Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan02
can't please everyone, either you're not doing enough to stop the rioters from busting up the owners shop, or you're violating their civil rights and it's police brutality.
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I know you just wanted to state your respect for the profession, but I still have to say it's not like those are the only options. Many police forces have been quite succesful at stopping and arresting rioters and simultaneously handling peaceful protestors in a manner that's respectful and in accordance with their civil rights.
Yes, it's a difficult job, but so are many other jobs in the modern society. That's why have the police, instead of town guards or civil militia, or hired thugs. They came about when we realized that civil rights and safety are not mutually exclusive; in fact they support each other very well.
If an architect/engineer designs a building or a bridge to be too safe, they're accused of overspending. If it's not safe enough, it might burn down or collapse. It's propably not always an easy balance. However, if there is overspending or if it collapses, we still say there was something wrong with what the architect/engineer did, or at least somewhere in the project something went horribly wrong. We don't go around saying "oh it's such a difficult job you know, I totally respect the people doing it".
And yes, it's nice that an officer is so respectful at a protest, which is propably rather small, middle-classed (scientology is an issue for those who have money) crowd. However, that does very little to erase this stuff from my head...
http://polizeros.com/2006/07/11/lapd-brutality-full-version/
That's just a small glimpse, but I think most remember this case, as it's pretty recent. Somehow it's often very different when the crowd is large, coloured and mostly rather poor. LAPD has a reputation for a reason.
That said, yes, it's nice to see cops that are friendly and professional. And yes, I too respect the job (especially as I have plenty of contact with them due to my job). I just don't respect everyone doing it.
Police response to protests
