Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28 • Hacker News Board

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#671

Post by ashtonkem » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:00 AM UTC

jwilber wrote: post #148

jascii wrote: post #133

Disclaimer: I am a bleeding heart liberal and this may filter my observations. I have been to a few rallies/vigils/marches lately and all incidences of violence that I have witnessed either in person or through media has been instigated by the police. As far as I know,every documented case where a formerly peaceful crowd turns into chaos has been started with police shooting pepperspray, teargas, or whatever into the…

It’s the same here in Seattle as it was while I was in Berkeley during Ferguson. People protest peacefully, and police shoot tear gas into the crowd and attack whomever they can get their hands on. I’ll admit, the outright brutality I saw in-person in Oakland was worse than what I’ve seen here in the recent days. In Oakland, the police would purposely corral protestors into groups and literally beat the shit out of t…

Here in Santa Monica the police ignored nearby looters to fire upon protestors. The two groups were largely unrelated and physically separated, making the police’s actions very hard to justify.

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#672

Post by kortilla » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:03 AM UTC

rumanator wrote: post #537

kortilla wrote: post #360

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stopping traffic risks the lives of people in ambulances so it’s pretty hard to condone that. Make noise, block access to some businesses, etc, but don’t block streets and cause traffic jams that could kill people FFS.

> Stopping traffic risks the lives of people in ambulances so it’s pretty hard to condone that. Social media is clogged with live footage from the protests. Can you find a single video of an ambulance being stopped by protests? The irony of your comment is that the likelihood of an ambulance being close to a protest is linked to the extreme violence that the police is using to attack and repress protests against poli…

> Can you find a single video of an ambulance being stopped by protests?

Why would anyone make a video of stopped traffic?

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#673

Post by bigiain » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:03 AM UTC

monoideism wrote: post #663

bigiain wrote: post #642

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People who dress in black and destroy stuff like this guy? https://eurweb.com/2020/05/29/jacob-pederson-minneapolis-pol... Yeah, I smell a pattern too...

OK, so what was the group dressed like that in black who were doing it in the video I posted, in the Trump inauguration? That guy is textbook black bloc. There are hundreds of mainstream media videos showing guys dressed like him burning and destroying in prior protests, from Seattle WTO 1999, to Occupy, to more recent protests. I urge HNers to read that article you posted and decide for themselves if it's credible.…

I'm not denying that "the public" do it.

I'm pointing out that _cops_ do it.

And they absolutely need to be held to a higher standard than "the public", because we give them guns and state sanctioned use-of-force. They cannot do their job without respect of their authority, and they do not have that respect, and they are doing the exact opposite thing of winning it back.

While not condoning the "textbook black bloc" actions, I can see why 2 centuries of systematic oppression might lead some people in some sections of society to think there are no other options.

I have no explanation for the current police behaviour that's more sympathetic than cynical South Park quotes. And if _that's_ how they want to be portrayed? Well, I guess they're achieving it...

(And as I pointed out elsewhere in this thread, I too have doubts about the veracity of that article I posted - but it's at least in mu mind, more than plausible. And _that_ is a serious problem. I too urge HNers to decide for themselves if they trust their local police force to think none of them would ever use unnecessary force, or go agent provocateur. If you have any doubt, you have a big problem.)

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#674

Post by ashtonkem » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:06 AM UTC

klyrs wrote: post #536

untog wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In all seriousness, what is incorrect about that statement? Take a look at all the video taken since Saturday, then compare it to, say, the protests against lockdowns just a few weeks ago. Surely you see the very notable difference?

> Surely you see the very notable difference? Is it the open carry of long guns? Is that what peaceful protesters should use to de-escalate the situation? Makes perfect sense. Cops love guns! Just some cool doodz having a chill gun party, come have a beer and a doobie, officer. Show you mine if you'll show me yours?

I’ve changed my mind on this recently; I suspect that if the protestors today had been heavily armed and armored, the cops would not have attacked them.

