“Oh, please! Have you ever worked in retail? Because if you believe the general public won’t get rude and unruly if they gather in large numbers with no visible police presence, you must have very limited exposure to the general public.”
Yes, in fact I have. In downtown Brooklyn in the 80’s when NYC crime rate was off the rails and I never experienced the hundreds of shoppers every minute of the day (huge department store) becoming unruly.
I also regularly attend outdoor concerts with thousands of people in attendance and there are no police in riot gear - sporting events like the US Open, Yankee games, etc, and people are extremely well behaved. The only reason there is police presence now is due to fear of terrorist attacks, not from thousands of people becoming unruly.
“Some police presence may be needed for traffic control and similar issues. Sometimes, it may be needed in case counter-protesters appear, and “hot” people on either side attempt to incite a riot.”
Police there for traffic patrol do not need to be dressed in riot gear and when was the last time there were clashes between protestors on different sides of an issue. Maybe during the Vietnam War but lately?
^^^DPD were NOT in riot gear. I fear after this event, the desire to not look overly intimidating will lose out to fears of becoming sitting ducks again. This event could negatively impact a police force who has worked hard to establish positive community relations. And that’s sad.
" 4 white women in Missouri getting stopped in a Walmart and checked while carrying guns."
Interesting that the officer didn’t make them drop to the ground and never pointed his weapon on them like the officer made the black guy do who was carrying an AR-15 and who made his pregnant girlfriend dri to the ground too - all while pointing his gun at them.
@Pizzagirl - it wasn’t directed at you but at my lovely Governor, police people, media, etc., who are blaming “outside agitators” for any wrongdoing.
@emilybee - there are many political marches and protests that bring out a handful of possibly vicious opponents and the cops are there to see that there’s not trouble between the groups as well as no one in either group trespassing or whatever. Especially when a white supremacist group wants to parade and is usually met with a far, far, greater number of opponents. Cops are there, opponents are there, and usually the white supremacists don’t show up.
It’s kind of hard to make a comparison unless you are dealing with the exact same cop in every case. But I do agree with you that the response to the black guy was completely over the top and wrong. I also think the response to the white guy was wrong, since unless he was suspected of a crime, he should be allowed to carry his gun without being stopped.
“… there’s not trouble between the groups as well as no one in either group trespassing or whatever. Especially when a white supremacist group wants to parade and is usually met with a far, far, greater number of opponents. Cops are there, opponents are there, and usually the white supremacists don’t show up.”
Ok. I’ll give you that. However none of the BLM protest have had counter protesters show up.
“I dont see why it is at all necessary to have had a police force at a peaceful protest.”
What? We live in a city where this isn’t a whole lot of crime. But each school has at least 1 police officer there at all times. There are police officers at football/basketball games,homecoming,4th of July parades,art & craft fairs,concerts, and a every event where there is a large number of people. That is what police do. They are there in case they are needed.
Maybe the police in Baton Rouge were in riot gear because they learned from Dallas what can happen when aren’t prepared . "Black Friday " sales are not art or craft shows.
“No police in riot gear” is not the same as “no police”. At all. I’ve been to major sporting events in cities all over the world. There is always police presence, and they are not there just for show. They deal with the drunks and the jerks, I’ve seen them in action. Seldom in riot gear, but when there have been violent events in the recent past the level of gear increases.
Of course it is possible for a crowd to form without violence breaking out. Just like it is possible to leave your purse in the front seat of your unlocked convertible while you run in to the library and have it still be there when you return. Just like it is possible to have 4-5 drinks and drive home safely. Just like it is possible that your un-vaccinated kid will not get measles. But communities that don’t send a police presence to a protest are asking for trouble. There are a lot of wonderful, kind, generous, caring people in the world, and in most big crowds. But the other kinds are around too, and I don’t see it as cynical to recognize that fact.
"Maybe the police in Baton Rouge were in riot gear because they learned from Dallas what can happen when aren’t prepared . “Black Friday " sales are not art or craft shows.”
What did they learn from Dallas? That a lone sniper out to kill police officers might show up to kill them? One would think they would choose not to show up from the lesson learned in Dallas.
DH informed me that their office is letting out early today as the police that usually help with traffic at rush hour are being redirected t a planned protest march nearby.
