To be fair, a protestor did throw a bottle which broke harmlessly on the ground, so they deserved all those rubber bullets.
To actually be fair, the peaceful protest with dozens of people in front of the police station garnered no response and light media coverage(I just happened to catch it on a local feed). The above was the reaction to people on the street throwing things at the cops and setting establishments on fire.
I'm really always amazed in these situations how little violence gets directed at the police. The police tend to stand out in the open in nice rows... For as militarized as they are a couple of angry guys with deer rifles could reap some real carnage.
It's basically the big lie of this style of policing. The police claim they need all the gear and violent tactics for crowd control because the crowd is stuffed full with trouble makers and anarchists who could descend the whole thing into bedlam at a moments notice.
But if the the crowd was actually stuffed full of organised, armed, trouble makers then the police would be overrun in seconds as there's X amount of crowd and only Y amount of police and Y is much less than X. The policing style only 'works' because the majority of the crowd is peaceful and doesn't want violence.
EDIT: With the irony being the aggressive strategy adopted by the police makes it more likely that a crowd will turn violent, it's a self-fulfilling system.
A bunch of protestors, even if they're reasonably armed and angry don't win against the police in a first world country.
It's tremendously silly to suggest otherwise. Even with numbers.
(The police choosing to cede because the use of force required is more then they're willing to commit to excluded)
Is this true?
I don't want to sound contrary, but haven't the experiences in Paris and Greece (and Egypt) shown us that a full scale riot is virtually unstoppable by the police?
This is the reason why there is a huge effort to control the initial outbreak and to disperse riots as soon as possible.
It's just a question of numbers, really. And of course, there is a limit to the amount of force the police for can commit. (Not only for PR reasons, but asking your officers to shoot down a few dozen old ladies is not going to work)
@edit: I have no idea where the first part came from.
In the case of egypt, the riots were not going well, the army stepped in to protect people from the police near the beginning.
There's some crazy going on in this thread. To put some thoughts forward:
Anyone claiming that some revolution is going to happen and/or police will get slaughtered when they face a riot is kind of the equivalent of internet toughguy arguing. Were talking about an unorganized unarmed unprotected mob against a tight knit trained force with logistical/tactical/offensive/defensive advantage. The number of people they are facing only matters once it reaches an insane amount, up till then it would be a meat grinder. It's an unrealistic amount of people to overcome this advantage, and then you would require people that are going to throw themselves to their deaths in order to overwhelm. And you just aren't going to find that many people unless the situation is that dire.
The reason why the police dont shoot to kill in this situation, and on the bundy ranch where they stood down, is they took a logical approach: is getting into a gun fight, and killing a whole lot of people, really sound to do as human beings over some cows, when they will be gone in 3-6 months and we can just collect anyways? They have the advantage and have to take a step back and look at the situation, because the mob mentality side can't.
Take a quick look at the stat's for WACO. the compound had surprise, was well armed, and had an extreme defensive advantage. The police casulties was 4 with 16 injured(which isn't specific, but includes minor injuries), the compound lost 87. The four were killed in the initial raid, and the compound lost 6. The 'seige' portion had zero casualties on the atf/fbi/police side. These things do not end well for citizens when violence escalates. The best you can hope is it causes a reaction in higher govt so that changes can be made to the systemic issues we see with policing.
edit: The point of lining up in a large amount of equipment, is as a show of force. you aren't going to see them in phalanx formation if shots are fired on them. A show of force is for the public, you scare them into showing that you are organized and ready as a response. If they were taking cover/hiding, it would be a disservice to those rioting. It would let them believe that they actually have an advantage because they can't reliably tell how many the police have.They then think that they could press forward, which would lead to bigger issues.
What could possibly change the police culture in this country short of a bloodbath revolution? The same really goes for income inequality and gun control. I am not and would never advocate for widespread death and destruction, but at this point I don't see what else would work. Cops are killing unarmed people all the time and laughing about it.
The buzzword I keep hearing elsewhere is "Molotov cocktails". Is there any truth to that, or is it borne from people fitting the protesters into a nice tidy narrative of violent thugs?
Took me like 30 seconds to find a news article with a captioned photograph you guys.
DiannaoChong on
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DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
You know American mainstream media is fucked when you have reporters saying "Well, if you didn't want to be arrested you shouldn't have been there in the first place."
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
So, to make this fair, let's give the protestors some artillery to point at the cops, right?
Come the fuck on. Bundy got away with it because he's an affluent white rancher who used a media spotlight to drum up sympathy to his (misguided) cause of not wanting to pay taxes. Most of these people are protesting a murder, peacefully. The cops should be arresting the people who break the law, not shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at the people who want justice.