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#675

Post by kortilla » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:07 AM UTC

gindely wrote: post #540

jariel wrote: post #479

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is absolutely no need for emergency services to track pop-up protests, the very notion is absurd. We don't have the right to block traffic to promote our political opinions. When protestors block traffic, if the city decides they have to go, and they won't - in those situations, it's the protesters who are 'instigating', not the police. NRA 2cnd amendment protestors, pro/anti-abortion protestors, anti-capitalis…

Protests are inconvenient. But if you can amass enough people day after day to block major intersections with crowds of people, then the correct thing to do is to block major intersections with crowds of people day after day. If people don't want their intersections blocked by crows of people day after day, then they should consider the extent to which their interests are compatible with the interests of the proteste…

Being a large enough crowd to block an intersection does not mean your views are valid enough to be supported by everyone else. Would you really advocate joining KKK protests just because they were large?

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#676

Post by Thorrez » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:08 AM UTC

gdubs wrote: post #542

marcusverus wrote: post #491

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not a protest, but this exact thing occurred during the Fort Lee Lane closure scandal, when people intentionally created road closures in New Jersey. This was national news for awhile [0] Also, a lack of media coverage for a thing doesn't mean it doesn't happen, nor does rampant media coverage mean a thing is common. Remember the summer of the shark? [1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Lee_lane_closure_scandal…

It’s a lot harder for cars stuck on a bridge to move out of the way than it is for a crowd of people though, right?

If there's an ambulance stuck, it might be stuck behind a bunch of cars that can't move.

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#677

Post by deelowe » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:09 AM UTC

yyyk wrote: post #646

zouhair wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's actually worse than that. Even in the killing of Floyd the Police claimed he resisted arrest, which was a lie[0], the coroner said it wasn't asphyxia that killed him (despite all the videos) and a private autopsy found that's not true[1]. They did all this amidst a huge public outcry, what do you think happens to some poor schmuck when no camera is around. Like this[2] and this[3]......... EDIT: Here is one wher…

"the coroner said it wasn't asphyxia that killed him (despite all the videos) and a private autopsy found that's not true[1]." The county coroner's report was technically true in a way meant to imply a false result. Floyd didn't die from lack of airflow, he died because the knee stopped blood flow to the brain, that is the brain couldn't receive Oxygen despite the body being able to breath. The county coroner careful…

Was this the coroner or medical examiner? I didn't think the coroner did a report. The medical examiner released their full report shortly after the preliminary one and did state the death was ultimately due to asphyxiation. I read that the initial medical examiner's report didn't go this far b/c they had not completed their review and they needed to get a report out quickly so that the officers could be charged.

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#678

Post by ashtonkem » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:09 AM UTC

lawnchair_larry wrote: post #529

slg wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Have you seen dozens or hundreds of videos of civilians acting inappropriately? Yes. I have also seen countless videos in which civilians were reprimanded by other citizens for acting inappropriately. They are trying to police themselves. Why can't the police police themselves? >If a “woman of color” was seen starting a fire, would you be comfortable saying things like “black women start fires”? I sure hope not. Eve…

I was not making any blanket statements about anyone beyond the general group of "police". Yes, that was the point. Blanket statements don’t work in either case.

Means of employment and racial characteristics are not the same thing. Only one is voluntary.

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#679

Post by dang » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:11 AM UTC

unethical_ban wrote: post #334

DiffEq wrote: post #320

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have a reading comprehension disability? I am pretty sure I did not say they should have killed him.

Get out of here. You whine about people putting words in mouths after saying * We're calling Floyd a saint * We support looting * We don't take covid seriously And you say a whole slew of accusations that you KNOW aren't widespread (and likely untrue) and don't post sources. And you'll say something like it's a liberal media coverup, but you won't have shit to back up your claims.

Please don't attack another user or post in the flamewar style like this to HN, regardless of how wrong or provocative another comment is. It only makes this place even worse.

Note this guideline: "Don't feed egregious comments by replying; flag them instead." That's our indirect version of please don't feed the trolls. Other users flagged the comment, and it was rightly flagkilled. That would have happened sooner if you had followed the guidelines also.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Police attacks against journalists across the U.S. since May 28

#680

Post by chipotle_coyote » Wed, Jun 03, 2020, 6:16 AM UTC

jkestner wrote: post #670

jtbayly wrote: post #645

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turns out guns are important for protecting yourself against government overreach and abuse. Who knew?

Judging by how black people _thought_ to have guns are treated, I’d say white skin is better at protecting you.

I would say that is correct.

(Fascinating trivia: California allowed open carry until the Mulford Act in 1967 restricted it -- directly in response to the Black Panthers practicing it. The Act was signed into law by Ronald Reagan, with the explicit support of the National Rifle Association.)