You are the police....how would you handle the protests?

With every protest we see held across the world right now, we seen a dozen threads appear on ATS, usualy with the majority of members airing their disgust at the way the police have handled the protest.

So i am asking you, "What would you do?"

What do you recommend the police do in situations like this? Stay well away? Maintain a limited presence for the trouble makers?

I'm not after childish answers, i am well aware that many here hate the police, but i would like to hear a mature answer for how they could do things different? (If indeed you think they should do things differently).

At the moment, both sides are blaming each other. The police say the troublemakers start the aggressive police action, and the students say the police start it either by their mere presence or other tactics.

My personal opinion? I think they have got it right at the moment. There are always idiots that are intent on destroying property and trying to seriously injure people, those people NEED to be dealt with and taken off the streets IMO.

Maybe the protesters should be given one chance? Have your protests, totaly police free. if it goes without incident, then they can continue police free. The moment people think they can destroy of deface property that is not theirs though, the right to a police free is no more.

How about a police presence, purely to take away the ones that start smashing things up? I'm not talking about standing their watching them do it like we've seen on TV, i mean full on hard arrests the moment someone things its funny to put a window through?

The peacefull protesters will be left well alone. If you don't want to get arrested, stay as peacefull in your protest as you can. The protesters are saying themselves that only a few are doing the damage, so let the police take them away, do not stop the police doing this and your protest can continue.

I'm just throwing ideas out there. Like it or not, whilst many are crying "police brutality", many others are fed up with seeing these protests leave a trail of destruction.

What do you think?

CX.

Right. Let's complain about a few kids breaking a few windows.

Meanwhile, on the southern border there are thousands of drug cartel hitmen killing people, including us citizens. But where are the cops? RIGHT. They aren't taking on the cartels face on.

Meanwhile, we are in several wars around the globe and cause massive destruction through airstrikes and rocket barrages but no one cares because it's justified (because they are all terrorists or whatever bs).

What if I was a riot cop?

I'd let the protesters break through and do whatever they want. Honestly.

It's evil to prevent our criminal leadership from being held accountable.

You think protests are bad? So you must also think the American Revolution, French Revolution, Spanish American wars of Independence, etc; were totally unjust causes because authority is always right and the "stupid people" are always wrong.

Well guess what? The protests right now are no different than the Revolutions of old times. Except one thing changed. The protesters today are peaceful and nice. Back 200years ago protestors brought rifles and fired bullets right into the Govts face.

Consider yourself lucky. Be thankful people are way chilled out compared to the way it used to be!

There is no Boston Massacres these days. We live in peaceful times.

Many people believe we need another Boston Massacre though.

First of all, i have no interest in giving folks who are bought off by special interests, including titles, money and greed my piece of mind on how to control and brutalize the small folks who are tired of being crushed by the system. These bought off folks are doing nothing, except causing trauma, beatings, putting folks in hospitals and all for what? So they can get paid? So they can earn a check at the end of the month?

You know what? Better yet, here is how they could handle the protest... TURN AROUND, and GET WITH THE PROTESTS. In fact march into the same buildings that gave you the orders and see how quickly their artificial powers will come to a closing.

I'm sorry mate, but this thread is useless. It causes synthesis and is another form off... "Oh lets step into their shoes and see why they are doing what they are doing."

No, these guys are beating the crap out of women, kids that go to school, they have no respect, zero RESPECT. They just SHUT up and do what they are told. Robots with weapons! The rest of us who do show up to protest are unarmed. Guess who gets the beatings? We do! Oh, and when we decided to fight back, the book gets thrown at us for being aggressive. No disrespect, but this thread is 100% bogus.

reply to post by CX


I would take the uniform off, and become a normal citizen once again and join the protest.
Just watching the protest videos, I'd love to go over there and throw some sh*t at the riot police!
They are puppets of the puppeteers.

I'm not sure if you've seen the movie V for Vendetta.
I'd love for this to happen. Looks like it could become a reality around 2015 ( when the movie is based).



Cheers
Brady

I have a few problems with the kettling containment used by the police. I was kettled at the G20 protests in London and it creates very high tensions as some begin to panic as they realize there is no escape. People start to get angry, even i was raging and i'm normally a very passive person. You feel like you are being collectively punished and it feels very unfair.

To me the police should steward the protests and like you say when anyone starts acting up, you nip it in the bud and deal directly with the offences being committed rather than creating a stand off situation between normal protestor and police.

I think part of the kettling technique is to deter protestors from ever protesting again. The experience leaves you feeling extremely powerless and help less. It sends the message that "if you want to protest, you will be forced to stay until the police let you go and not before taking a photo for their records".

reply to post by CX

You are the police....how would you handle the protests?

First of all, rioting is not the same as protesting. Only anarchists and idiots riot. It solves nothing and only creates problems for those issues one wants to bring attention to.

The police are in the middle. They are charged with protecting the public and private property. They don't have the luxury of an opinion. That is the cost of an orderly society.

The UK is one of the finest examples on the planet of how an absolute monarchy can evolve into a democratic republic. The children of Britain are the founders of some of the greatest nations on the planet, and have conceived of the finest forms of government ever instituted by humanity, upon humanity.

Now, this is NOT to say that there is perfection. Nothing by the hand of man is perfect. Nothing. Period. But held up to the light, western democracy is as close as any have come.

There is no excuse for mindless violence by those who are simply disgruntled by the prospect of having to pay for an education they would like to get for free.

If I were the police, I would obey the law.

This is how we protest in America since we are super peaceful nowadays.


This is how we could protest if we were as "criminal" and "violent" as you people claim.

A real protest:::

It should be policed like a football game or a music festival.