Gov. Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay say that the St. Louis County PD has been relieved of their duty and will be replaced with the state police and/or federal authorities.
enlightenedbum on
Self-righteousness is incompatible with coalition building.
And if the people in Missouri were even half as well armed as the assholes in Nevada, they would have been massacred in the streets by now.
The Bundy protesters were also well organized, not just a bunch of random assholes with guns and no plan. They were essentially a militia, which made them a lot more difficult to dick with. You just give a shitload of rifles to a mob playing grab-ass, and an organized police force will break them up pretty easily.
Gov. Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay say that the St. Louis County PD has been relieved of their duty and will be replaced with the state police and/or federal authorities.
"Relieved of their duty" essentially meaning "they will be put on paid leave, and will go into hiding until all of these media reports die down and people forget about this, whereupon they will receive no punishment and return to active duty".
Step one is removing the idiots so they can't escalate the situation further.
Sure, but it's just galling to me that of all the heinous shit that's been done even over the last 24 hours alone, it's a pretty sure thing that there will be no consequences for the thugs.
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DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Gov. Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay say that the St. Louis County PD has been relieved of their duty and will be replaced with the state police and/or federal authorities.
"Relieved of their duty" essentially meaning "they will be put on paid leave, and will go into hiding until all of these media reports die down and people forget about this, whereupon they will receive no punishment and return to active duty".
Really, that's the best thing that could be done right now.
If this continued things would have gotten a lot worse.
Hopefully it doesn't stop there and there is a proper investigation though.
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AManFromEarthLet's get to twerk!The King in the SwampRegistered Userregular
Yeah, we can worry about prosecution after the streets aren't filled with mayhem.
Getting rid of these assholes will probably go a long way toward that.
Gov. Nixon and Congressman Lacy Clay say that the St. Louis County PD has been relieved of their duty and will be replaced with the state police and/or federal authorities.
"Relieved of their duty" essentially meaning "they will be put on paid leave, and will go into hiding until all of these media reports die down and people forget about this, whereupon they will receive no punishment and return to active duty".
Really, that's the best thing that could be done right now.
If this continued things would have gotten a lot worse.
Hopefully it doesn't stop there and there is a proper investigation though.
Yes, I agree that things shouldn't go worse for innocent people. Absolutely.
But what ought to happen is that the cops who broke the law and used their position of power to fuck over and harm innocent people because they're black should be punished to the full extent that the law (theoretically) allows. Taking them out of the spotlight until after things die down in the press doesn't solve the very real long-term problem of cops being basically state-sponsored gangs.
So yay (not sarcastic!), in the short-term fewer people will be assaulted, tear-gassed, and shot at by the cops. In the long run, though, nothing changes and it is frustrating.
Here you can see protesters just standing on a street, not doing anything other than holding their hands up when the police begin firing the noise guns and eventually tear gas and rubber bullets
Initially, both Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post and I were asked for identification. I was wearing my lanyard, but Ryan asked why he had to show his ID. They didn’t press the point, but one added that if we called 911, no one would answer. Then they walked away. Moments later, the police reemerged, telling us that we had to leave. I pulled my phone out and began recording video. An officer with a large weapon came up to me and said, “Stop recording.” I said, “Officer, do I not have the right to record you?” He backed off but told me to hurry up. So I gathered my notebook and pens with one hand while recording him with the other hand. As I exited, I saw Ryan to my left, having a similar argument with two officers. I recorded him, too, and that angered the officer.
As I made my way toward the door, the officers gave me conflicting information. One instructed me to exit to my left. As I turned left, another officer emerged, blocking my path. “Go another way,” he said. As I turned, my backpack, which was slung over one shoulder, began to slip. I said, “Officers, let me just gather my bag.” As I did, one of them said, “Okay, let’s take him.” Multiple officers grabbed me. I tried to turn my back to them to assist them in arresting me. I dropped the things from my hands. “My hands are behind my back,” I said. “I’m not resisting. I’m not resisting.” At which point one officer said: “You’re resisting. Stop resisting.”
That was when I was most afraid — more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets. As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door. I could see Ryan still talking to an officer. I said: “Ryan, tweet that they’re arresting me, tweet that they’re arresting me.” He didn’t have an opportunity, because he was arrested as well. The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: “I can’t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!” Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van. “I’m going to die!” he screamed. “I’m going to die! I can’t breathe! I’m going to die!”
