@emilybee I’d prefer your critical thinking than the words of someone else.
The horse is out of the barn.
Citizens are hurling flaming bottles of flammable liquids at police officers, police vehicles and private businesses.
Prayer circles don’t stop riots.
You can perform a complete postmortem when the smoldering finally subsides.
What should the police, human beings like you and me, do tonight when they diligently perform their duties by submersing themselves into an inconceivably dangerous environment where an overwhelming crowd hell bent on destruction and violence seek to do them harm?
All police at all times should realize that the people with which they are engaging are human beings just like themselves.
We’ve seen enough examples now of the right way and wrong way law enforcement can approach these protests. Some police chiefs show up, shake hands with the protestors, and walk along with them. The few troublemakers in any group are not going to cause trouble with dozens of uniformed officers walking along with them.
On the other hand, when law enforcement shows up with an negative power-tripping attitude, intent to forcefully overpower protesters, the violence initiated by the police (even if only violent emotions) is then returned by protesters. And as the violent actions are batted back and forth, eventually they grow in force until lives are put at risk.
Law enforcement needs to work harder to develop newer methods of dealing with marches and protests. Going back to the same playbook used by overtly racist politicians and police chiefs of the 60s is not the right, just, or moral answer. Attacking marchers with fire hoses and attack dogs is no longer accepted. However, attacking marchers with batons, rubber bullets, and tear gas is somehow still accepted by some as okay.
The times have changed – the more intelligent leaders of law enforcement have realized they too need to change the departments they lead.
No, that article is simply wrong. In the LA riots of 1992, the police ignored the violence that was breaking out in South Los Angeles for three long hours. They had no plan to quell it at all. There were arsons, beatings, looting. Analysis later showed that to be a major mistake. Once criminals see that there is no police response, they feel free to do whatever they want with no consequences and the violence spreads and spreads.
My son is living in a very nice apartment building in Santa Monica. The lower level retail and restaurant was destroyed and set on fire. He feared he would have to evacuate with nowhere to go (and a cat). I think he was very scared. This is inexcusable. I could support military action and locking them all up.
My D joined an organized BLM protest in a small city where we live. It started and stayed totally peaceful, but that unfortunately didn’t stop her from getting hit with teargas twice, and others from being hit with rubber bullets. There was no destruction or looting- but they did block the highway for a bit. To me that IS peaceful and a traffic jam isn’t worth escalating the situation. There were four separate police agencies involved and that was before the national guard was brought in (which was after she had come home). Another small city near us had two nights of protests- the first turned violent when police used force and in the second the police chief apologized for how they handled the night before and asked to march with the protesters instead. That protest ended peacefully. A third small town near us ended up with destruction and looting on a small scale from a small protest fairly quickly.
Back home, where we are from vs where we live, the city is in chaos and there is a ton of destruction. And of course we are moving to Minneapolis in a month, and we all know the situation there.
@EconPop In Minneapolis, when the crowd breached and burned the police precinct, and every officer retreated, leaving the protesters to their own devices, how did things work out?
Humans that make the conscious decision to defy curfews and come out in the dark, in huge crowds, to intentionally confront police are not like you, me, or the police officers they battle.
Unauthorized blocking of a highway is not peaceful. Sometimes, roads will be blocked by officials in preparation for protests, but allowing an angry mob to hold people hostage is intolerable.
Big gaping hole in the front window of our neighborhood restaurant. Board up crew there now. I cannot tell if the looters got in or not.
Dollar store doors smashed open & workers doing clean up.
A group of small businesses on one block appear unscathed, but the tavern on the next block is completely boarded up. I do not know if that was before or after looting.
I did not walk up further that way, but my brother says the strip mall about a mile from our house is torn apart, but not burned.
No offense, but working in a public high school for over 20 years has taught me that not all people think, reason, or act the same. This is the same for teachers as well as kids.
We work hard to try to teach some things (like the Golden Rule) to all students. Sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t. Race doesn’t matter. Their personalities make a big difference. I love working in high school because I can sometimes make a difference. Unfortunately, once folks become adults they usually become more set in their ways.
Just as College A is not the same as College B, two humans aren’t the same either. But neither race nor profession are the determining factors for what can make one human awesome and another a jerk.
There is likely to be some electronics-smashing in Eastern Missouri if I hear one more smarmy celebrity trying to stay relevant during times when they can’t find work, lecturing me on tolerance and BLM and rooting out police corruption.
We get it. We all get it. All of America got it this time. We don’t need you to tell us, and you have nothing to say we don’t know.
And bail out anyone you want, but I’d contribute to a fund that paid people to identify the looters and brick throwers.
In my county there is hardly any cash bail any more. No bail needed for the non-violent, and the alleged violent offenders are often held until trial. Like the guy who killed the cop when the cop tried to arrest him for forgery last summer.
Fortunately with the elimination of live sports I don’t have TV on that the ever-so-sincere celebrities can intrude on. But DH likes to watch the morning news, and of course there was the space launch this weekend.
They should do what UCberkeley did a few years back when there were a lot of violence whenever there was a public protest. If protesters and the police can agree, they should block out a big area to protest and check everyone entering and limit protesting to that area. Have a lot of manpower to police. Not to stretch manpower, cities can take turns in staging the event.
Thank you so much for this heartfelt eloquent statement. I am personally stepping up my efforts to educate myself and others more about US systemic racism. I am donating more money to these causes. It is not enough, but only a start. White people need to do more.
“The department has been recognized in recent years for its wholesale reform of police operations to be one built on the principles of deescalation. Wysocki noted that in Camden, officers undergo constant training in how to alleviate tension with words and intervene in situations where fellow officers might become overly hostile while making arrests.”
But @HouseChatte I believe one officer was shot and killed in Oakland while merely standing guard at a building? A fact that has not been covered by the media except in passing.
There is zero defense for the rioting and looting and violence.
There is no defense for the continual attack on law enforcement officers doing their jobs.