A strong police presence that isn't too overbearing. You're aware they are there but you don't feel threatened. I think the minute you start employing heavy duty riot police and police dogs etc, you are completely changing the atmosphere for the worse. It puts people on edge and only serves to play into the hands of the minority who are looking to cause trouble.

Those who are causing trouble should be dealt with quickly and quietly, low key arrests.

Of course, the media doesn't help the situation at all.

My primary concern would be the protection of innocent bystaders and human life,quite frankly I wouldn't get involved in containing property damage my life isn't worth risking for a burning car or shop thats probably insured anyway so Id concede a protest area and let them have at it until they tire themselves out or get bored with it if you give them some space then you may reduce confrontation.

Calling something a riot is kind of a play on words.

There are two things, peaceful protest and violent protest.

We call a peaceful protest a protest.

We call a violent protest a revolt.

When violence happens its actually spilling over into the revolt side of things.

Unless you think there is zero ways for Westerners to protest with violence legitimately.

If you think it's illegit, than you must think the American, French, and Spanish American Revolutions were not legitimate either.

You can't have it both ways.

Originally posted by drkid
No disrespect, but this thread is 100% bogus.

None taken....and its not compulsory to reply to threads on ATS, you are entitled to your opinion but are quite welcome to move long without posting if its that bogus.

Thanks for all of your replies so far, i do understand your points of view.

I do see the bigger picture, however i asked these questions because of the police tactics being complained about all the time.

I am also aware that there are bigger things going elsewhere. ATS is a big site, maybe make a thread about them?

Thanks again for the replies.

CX.

Superb post Muzzleflash.


As a wise man once said " The only thing evil needs to succeed is for good people to do nothing. "

The police are in the middle. They are charged with protecting the public and private property. They don't have the luxury of an opinion. That is the cost of an orderly society.

Ha! Protect PUBLIC PROPERTY you say? In other words, they need to prevent the individual from damaging something that belongs to that individual, right? If its public property and there is a large majority breaking the public property which is the public's who are currently breaking it, then it is their right to break away at anything public.

Distinct changes are made through violence and aggression, and I for one will never understand any different. The problem we face here is that... everyone can be pissed off over the same thing, but as soon as that persons business gets hit by the public outrage they are also a part off, BAM, they lose touch with the reason they are angry in the first place and turn their backs away from the cause that got them to become upset in the first place.

You make it even more obvious, when a HUMAN BEING is given a title, that human being loses his ability to have a HUMAN OPINION. If that person in a cop uniform is no longer a person with human opinions or feelings, he is nothing but an ARMED ROBOT set to aggressively attack HUMAN BEINGS with HUMAN FEELINGS.

Someone made a thread about the number of citizens given government/police jobs throughout the united states... if the numbers of police keep increasing does that mean that having an opinion automatically becomes dangerous because it is over ruled by the folks that no longer have a right to an opinion?

It seems that REAL human beings are becoming extinct in what many consider the theory of a police state.

oh no, protesters with signs, what ever shall we do? How about let them peacefully protest. Arrest anyone wearing a ski mask vandalizing, is that so hard?

reply to post by muzzleflash

Calling something a riot is kind of a play on words.
There are two things, peaceful protest and violent protest.

Actually...

Protesting, in this sense, is a form of arguing en masse... a group argument. But one does not need to be violent to make an argument. Violence is the result of anger and/or insanity, moved to action by an outside influence or miscomprehension of reality. If your argument is weak, then you might resort to violence and that would indicate a mental disorder.

Those who riot or behave in ways that lead to injury, death and destruction of property, are not protesting.

You are correct. They are revolting in anger or simply insane.

...

Considering I feel the cops are in the wrong and havent taken action with the real people doing the distruction, I would have only shown up for work so I could be onsite to open up and sort of supply wagon so the people could have access to things they purchased to use as they go to get those who are truely at fault here.

Yep Id be a traitor to my fellow coppers, but its well worth way more then my pay check and the respect of crooked coppers!!

reply to post by CX


This is why I couldn't join the police force, because A.) I'd be joining the protest or B.) I'd suddenly have the flu, because I believe inwhat the people are fighting for so I would simply refuse to do my job!!! Also there are other reasons I would not be an LEO, the most profound is I would wantt to kill a scumbag who ever harmed a child, I would not be cut out for an LEO position.

Originally posted by redoubt
If your argument is weak, then you might resort to violence and that would indicate a mental disorder.

...

So Thomas Jefferson's arguments were weak eh? Ben Franklin had a mental disorder? Thomas Paine lost the debate so he turned to violence?

Truth is, they turned to violence because the Crown refused to listen to their grievances. The Crown sent in more police forces (soldiers) and clamped down on the protests. Look up the Boston Massacre.

Looks to me like the Crown was always violent way before America was even discovered.

The people just could not take it anymore. So they fought back. That's why they turned to violence.

Because the Govt refused to listen to them, and treated them like dogs.

Read Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" in it's entirety. Then come tell me who makes poor arguments.
Need Common Sense? Read this!

reply to post by CX


The way they form their lines and push back the people is acceptable if the crowd is unruly..

Where I loose all respect and wish the worst for the police is when I see the !%!ers swinging their batons and ASP's at any and everyone they can, and if they get the chance they beat people in the heads and face with a wanton sense of relish on their own faces. You'll notice the vast majority of injured citizens pictures of the riots are blood soaked heads..

Police are scumbags.. they use good logistics in setting up containment to prevent damage to property, and then use their force and numbers to cause as much personal injury as they possibly can, and no doubt back at their stations recount together the various faces they can remember from the crowds in which they've maimed.