Live data from Hacker News

De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

fivethirtyeight.com

81–90 of 799 posts

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#81

Folks - don't be obtuse. Police commanders know exactly what will happen when they escalate with tear gas and rubber bullets. Pro-police forces WANT mayhem. It makes people watching on TV afraid of the protests, and it changes the subject away from the widespread peaceful opposition to racist police violence.

Minneapolis Chief of Police: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medaria_Arradondo Seattle Chief of Police: http://www.seattle.gov/police/about-us/about-the-department/... St Louis Chief of Police: http://www.slmpd.org/chief_of_police.shtml Atlanta Chief of Police: https://www.projectq.us/atlanta/atlanta_police_chief_erika_s... Chicago Chief of Police: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brown_(police_officer) Oakland Chie…

Meanwhile, in Seattle:

https://old.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/gu3qq1/cop_just_ca...

How would you describe the sheriff casually tossing the tear gas grenade as anything but cartoonishly evil? How would you describe his co-workers, holding the line, without even looking twice at his behaviour?

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#83
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strange to see wild narratives on HN about police racism and violence that have no basis in reality.

Hundreds of videos have emerged of police brutality over the past few days. In how many of those videos do you see "good cops" taking down those bad cops committing acts of brutality? Almost never. I myself have only seen two videos where this has been the case, out of hundreds! Police racism and violence is an issue, but it becomes egregious when the rest of the police force just stands by.

>Almost never.

Are there any videos or stories at all over the past few days?

There have been reports in some cities of the actual good cops here and there taking part in the protests and actually looking like they want to improve things in their communities, but I haven't heard of anything where the police have intervened on cops that were escalating violence and brutalizing protesters.

It would be a pretty big turning point in the protests if this is actually happening

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#84
post #55

Unpopular opinion: The newfound delusion that peaceful protests have ever engendered any real change as opposed to their violent cousin is perhaps the nail in the coffin of freedom and democracy.

Very unpopular opinion: wait til the military steps in, then you'll see how much more ineffective the violent cousin is.

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#85
post #78

We should expect police to us less use violence and improve their crowd management and deescalation skills. The increasing militarization of police is a trend that must be reversed. However, we should not neglect the other side of the equation either. This article is, in large part, about just that. The article points out that many protests in the U.S. went smoothly through the practice of police and protest organize…

> We should expect police to us less use violence and improve their crowd management and deescalation skills.

What about american history would lead you to this expectation?

That said, I like the rest of your comment. It’s somewhat disturbing to hear people compare the rage of the crowd with the individual intentions of folk who break windows, raid to bring things home, and set things on fire—you’re allowing one person to derail thousands.

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#86
post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you joking? Do you not realize that most people are reasonable and do not want distress and despair? Do you fall out of that overwhelming majority?

What else is there to assume? That police, across the country, are wildly incompetent?

Yes. Don't let anyone become an officer. Raise officer pay and benefits. Also, give credit to the police have done well and are well intentioned, which must be throughout the majority of the population, otherwise the US would have become unlivable decades ago.

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minneapolis Chief of Police: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medaria_Arradondo Seattle Chief of Police: http://www.seattle.gov/police/about-us/about-the-department/... St Louis Chief of Police: http://www.slmpd.org/chief_of_police.shtml Atlanta Chief of Police: https://www.projectq.us/atlanta/atlanta_police_chief_erika_s... Chicago Chief of Police: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Brown_(police_officer) Oakland Chie…

>People on HN seem to have a cartoon villain view of police What could possibly give people that impression? https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/gu3s6j/poli...

"Police commanders ... WANT mayhem"

That's what I responded to. I'm curious if you truly think the people that I listed want to see their home towns on fire.

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#88
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Strange to see wild narratives on HN about police racism and violence that have no basis in reality.

Hundreds of videos have emerged of police brutality over the past few days. In how many of those videos do you see "good cops" taking down those bad cops committing acts of brutality? Almost never. I myself have only seen two videos where this has been the case, out of hundreds! Police racism and violence is an issue, but it becomes egregious when the rest of the police force just stands by.

The only one I've seen was where two cops were restraining someone while being filmed. One of the cops had his knee on the arrestee's head/neck, and after some time his partner (administering cuffs perhaps) noticed it and wrenched his knee away.

Re: De-Escalation Keeps Protesters and Police Safer

#90
post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A.C.A.B . This violates the site guidelines. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html > Please don't use Hacker News for political or ideological battle. That destroys the curiosity this site exists for.

In his defense, all technology is an instrument of political and ideological battle. If the site admins really want to enforce that guideline, then we should not be discussing current events here.

I think we can have a civil discussion without resorting to slogans and rallying cries.
Post reply on HN