[SPOILER: This post isn't going to go the way you think it is. ]
CNN is now reporting the police are shooting pepper spray and mace at the Occupy Denver protest, precipitated when protestors wanted to "get inside the capitol." This is on top of the Oakland incident when police fired tear gas canisters at protestors. One of the people injured was an Iraq war vet.
Here, you can watch a video of the vet's roomate describing what he understands of the situation.
Here is the most amazing part. The roommate says, "They were on a peaceful march and the police officers started randomly pulling protesters out of the march and arresting them when the protesters started throwing water and paint at the police officers."
"Randomly." Sir, I do not not think that word means what you think it means. You sound as if you are unfamiliar with cause and effect.
Let me see if I've got this right. Protesters throw things at police. Police arrest protesters. I would instead have said, "Police start started deliberately pulling protesters out of the march." Not "Randomly."
Civil disobedience is usually met by the police by civil arrest. Then you sing spirituals in the pokey wagon, or, if you are a celebrity, call your publicist. This is the course of events. Civil violence, on the other hand, is met by violence.
Here's what I don't get. I was in a riot once. Not for any good reason like Occupy Indiana University, but because IU won the college basketball championship. There were too many people, and they were very drunk, and my boyfriend used me as body armor as he ran through the crowd so he could stand in front of every camera he saw.
After an hour, the police arrived. Fine. It made me feel safer, really. They got out of their patrol cars. Great! Then people began rocking the patrol cars in an attempt to flip them over.
"Bye!" I said to my boyfriend.
"Cool! Look at those idiots trying to flip that police car! - Wait, what?"
He stayed and was excited to report later that the police in the riot gear arrived soon after. And I'm a little sad the police didn't try to mace him. Because when fellow rioters attack the police, you leave. Nothing to do with rights of assembly and civil disobedience. Stand up. Leave. Bye. Iraq war vet, maybe go up to the people throwing stuff and tell them to cut it out. Then, don't let a tear gas canister hit you on the way out.
Now we have Denver, and the protesters went from assembly (our right) to civil disobedience (trespassing on the official building, for which a person should be nobly and passively arrested) to whatever fill-in-the-blank violence provoked the mace bombs.
See, I told you it wasn't going to take my usual liberal turn. Fight the Power! Fight the Man! Lay off the police, though!
Amen.
I get the message. And crowds can be crazy. My very brief sojourn on OWS saw half a dozen people restraining a stupid boy from harassing the police officers.
The war vet, when I last read anything about him, was still unable to speak and the hospital was trying to determine what other effects were left because of his brain injury.
Posted by: Becs | October 30, 2011 at 06:57 AM
An old wise man once told me some important words to consider: "if you fuck with the bull you get the horns".
Additionally I get really tired of "cards" that people pull out in order to garner sympathy or to sway individual's opinions. In this particular instance the card pulled and played is "Iraq war veteren". When I worked in the prison infirmary this was an oft used and abused card. I would tell the offender that it was a pity that he went from vet to thug. (incidently they lied a lot about this and usually never had spent a minute serving)
Posted by: Zayrina | October 30, 2011 at 01:59 PM
Becs - I thought of you and your angry young man. That is how it is done.
Zayrina - I look forward to hearing the War vets side of things. Doctors say he'll be fully recovered in a few weeks.
Posted by: TheQueen | October 31, 2011 at 12:56 AM
It is my confirmed opinion that you don't throw things at police officers who aren't committing physical violence. If you see some cops beating on someone, that's one story, but if they're just giving you the stink eye? Take it. No one ever got a broken bone from the stink eye.
I also have the experience of hearing a great disturbance in a public place. I also went the hell home, because I didn't want to be in the middle of a dangerous situation. It's the not-stupid thing to do.
Posted by: Tami | October 31, 2011 at 07:57 AM
Of course the reaction was bound to set in. Civil unrest scares the crap out of people, and they will settle for a lot of injustice in the name of law and order.
As long as it's just stupid stuff like sports events riots Middle America doesn't get too upset, but to be demonstrating for real change...no, that's too scary.
Posted by: Hattie | October 31, 2011 at 01:56 PM
OMG, I'm so glad to hear another liberal say this. All my friends think it's horrible that police gassed the protesters - who had been throwing stuff at the police. I had the exact same discussion with three liberal friends. (BTW, I'm probably the most bleeding heart liberal in the city) If there's violence going on, I'll leave. If the police say they'll use gas, I'll leave. I don't care how you think the police are doing illegal things; I'm leaving.
Posted by: Amy in StL | October 31, 2011 at 02:42 PM
I fully appreciate how frightened people are by all this. But I went through the 60's, kids. If you're scared now, prepare to be a lot more scared before this is over.
And in the meantime, try to have some fun.
Posted by: Hattie | October 31, 2011 at 04:26 PM
Tami - I can almost picture something I would feel passionately enough about that I would put myself in harm's way, but I'd want to face off with the bad guys, not the police.
Hattie - Yes! I was hoping I'd hear your view. So there's disobedience (Selma), then unrest, then revolution (France! Barricades.) Can't we attack the problem without involving the poorly-paid guys with the guns?
Amy - I can't get over how so many media outlets are only telling one side of the story. And think what a good story it would be if they investigated like they did in Toronto last year and found out the paint-throwers were police plants.
Hattie - I can see how lobbing water and paint at Wall Street execs would be fun. Lobbing things at the police, no. They make less than the protestors. They are the less than 1 percent of the 99 percent. Sign me up for pie throwing (or better, boycotting those big Wall Street firms and banks).
Posted by: TheQueen | October 31, 2011 at 11:35 PM
You know how Hattie says this is going to get a lot scarier? She's right. We hit a tipping point of wealth imbalance, the kind that everybody notices. I don't think that this will be the first time in history that such a tipping point ends peacefully. When the people at the bottom outnumber the people at the top 99 to 1, someone usually starts shooting.
Posted by: Tami | November 01, 2011 at 07:49 AM
Tami - I hear that Nov 5 is switch your bank day. Go to http://www.thegeminiweb.com/babyboomer/ for the Nov 1 post
Posted by: TheQueen | November 01, 2011 at 10:43 PM
Hmmm. I currently have an account at Bank of America, my mortgage with Wells Fargo, and an account with the credit union for my alumni association. Having the credit union feels good, but the ease of having an account with the BoA giant is very convenient.
Hmmm.
Posted by: Tami | November 02, 2011 at 11:53 AM
Tami - Yeah, BofA is great unless you want to transfer money to a Caifornian. Weird rule. Perhaps that's why they lifted their new five buck debit card rule today, they know Saturday is coming up.
Posted by: TheQueen | November 02, 2011 at 10:13 PM