G20 Summit Protest at Univ. of Pittsburgh turns Violent

[Speedball]

[YT]etv8YEqaWgA[/YT]
This almost looks like it could have been from a movie, but it's very real.

 

[The Guard]

Looks like those young people got a dose of reality.

 

[Speedball]

Looks like those young people got a dose of reality.

Most of the students weren't even protesting, just hanging out on campus.

 

[Manic]

I decided to Google information on the protest and got this: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/world/27protest.html?hpw

Apparently the whole protest was ruined by a group of people who started smashing windows of nearby restaurants and the campus police station, then fled back into the crowd on campus. The police probably had every reason to send the protesters home at that point, but the video footage makes it look like they blew things way out of proportion. A misguided few must've given the police the impression that a full-on riot was happening down at the campus, so they launched the whole shebang at a couple hundred kids who were probably just sitting around.

 

[The Original Bamfer]

I've seen a video where onlookers were barricaded and gassed for no reason. It's absolutely disgusting.

 

[Majic Walrus]

What part of "by the order of the Chief of Police" and "immediately disperse" did they not understand? I have no sympathy for these people who feel they were attacked. They were told several times that by remaining in the area they would be considered unlawfully assembling and may be subject to arrest and/or police action. They were asked to leave for their own safety.

If they want to say that their rights were infringed upon or that the police decision to call it an unlawful assembly is incorrect they have a system by which to do that that wouldn't involve getting tazered or gas'd.

 

[The Guard]

I don't know all the details, but I'd tend to agree. It's idiotic to walk towards the conflict, to heckle cops, etc, after being ordered to leave.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Yeah. Especially when the person filming asked that cop at the end. That cop who's just had to work to control a riot just had a hard ****ing day at work. Don't pester the poor man about it.

 

[Carcharodon]

Yeah. Especially when the person filming asked that cop at the end. That cop who's just had to work to control a riot just had a hard ****ing day at work. Don't pester the poor man about it.

Police aren't people. They're faceless law-enforcement figures who deserve our malice and hatred.

Spoiler

This is to anybody who actually believes what I wrote above: shut the **** up. You're just stupid and should probably stop talking. Like, forever.

Have a nice day.

 

[katie_girl09]

Aw! Poor po-po. How dare the student ask him a question. He IS the law!

 

[Manic]

Of course, this is assuming that particular cop knew exactly what happened. He probably only got word that a riot had started at the college and that he had to go help get it under control.

 

[Majic Walrus]

I'd be pretty pissed off in his situation.

I mean really it was obvious they were asking just to be *****. It's not like they didn't hear the ****ing helicopter broadcasting it out.

 

[Manic]

In fairness to the students, they likely didn't know why it was an unlawful assembly. It's not like colleges are known for calling the cops just because they don't like seeing student gatherings (students gather up at colleges to protest a lot of stuff where the SWAT team never gets called in), and the protesters probably didn't know that some idiot had smashed some windows at the campus police hub.

 

[terry78]

"Don't taze me, bro!"

"OK, I'll just whoop your ass instead."


"....taze me, bro."

 

[katie_girl09]

In fairness to the students, they likely didn't know why it was an unlawful assembly. It's not like colleges are known for calling the cops just because they don't like seeing student gatherings (students gather up at colleges to protest a lot of stuff where the SWAT team never gets called in), and the protesters probably didn't know that some idiot had smashed some windows at the campus police hub.

This.
Even the students that got clobbered by the team looked confused. I'm just putting myself in their situation. And cops don't necessarily endear themselves or make themselves more trustworthy when they don't even wanna explain anything to you while they're beating you down. That's all.

Can you tell that I am somewhat distrustful of law enforcement?

 

[The Original Bamfer]

I have friends who go to Pitt and they definitely filled me in. The police obscured their faces and had no visible badges. In fact, they had blank badges from what I've heard. Apparently it's illegal to do both.

 

[Ghostvirus]

The day these protestors whip AK's & starting leveling these control freaks will be a beautiful day. Simply Beautiful.

 

[SuperFerret]

In fairness to the students, they likely didn't know why it was an unlawful assembly. It's not like colleges are known for calling the cops just because they don't like seeing student gatherings (students gather up at colleges to protest a lot of stuff where the SWAT team never gets called in), and the protesters probably didn't know that some idiot had smashed some windows at the campus police hub.

Doesn't matter. If it's an unlawful assembly, it's an unlawful assembly. Ignorance of the law is no excuse.

 

[Manic]

I wasn't excusing their insistence to stay. I was explaining why they were asking a cop what it was about.

Obvious answer: They didn't know why they were being forced to leave, so they asked someone.

 

[SuperFerret]

But it's not his fault if he doesn't know the reason.

 

[Majic Walrus]

In fairness to the students, they likely didn't know why it was an unlawful assembly. It's not like colleges are known for calling the cops just because they don't like seeing student gatherings (students gather up at colleges to protest a lot of stuff where the SWAT team never gets called in), and the protesters probably didn't know that some idiot had smashed some windows at the campus police hub.

