right?
For the record, that is NOT a doctored photo.
That is the cover for the issue of Time Magazine dated May 11, 2015.
Hint: You might want to check their web site before replying.
I agree with you totally. The cops, if they indeed caused Gray’s death, are no less guilty regardless of the behavior of the rioters (I won’t call them protesters), the length of Gray’s rap sheet, whatever crime Gray did or did not commit to warrant his arrest or any other factor.
The guidelines for the use of legal force definitely don’t apply in this case. Gray did run, but he was apprehended without the use of lethal force. At the time of his death, he apparently was handcuffed and thoroughly subdued by the police and was not posing a threat to the officers. I don’t know if the police caused his death, but it seems pretty clear cut to me that if they did, it is not justifiable. Cases like the Michael Brown shooting are far different from this one; that one was justifiable as self defense. This one certainly seems to not be justifiable.
Well, apart from the bottle of Panther Whizz, Ale, that is..
I also think that Hilary’s idea of having all police wear body cameras is a very good idea. (A stopped clock is right twice a day!) I can’t imagine why any good cop would not support this idea; it could save them all kinds of trouble whenever they have to use lethal force. I certainly understand why bad cops would have a problem with it, though.
I doubt ANYONE on FR thinks they should be called “protesters”, at least not the rioters. But discussing them takes the focus off of the far more important point: The cops are out of control and a danger to citizens and something must happen and happen soon, even if there were 100 riots a night for a year or not a single one it makes no difference to the fact that police misbehavior is a symptom of something very bad for the Republic, rioters or no rioters, thugs or no thugs.
The point of the article is that this has happened before, not that rioters are scum.
Oh, haven’t you heard? Even “protests” has been watered down to “rallies”...so, the people are not even protestors anymore, they’re basically cheerleaders now.
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