Eventually a police car arrived. A woman — with a collar identifying her as a member of the clergy — sat in the back. Ryan and I crammed in next to her, and we took the three-minute ride to the Ferguson Police Department. The woman sang hymns throughout the ride. During this time, we asked the officers for badge numbers. We asked to speak to a supervising officer. We asked why we were being detained. We were told: trespassing in a McDonald’s. “I hope you’re happy with yourself,” one officer told me. And I responded: “This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow.” And he said, “Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.”
Initially, both Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post and I were asked for identification. I was wearing my lanyard, but Ryan asked why he had to show his ID. They didn’t press the point, but one added that if we called 911, no one would answer. Then they walked away. Moments later, the police reemerged, telling us that we had to leave. I pulled my phone out and began recording video. An officer with a large weapon came up to me and said, “Stop recording.” I said, “Officer, do I not have the right to record you?” He backed off but told me to hurry up. So I gathered my notebook and pens with one hand while recording him with the other hand. As I exited, I saw Ryan to my left, having a similar argument with two officers. I recorded him, too, and that angered the officer.
As I made my way toward the door, the officers gave me conflicting information. One instructed me to exit to my left. As I turned left, another officer emerged, blocking my path. “Go another way,” he said. As I turned, my backpack, which was slung over one shoulder, began to slip. I said, “Officers, let me just gather my bag.” As I did, one of them said, “Okay, let’s take him.” Multiple officers grabbed me. I tried to turn my back to them to assist them in arresting me. I dropped the things from my hands. “My hands are behind my back,” I said. “I’m not resisting. I’m not resisting.” At which point one officer said: “You’re resisting. Stop resisting.”
That was when I was most afraid — more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets. As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door. I could see Ryan still talking to an officer. I said: “Ryan, tweet that they’re arresting me, tweet that they’re arresting me.” He didn’t have an opportunity, because he was arrested as well. The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: “I can’t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!” Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van. “I’m going to die!” he screamed. “I’m going to die! I can’t breathe! I’m going to die!”
Eventually a police car arrived. A woman — with a collar identifying her as a member of the clergy — sat in the back. Ryan and I crammed in next to her, and we took the three-minute ride to the Ferguson Police Department. The woman sang hymns throughout the ride. During this time, we asked the officers for badge numbers. We asked to speak to a supervising officer. We asked why we were being detained. We were told: trespassing in a McDonald’s. “I hope you’re happy with yourself,” one officer told me. And I responded: “This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow.” And he said, “Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.”
Ugh. Reading this gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can only imagine how they must have felt.
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
Let's play a comparison game
If one of these protesters in Ferguson pointed an assault rifle as a cop how long before they got shot?
Initially, both Ryan Reilly of the Huffington Post and I were asked for identification. I was wearing my lanyard, but Ryan asked why he had to show his ID. They didn’t press the point, but one added that if we called 911, no one would answer. Then they walked away. Moments later, the police reemerged, telling us that we had to leave. I pulled my phone out and began recording video. An officer with a large weapon came up to me and said, “Stop recording.” I said, “Officer, do I not have the right to record you?” He backed off but told me to hurry up. So I gathered my notebook and pens with one hand while recording him with the other hand. As I exited, I saw Ryan to my left, having a similar argument with two officers. I recorded him, too, and that angered the officer.
As I made my way toward the door, the officers gave me conflicting information. One instructed me to exit to my left. As I turned left, another officer emerged, blocking my path. “Go another way,” he said. As I turned, my backpack, which was slung over one shoulder, began to slip. I said, “Officers, let me just gather my bag.” As I did, one of them said, “Okay, let’s take him.” Multiple officers grabbed me. I tried to turn my back to them to assist them in arresting me. I dropped the things from my hands. “My hands are behind my back,” I said. “I’m not resisting. I’m not resisting.” At which point one officer said: “You’re resisting. Stop resisting.”
That was when I was most afraid — more afraid than of the tear gas and rubber bullets. As they took me into custody, the officers slammed me into a soda machine, at one point setting off the Coke dispenser. They put plastic cuffs on me, then they led me out the door. I could see Ryan still talking to an officer. I said: “Ryan, tweet that they’re arresting me, tweet that they’re arresting me.” He didn’t have an opportunity, because he was arrested as well. The officers led us outside to a police van. Inside, there was a large man sitting on the floor between the two benches. He began screaming: “I can’t breathe! Call a paramedic! Call a paramedic!” Ryan and I asked the officers if they intended to help the man. They said he was fine. The screaming went on for the 10 to 15 minutes we stood outside the van. “I’m going to die!” he screamed. “I’m going to die! I can’t breathe! I’m going to die!”
