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I was there. Protests were peaceful, until the cops started throwing grenades and arresting folks. I took some photos from a distance[1], and also posted a coup

I was there. Protests were peaceful, until the cops started throwing grenades and arresting folks. I took some photos from a distance[1], and also posted a couple videos to twitter[2][3]. There was a heavy police presence on Friday (inauguration day), which was in stark contrast to Saturday (the Women's March), in which the police were noticeably absent. Not surprisingly, there was no violence during the Women's March because there were no police to antagonize people. I remember watching a journalist who'd been pepper sprayed by police wash his eyes with bottled water, just outside the restaurant we'd stopped at for lunch. We live in troubling times. [1]: https://goo.gl/photos/GfrxTZV4sADJqtgH7 https://goo.gl/photos/GfrxTZV4sADJqtgH7 [2]: https://twitter.com/brndnmtthws/status/822520102973095936 https://twitter.com/brndnmtthws/status/822520102973095936 [3]: https://twitter.com/brndnmtthws/status/822530371841622017 https://twitter.com/brndnmtthws/status/822530371841622017

Meekro 10y ago
So you're saying that the police antagonized people, and that made them so angry that they set a limo on fire? That doesn't ring true to me. It makes much more sense the other way: the police were there because they were needed, to protect bystanders and property from the mob.
- scrollaway 10y ago
  Police is always there during these types of protests. There's plenty of peaceful protests with police around. It's absolutely possible that, if the police starts being violent, the violence spreads very quickly and cars get set on fire. Crowd control has a lot of strategy to it...
- huragok 10y ago
  99% of people walk a march and 1% torch private property (a limousine): clearly the "mob" is in the wrong.
  - olalonde 10y ago
    That's a pretty uncharitable interpretation of parent's comment. I read it as "to protect bystanders and property from the mob [that was violent]". And his point seemed to be that police being "noticeably absent" from peaceful protests is more simply explained by the fact that those protests were peaceful rather than police presence being the source of violence. Police brutality is a real issue but indiscriminately blaming the police every time they show up doesn't help the cause.
    - huragok 10y ago
      > Police brutality is a real problem but blindly blaming the police every time they show up doesn't help the cause. Let's not give the police the benefit of the doubt. Time and time again across the nation it has been shown that law enforcement is not for the populace-at-large but for the betterment of the state and its agenda - whoever the party in charge.
      - deleted 10y ago
        [deleted]
  - jeffdavis 10y ago
    Do you have evidence that the police arrested the peaceful ones?
jeffdavis 10y ago
Thank you for the report. But without specifics about the circumstances of the arrest I still can't make an informed opinion yet.

Meekro 10y ago

So you're saying that the police antagonized people, and that made them so angry that they set a limo on fire? That doesn't ring true to me. It makes much more sense the other way: the police were there because they were needed, to protect bystanders and property from the mob.

scrollaway 10y ago
Police is always there during these types of protests. There's plenty of peaceful protests with police around. It's absolutely possible that, if the police starts being violent, the violence spreads very quickly and cars get set on fire. Crowd control has a lot of strategy to it...
huragok 10y ago
99% of people walk a march and 1% torch private property (a limousine): clearly the "mob" is in the wrong.
- olalonde 10y ago
  That's a pretty uncharitable interpretation of parent's comment. I read it as "to protect bystanders and property from the mob [that was violent]". And his point seemed to be that police being "noticeably absent" from peaceful protests is more simply explained by the fact that those protests were peaceful rather than police presence being the source of violence. Police brutality is a real issue but indiscriminately blaming the police every time they show up doesn't help the cause.
  - huragok 10y ago
    > Police brutality is a real problem but blindly blaming the police every time they show up doesn't help the cause. Let's not give the police the benefit of the doubt. Time and time again across the nation it has been shown that law enforcement is not for the populace-at-large but for the betterment of the state and its agenda - whoever the party in charge.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
- jeffdavis 10y ago
  Do you have evidence that the police arrested the peaceful ones?

jeffdavis 10y ago

Thank you for the report. But without specifics about the circumstances of the arrest I still can't make an informed opinion yet.