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Originally Posted by zuluking
Agreed. Cops have annoyed the snot out of me on minor occasions, but to take an extreme case of bad judgment and excessive force and label it "typical cop BS" is way over the top.
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It's also just as way over the top to claim that incidents like these are insignificant or that they shouldn't be brought to public attention.
Only constant public scrutiny upholds the integrity of those with power. It has always been so, and it will always be so.
For example, making noise about cops accidentally shooting innocents needs to be done, because "shoot first ask later" is easy and safe for those with guns, and tempting in moments of chaos and stress. There needs to be a counterbalance.
Also, what happened at the Jefferson memorial is not as important as the question what happens next? Was what the cops did legal? Should it be legal? If so, on what grounds? Was that not a clear violation of people's most basic freedoms?
Yes, people should have a right to annoy people of power, like cops, because the only opposite option is that "annoying a person of power" becomes a crime, and that is a truly dangerous concept for basic rights like liberty and justice.
If people don't constantly take care of their rights, they start to erode, and more people will be abused by people of power over things that truly matter.
Power will always be abused, but that does not mean those abuses should ever be tolerated, even when trivial.