Eventually a police car arrived. A woman — with a collar identifying her as a member of the clergy — sat in the back. Ryan and I crammed in next to her, and we took the three-minute ride to the Ferguson Police Department. The woman sang hymns throughout the ride. During this time, we asked the officers for badge numbers. We asked to speak to a supervising officer. We asked why we were being detained. We were told: trespassing in a McDonald’s. “I hope you’re happy with yourself,” one officer told me. And I responded: “This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow.” And he said, “Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.”
Ugh. Reading this gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can only imagine how they must have felt.
'Stop resisting' is one of the worst / scariest things you can ever hear from a cop, because it pretty much gives them license to do whatever the fuck they want.
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
Actually there was an armed 'both sides are literally pointing guns at each other' standoff at one point. The FBI backed off. it fueled the flames that the bundy side had the power to actually do things.
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
Actually there was an armed 'both sides are literally pointing guns at each other' standoff at one point. The FBI backed off. it fueled the flames that the bundy side had the power to actually do things.
the only reason those guys were't shot dead is they're white
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DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
Actually there was an armed 'both sides are literally pointing guns at each other' standoff at one point. The FBI backed off. it fueled the flames that the bundy side had the power to actually do things.
the only reason those guys were't shot dead is they're white
Like I mean I don't want to preach about race but seriously, you have to understand that in situations like this race does play a factor.
There is a reason so many unarmed black men are shot by the police. Our presence is naturally threatening to a lot of them.
Believe me when I say...the protesters having guns would have not made this situation better.
I cannot believe the posts that compare Ferguson to Bundy ranch.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
Actually there was an armed 'both sides are literally pointing guns at each other' standoff at one point. The FBI backed off. it fueled the flames that the bundy side had the power to actually do things.
the only reason those guys were't shot dead is they're white
Like I mean I don't want to preach about race but seriously, you have to understand that in situations like this race does play a factor.
There is a reason so many unarmed black men are shot by the police. Our presence is naturally threatening to a lot of them.
Believe me when I say...the protesters having guns would have not made this situation better.
Tell that to the Bundy Ranch geese who are headed up to Ferguson to "assist" the good protestors there.
Here, a symbolic image of the Bundy Ranch people (represented by Al Bundy) and the people in Ferguson (represented by Al's beloved Ferguson toilet) should they actually show up in Missouri armed:
“Well I would invite Joe Scarborough to come down to Ferguson and get out of 30 Rock where he’s sitting sipping his Starbucks smugly. I invite him to come down here and talk to residents of Ferguson where I have been Monday afternoon having tear gas shot at me, rubber bullets shot at me, having mothers, daughter, a 19-year-old boy, crying, running to pull his 21-year-old sister out from a cloud of tear gas thinking she would die,” Lowery said on CNN’s “New Day.” “I would invite Joe Scarborough down here to do some reporting on the ground, and then maybe we can have an educated conversation about what’s happening down here.”
“I have little patience for talking heads. This is too important. This is a community in the United States of America, where we’re seeing it on fire, they are on fire, this community is on edge, there is so much happening here and instead of getting more reporters on the ground we have people like Joe Scarborough who are running their mouths and have no idea what they’re talking about,” Lowery said.
Rep. Steve King appeared on Newsmax TV yesterday, where host J.D. Hayworth asked him about the rising tensions in Ferguson, Missouri and the call by members of the Congressional Black Caucus for the Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation because of concerns about a history of racial profiling by the local police department.
King, of course, saw no need for such an investigation, claiming that these members of the CBC are basically "saying don't enforce the law," linking the issue to the sporadic looting and vandalism that has taken place by asserting that there is no need to racially profile those responsible for those actions because they are all black.
"This idea of no racial profiling," King said, "I've seen the video. It looks to me like you don't need to bother with that particular factor because they all appear to be of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that."
Rep. Steve King appeared on Newsmax TV yesterday, where host J.D. Hayworth asked him about the rising tensions in Ferguson, Missouri and the call by members of the Congressional Black Caucus for the Department of Justice to conduct an independent investigation because of concerns about a history of racial profiling by the local police department.
King, of course, saw no need for such an investigation, claiming that these members of the CBC are basically "saying don't enforce the law," linking the issue to the sporadic looting and vandalism that has taken place by asserting that there is no need to racially profile those responsible for those actions because they are all black.
"This idea of no racial profiling," King said, "I've seen the video. It looks to me like you don't need to bother with that particular factor because they all appear to be of a single origin, I should say, a continental origin might be the way to phrase that."
