[The Final Dakar]

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to me the police were a non-factor in Charlottesville. Case-in-point, a man was literally beat to death by nazis right next door to the station.

I think back to other riots and protests with people of, uh, color and I immediately think of tear gas, etc. Was the police reaction here as forceful?

If not, why do you think that is?

(I'll give you a sneak preview: I'm not going to call outright racism on this one, i.e., "Because it was white people protesting." Not without real evidence.)

[Cap'n Tightpants]

On subject, now. Some were claiming that the police were pulled back intentionally, to let the white supremacists and Antifa mix it up. Not sure how much validity there is to that, but it seems to fit.

[Laminar]

Chongo posted a video that he says claims that the police were ordered back when antifa brought out tear gas.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Chongo posted a video that he says claims that the police were ordered back when antifa brought out tear gas.

To which I'd say, how were the police not tear-gassing them and the others before that?

[Cap'n Tightpants]

Two men enter, one man leaves. It was Charlottesville Thunderdome, all for public consumption.

[subego]

Googling around for possible explanations.

One thing which I'm sure factored into it is a couple months ago there was a Klan rally in Charlottesville, and the Klan was outnumbered 30-to-1.

The cops ended up gassing the people who showed up to protest the KKK.

Which is a bad look, and they took shit for it.

[subego]

I can see cops being of the mind "give us shit for trying to stop the violence? Fine. Literally knock yourselves out."

[The Final Dakar]

I can't find good pictures but did they have a presence like this?

[OreoCookie]

I read a few mentions that the cops were intimidated by the right-wing extremists' arsenal or, alternatively, that because many of them were so well-armed that they would actually risk escalation if they had tried to separate protestors and counter-protestors. I'm not sure I buy either, in the end it is up to the police to keep it peaceful. But the right-wing extremists were certainly prepared, many of them carried shields and flags whose poles could be repurposed as bats and batons.

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I can't find good pictures but did they have a presence like this?

I think I get your point, but I also am familiar with my track record, and request it be made more explicitly.

[Snow-i]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

I can't find good pictures but did they have a presence like this?

Looking back (almost positive that's ferguson) at that image I am highly disturbed.

I am glad, however, that kind of presence was not used. We should not need a military occupation of our own streets to keep the peace.

[besson3c]

I also wonder if that manner of crowd control really helps? There is probably no remedy for a large crowd that is riled up.

[subego]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

I also wonder if that manner of crowd control really helps? There is probably no remedy for a large crowd that is riled up.

I feel like with the KKK rally, the police were put in an untenable situation.

If any single one of the 1,000 counter-protesters breaks bad, the police have to respond, and then for all intents and purposes, they just picked a fight with 999 people.

To defend the KKK.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

I think I get your point, but I also am familiar with my track record, and request it be made more explicitly.

That point lurks behind the surface. It probably influenced prep, but once the protest happened? Oreo picked up on it. I think the police weren't ****ing with a bunch of possibly trigger-happy military cosplayers.

I saw a video (I can no longer find) of the supremacists literally using a crowd to push back on the riot shields to displace the police. I'm surprised the police wouldn't take that as provocation.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by Snow-i 

Looking back (almost positive that's ferguson) at that image I am highly disturbed.

I am glad, however, that kind of presence was not used. We should not need a military occupation of our own streets to keep the peace.

I'm glad they didn't use bullets, but they also tear gassed indiscriminately and jailed reporters, so they still utterly failed in my opinion. It just wasn't a catastrophe.

[The Final Dakar]

Originally Posted by subego 

I feel like with the KKK rally, the police were put in an untenable situation.

If any single one of the 1,000 counter-protesters breaks bad, the police have to respond, and then for all intents and purposes, they just picked a fight with 999 people.

To defend the KKK.

This is why I'm surprised they didn't use tear gas to disperse the crowds. Yes, they might get shit for it, but would it really be worse than what they're getting for looking either weak or indifferent?

[subego]

Originally Posted by The Final Dakar 

This is why I'm surprised they didn't use tear gas to disperse the crowds. Yes, they might get shit for it, but would it really be worse than what they're getting for looking either weak or indifferent?

Would this have been the case if no one had driven a car into the melee?

If not, then the accusation is the cops lacked hindsight. When was the last time something like that happened in this country?

In contrast, I bet the cops were paying very close attention to the guys with rifles.

[The Final Dakar]

Here's the other thing: Where are all the arrests? Are they hitting antifa? They still haven't gotten the guys beating the black man next to the station.

Now this comes out: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/u...t-police.html?

I'd think police would be eager to enact retribution on carpetbaggers coming in and making their city a national spectacle, but their response is muted. Like, is anybody home, muted. I'm flabbergasted.

[subego]

There are times I put my foot down.

They gave the news a soundtrack. I simply refuse to watch news with a soundtrack.