NYPD officer plows into crowd of protesters

[Stevicus]

https://nypost.com/2020/05/30/nypd-officer-plows-into-crowd-of-george-floyd-protesters-in-brooklyn/

An NYPD SUV was caught on camera ramming into a group of protesters in Brooklyn Saturday during the city’s third night of chaotic demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.

The shocking clip opens with the NYPD SUV idling in the middle of Flatbush Avenue near St. Marks Avenue in Prospect Heights, with dozens of protesters pressing a metal barricade up against the vehicle as they threw bottles and traffic cones its way.

An NYPD spokesperson did not immediately comment on the clip or say if there were injuries caused by the incident.

Mayor de Blasio, speaking late Saturday on NY1, called the incident “troubling,” but added, “if those protesters had just gotten out of the way and not created an attempt to surround that vehicle, we would not be talking about this situation.”

The chilling clip caught the eye of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. The Queens-Bronx Democrat tweeted her outrage, calling for the cops behind the wheel to be “brought to justice.”

What is going on with the cops these days? I think every police department and law enforcement agency must be going insane these days.

Of course, de Blasio's comments aren't helpful at all. AOC criticized the mayor.

 

[Terrywoodenpic]

Mayor de Blasio, speaking late Saturday on NY1, called the incident “troubling,” but added, “if those protesters had just gotten out of the way and not created an attempt to surround that vehicle, we would not be talking about this situation.”

That is victim blaming pure and simple.

 

[exchemist]

https://nypost.com/2020/05/30/nypd-officer-plows-into-crowd-of-george-floyd-protesters-in-brooklyn/





What is going on with the cops these days? I think every police department and law enforcement agency must be going insane these days.

Of course, de Blasio's comments aren't helpful at all. AOC criticized the mayor.

Hmm, the cops were not managing this sensibly. Sending 2 patrol cars is a lousy way to to deal with a crowd. It asks the impossible of the cops involved and puts them in a very dangerous personal situation. People are throwing things at the vehicle, so I'm not actually that surprised they used the power of the vehicle in an attempt to protect themselves.

They needed far more cops, properly equipped, to do anything useful - but then, it is not clear what they are supposed to be trying to do anyway. There are no scenes of violence or looting evident on the camera. So what was the objective?

 

[Valjean]

These days...

Authoritarian aggression?

From Wiki. Right Wing Authoritarianism:

1. Authoritarian submission — a high degree of submissiveness to the authorities who are perceived to be established and legitimate in the society in which one lives.
2. Authoritarian aggression — a general aggressiveness directed against deviants, outgroups and other people that are perceived to be targets according to established authorities.
3. Conventionalism — a high degree of adherence to the traditions and social norms that are perceived to be endorsed by society and its established authorities and a belief that others in one's society should also be required to adhere to these norms.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I'll preface what I'm about to ask by stating I'm not condoning the action of the NYPD officers in the video and that plowing into a crowd with a vehicle is not an acceptable means of crowd control.

For those of you that are willing to quickly condemn the NYPD officers in the video, I would like to hear how you would have handled this situation differently if you were dispatched along with one other unit to control this crowd who is already demonstrating violence.

People are so quick to judge others without putting themselves in others' shoes.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The cops are going full fascist, that's what's wrong.

Tanya Kerssen on Twitter

 

[Stevicus]

I'll preface what I'm about to ask by stating I'm not condoning the action of the NYPD officers in the video and that plowing into a crowd with a vehicle is not an acceptable means of crowd control.

For those of you that are willing to quickly condemn the NYPD officers in the video, I would like to hear how you would have handled this situation differently if you were dispatched along with one other unit to control this crowd who is already demonstrating violence.

People are so quick to judge others without putting themselves in others' shoes.

At least from what I could tell in the video, there was nobody blocking them from backing up and turning around in the other direction.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

That is victim blaming pure and simple.

Right, like if Heather Heyer had just moved out of the way.

 

[Stevicus]

From this picture, it looks like there was room to back up and turn around.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I'll preface what I'm about to ask by stating I'm not condoning the action of the NYPD officers in the video and that plowing into a crowd with a vehicle is not an acceptable means of crowd control.

For those of you that are willing to quickly condemn the NYPD officers in the video, I would like to hear how you would have handled this situation differently if you were dispatched along with one other unit to control this crowd who is already demonstrating violence.

People are so quick to judge others without putting themselves in others' shoes.

Cops have a civic duty to de-escalate tense situations but only seem to escalate them now. There's no excuses.

 

[SalixIncendium]

At least from what I could tell in the video, there was nobody blocking them from backing up and turning around in the other direction.

How does backing up and turning around control the crowd?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Cops have a civic duty to de-escalate tense situations but only seem to escalate them now. There's no excuses.

Since you quoted my post, but completely ignored the question posed, I'll ask again. How would you have handled being ordered to control the crowd given the support of one other unit.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Since you quoted my post, but completely ignored the question posed, I'll ask again. How would you have handled being ordered to control the crowd given the support of one other unit.

Turned the damn car around/reversed, obviously, since there was plenty of room to do so. Even if people are jumping on the car and it's tightly packed, you don't run people down!

 

[SalixIncendium]

Turned the damn car around/reversed, obviously, since there was plenty of room to do so. Even if people are jumping on the car and it's tightly packed, you don't run people down!

Same question I asked @Stevicus. How does turning the car around control the crowd?

 

[Stevicus]

How does backing up and turning around control the crowd?

That's beside the point. They were in an untenable situation, and the only option was retreat.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I find it quite surprising that only one other person so far in this thread has found any fault whatsoever with what the protesters were doing.

 

[SalixIncendium]

That's beside the point. They were in an untenable situation, and the only option was retreat.

Okay, then whose responsibility is it to control a crowd of violent protesters? Or should they just be allowed to run rampant through the streets?

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Same question I asked @Stevicus. How does turning the car around control the crowd?

From what I experienced yesterday, the cops are primarily responsible for the crowds getting angry. You torture people with tear gas, mace, sound cannons, wooden bullets and flashbangs enough when they just want to have their voices heard, then people tend to get upset. Pretty simple.

 

[exchemist]

Since you quoted my post, but completely ignored the question posed, I'll ask again. How would you have handled being ordered to control the crowd given the support of one other unit.

Yes I think this is the point. What orders had these police been given and what were they trying to do? Having viewed it a second time, it looks to me as if they were trying to get somewhere down the street, and these protesters had got a barrier from somewhere and were using it to try to deny them passage. They had no business to stop the police doing that, but equally, in the context of a protest demo, it is foolish policing to send just 4 cops in 2 cars to meet a crowd.

Anyway nobody was hurt and it was clear the cops were not trying to run people over.

 

[SalixIncendium]

From what I experienced yesterday, the cops are primarily responsible for the crowds getting angry. You torture people with tear gas, mace, sound cannons, wooden bullets and flashbangs enough when they just want to have their voices heard, then people tend to get upset. Pretty simple.

Show me the tear gas, mace, sound cannons, wooden bullets, and flash bangs used in this video that angered the crowd.