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Any time the police are forced to go arresting people for protesting they've failed a little bit. This is especially true when the protests are about police. G

by vertis 12y ago

Any time the police are forced to go arresting people for protesting they've failed a little bit. This is especially true when the protests are about police. Granted there are times when they are left with no choice, but if there is a strong relationship established between the protesters and the police, such that the protesters believe that the police understand their concerns, how much less likely does this become?

smtddr 12y ago
One could also argue that there was an earlier failure(s) of the system if people reach the point of having to protest to feel like they're being heard. So the protestors already see the police as yet another force trying to silence them which definitely strains that relationship. I think the issue here is that the protestors don't want to talk to police; they want to talk to the political/legal/social people in power to listen to their complaints. So the police are seen like a 3rd-party summoned by the people in power to stop the protestors and the situation is worse when the protests are about the police itself.
- jschwartzi 12y ago
  If the police were to start mass-arresting protesters, then that coupled with this situation could actually significantly reduce safety. Mobs are organic, and a single misunderstanding could easily lead to chaos.