mekka okereke Jan 27, 2023
Citizens! *Puts on steel toed boots* I urge you to remain calm at this moment! *loads rubber bullets into launcher* violence is not the answer! *Hangs night stick from belt* We grieve with your community! *Pulls reflective visor down on helmet* Peace is what this moment calls for *climbs into tank* The great MLK Jr said and I quote: I love police, and they are our friends! *diesel engine roars* So obey, comply, and remember we are in this together! *Tear gas launcher slowly points towards crowd*
Show threadmekka okereke Jan 27, 2023

Are we ready to talk about how police dressing in riot gear and acting, well, like cops, makes crowds more likely to riot? No? OK then. Proceed.

https://www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/01/why-so-many-police-are-handling-the-protests-wrong

Why So Many Police Are Handling the Protests Wrong

Disproportionate use of force can turn a peaceful protest violent, research shows.

The Marshall Project
Show threadPaul CantrellJan 28, 2023

@mekkaokereke My house is within earshot of the 3rd precinct, the epicenter of the riots that followed the murder of George Floyd. I’m telling you: it was a police riot. It was 100% the cops who instigated the violence, the cops who relentlessly escalated it, the cops who pushed it utterly out of control.

And it was purposeful. They were sending Minneapolis a message about firing Chauvin so quickly: “Oh, you want to mess with us? Watch what we do to your city.“

Show threadWndlBJan 28, 2023
@inthehands Well that, and a well-liquored crowd just looking for trouble of any kind they could make. #UmbrellaMan, and the guy who put up posts of himself handing out firebombs, and aspiring looters. First time I’ve ever seen a melted stoplight.
Show threadPaul Cantrell

@wndlb Yeah, after everything went to hell, there were people showing up ranging from organized crime to frat boys who think getting drunk and stealing street signs is a good time.

It wasn’t like that at first, of course. Something people don’t understand: larger protests are generally •safer•. When you have a march full of grandparents and little kids, people keep each other safe, keep each other mentally in one piece. 1/2

Jan 28, 2023 at 5:27amWeb
Show threadPaul CantrellJan 28, 2023
@wndlb That’s why the cops unleashed all that tear gas: not just hurt protesters, but to send most people home. Cops make the situation too dangerous for most people to say, create a much smaller, much more dangerous crowd, and then they have a situation they can push to the point of exploding. 2/2