Cops don't have to or need to explain why something is against the law though. It's not their responsibility to explain the law to someone or to provide legal counsel for someone. So a cop can't and won't explain why something is illegal. They will arrest whomever it is that is breaking the law and then it will be up to a judge to determine the whys.

This.
Even the students that got clobbered by the team looked confused. I'm just putting myself in their situation. And cops don't necessarily endear themselves or make themselves more trustworthy when they don't even wanna explain anything to you while they're beating you down. That's all.

Can you tell that I am somewhat distrustful of law enforcement?

What reason did they really have to be confused? They were told in as many words that if they did not vacate the area they would be subject to arrest and or police action. If they then get arrested or "attacked" what the hell would they be confused about?

 

[Manic]

Oh, for god's sake...

But it's not his fault if he doesn't know the reason.

I just said that a few posts ago. The cop probably didn't know because he probably was only told there was a riot at the school. That doesn't mean it was wrong for the students to ask someone why they were forced to leave. You'll note that the person asking the questions at the end of the video wasn't being carried away by cops, likely because he had already obeyed their orders and wasn't in the closed-off area anymore.

Cops don't have to or need to explain why something is against the law though. It's not their responsibility to explain the law to someone or to provide legal counsel for someone. So a cop can't and won't explain why something is illegal. They will arrest whomever it is that is breaking the law and then it will be up to a judge to determine the whys.

No one's saying the cop had to answer the question. I'm just defending the question.

 

[Majic Walrus]

Oh, for god's sake...


I just said that a few posts ago. The cop probably didn't know because he probably was only told there was a riot at the school. That doesn't mean it was wrong for the students to ask someone why they were forced to leave. You'll note that the person asking the questions at the end of the video wasn't being carried away by cops, likely because he had already obeyed their orders and wasn't in the closed-off area anymore.



No one's saying the cop had to answer the question. I'm just defending the question.

I don't think that you're naive enough to think that the cameraman's question was innocent and honest. The cameraman was obviously asking a question that he knew the answer to just to be a smart ass.

 

[Manic]

I don't think that you're naive enough to think that the cameraman's question was innocent and honest. The cameraman was obviously asking a question that he knew the answer to just to be a smart ass.

"Excuse me, co-could you explain the reasons for all of this, sir? Could you explain ... why we have to disperse?"

The cameraman obviously knew it was an unlawful assembly. He knew they were ordered to leave-- this is obvious based on the fact that he left. However, the cameraman asked why. I genuinely believe he didn't know why the assembly was an unlawful one. As far as I can tell from the article I've read, the police decided to send in the SWAT after a group of protesters smashed some windows and lit a dumpster on fire. What if the cameraman hadn't seen that stuff happen? Now it just looks like the police came and dispersed the crowd for unknown reasons-- at least from that guy's perspective.

Just because we know after the fact, that doesn't mean the people there knew the details as it was happening.

 

[Majic Walrus]

"Excuse me, co-could you explain the reasons for all of this, sir? Could you explain ... why we have to disperse?"

The cameraman obviously knew it was an unlawful assembly. He knew they were ordered to leave-- this is obvious based on the fact that he left. However, the cameraman asked why. I genuinely believe he didn't know why the assembly was an unlawful one. As far as I can tell from the article I've read, the police decided to send in the SWAT after a group of protesters smashed some windows and lit a dumpster on fire. What if the cameraman hadn't seen that stuff happen? Now it just looks like the police came and dispersed the crowd for unknown reasons-- at least from that guy's perspective.

Just because we know after the fact, that doesn't mean the people there knew the details as it was happening.

Oh I doubt that the cameraman knew the reason it was an unlawful assembly. My point is that he wasn't asking the question because he wanted to know why. Why doesn't really matter. It sounds to me like he was asking a smart ass question because he wanted to be a smart ass on camera.

It's like when you tell a toddler to do something and they say "Why?" over and over and over again. Why doesn't matter. I don't want or need to explain why. Just do it and read about it in the newspaper tomorrow. Why didn't really need to be asked.

But even if you want to make the argument that a reason is needed for something to be declared unlawful assembly. Ignoring the fact that the cameraman could've waited to figure out the reason why tomorrow or ignoring the proper channels there are to ask these questions and complain he just asked some random cop.

Imagine you work for McDonald's and someone asks you why they changed the name of the Double Cheeseburger to "McDouble". You have no clue. You weren't told the reason you're just doing your job. Chances are incredibly high that the person who asked the question knows that you aren't a policy maker or privy to all the reasons why a decision was made but they're going to ask anyway because they feel like being a dick.

Now imagine that they were doing that except for you're a cop and you've just spent all night working a riot scene. And the person who is asking the question has a camera in your face.

You think the kid was just asking an honest innocent question? Or was the kid being a smart ass?

My point is that the entire tone of the video painted the students as victims of some sort of horrible state takeover where the police were "attacking" innocent bystanders. Based on that I have to believe that cameraman had an obvious agenda when making the video and sought to further his point by being a smart ass.

Damned amatuer Michael Moores.