So what happened was that some cop maliciously killed a guy on the street for no reason. people protested. some of those people decided to get violent. Police forces escalated more then necessary. Some of those police got too trigger happy and too excited, thinking they were in some action movie. They used their big hardware liberally. The other cooler heads went with the flow because jimmy just started shooting the wooden bullets, so i guess it's wooden bullet time and things got worse from there.
It's very important to not leave out the action that instigated the protests: the police force deciding that murder is a crime you are allowed to commit if you are a police officer.
If the officer who murdered Michael Brown was arrested and actually being prosecuted for the murder that he committed, there would not be a protest.
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Also, ref that armored veh. That's bigger than anything we have and we have about 400 officers. Yeesh.
All around shameful display by LEO.
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To actually be fair, the peaceful protest with dozens of people in front of the police station garnered no response and light media coverage(I just happened to catch it on a local feed). The above was the reaction to people on the street throwing things at the cops and setting establishments on fire.
What could possibly change the police culture in this country short of a bloodbath revolution? The same really goes for income inequality and gun control. I am not and would never advocate for widespread death and destruction, but at this point I don't see what else would work. Cops are killing unarmed people all the time and laughing about it.
You'd think the cops could at least fake one.
escape to a wonderful fantasy world where abusive police see the tiniest bit of repercussions for their actions
Fuck CNN, seriously
article.
Took me like 30 seconds to find a news article with a captioned photograph you guys.
At the Bundy ranch, there were zero incidents of violence, assaults, shootings, burned down buildings, looted buildings, overturned cars, tanks, SWAT, tear gas, rubber bullets, arrests, news blackouts, etc. While all of that shit happened/is happening at Ferguson.
For fucks sake, both the police and the protestors basically held a model protest over there in Nevada.
So, to make this fair, let's give the protestors some artillery to point at the cops, right?
Come the fuck on. Bundy got away with it because he's an affluent white rancher who used a media spotlight to drum up sympathy to his (misguided) cause of not wanting to pay taxes. Most of these people are protesting a murder, peacefully. The cops should be arresting the people who break the law, not shooting rubber bullets and tear gas at the people who want justice.
The Bundy protesters were also well organized, not just a bunch of random assholes with guns and no plan. They were essentially a militia, which made them a lot more difficult to dick with. You just give a shitload of rifles to a mob playing grab-ass, and an organized police force will break them up pretty easily.
"Relieved of their duty" essentially meaning "they will be put on paid leave, and will go into hiding until all of these media reports die down and people forget about this, whereupon they will receive no punishment and return to active duty".
Sure, but it's just galling to me that of all the heinous shit that's been done even over the last 24 hours alone, it's a pretty sure thing that there will be no consequences for the thugs.
Really, that's the best thing that could be done right now.
If this continued things would have gotten a lot worse.
Hopefully it doesn't stop there and there is a proper investigation though.
Getting rid of these assholes will probably go a long way toward that.
Yes, I agree that things shouldn't go worse for innocent people. Absolutely.
But what ought to happen is that the cops who broke the law and used their position of power to fuck over and harm innocent people because they're black should be punished to the full extent that the law (theoretically) allows. Taking them out of the spotlight until after things die down in the press doesn't solve the very real long-term problem of cops being basically state-sponsored gangs.
So yay (not sarcastic!), in the short-term fewer people will be assaulted, tear-gassed, and shot at by the cops. In the long run, though, nothing changes and it is frustrating.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Ugh. Reading this gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I can only imagine how they must have felt.
Let's play a comparison game
If one of these protesters in Ferguson pointed an assault rifle as a cop how long before they got shot?
'Stop resisting' is one of the worst / scariest things you can ever hear from a cop, because it pretty much gives them license to do whatever the fuck they want.
Actually there was an armed 'both sides are literally pointing guns at each other' standoff at one point. The FBI backed off. it fueled the flames that the bundy side had the power to actually do things.
the only reason those guys were't shot dead is they're white
Like I mean I don't want to preach about race but seriously, you have to understand that in situations like this race does play a factor.
There is a reason so many unarmed black men are shot by the police. Our presence is naturally threatening to a lot of them.
Believe me when I say...the protesters having guns would have not made this situation better.
Tell that to the Bundy Ranch geese who are headed up to Ferguson to "assist" the good protestors there.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
He then concludes with
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
"You know that we can hear you, right?"
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PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Wow.
If the officer who murdered Michael Brown was arrested and actually being prosecuted for the murder that he committed, there would not be a protest.