I wrote in a previous blog post how I consider the actions, or more precisely the inaction, of the police the main reason why the situation has escalated so much in the United States: Rather than stopping "protesters" from committing clear crimes, rather than having a zero tolerance policy, they are allowing people to commit these crimes, without stopping them, as long as they are "protesting".
I simply cannot comprehend why "protesters" seem to be above the law in the United States, exempt from the same laws that apply to everybody else. Like there were some kind of special exception in the law for people who are engaging in a "protest". I'm not aware of such a law existing anywhere in the United States, but it looks like there is one, apparently. At least deducing from the actions of the police.
From the numerous YouTube videos I have watched, it seems that at least these things, which would normally cause a person to be arrested and prosecuted, seem to be allowed, with complete impunity, even if done in direct close view of the police, who will just stand there doing absolutely nothing to stop it, as long as it's a "protest". These are all examples of people doing these things clearly in the direct view of police officers, and these officers doing absolutely nothing about it, without any clear reason why. (Note that this is not true everywhere in the United States, but apparently it is in some places, deducing from those videos.)
* If you were to start pestering, harassing, shouting at, insulting, calling names, and blocking the path of a random person on the street, and kept doing this for tens of minutes, if that person were to call the police, you would probably get arrested. At a very minimum the police would order you to stop and give you a warning, if they are being lenient. Except if, it seems, you are part of a group of people engaging in a "protest".
* If you took a megaphone and starting making very loud noises on the street, in a densely populated area, disturbing the peace, and kept doing this for hours, if somebody were to call the police, you would likewise be arrested, or at the very least ordered to stop and given a warning. Except if you are in a group engaging in a "protest".
* Intentionally blocking traffic is explicitly illegal in most (or all) of the United States. If you were to do that, you would get quickly arrested and removed from the roadway. Except, it seems, if you are in a group of people engaging in a "protest".
* If you were to try to damage and take down a fence surrounding the premises of a prison, and get in, you would normally be arrested and prosecuted in the blink of an eye. It might even cause alarms, and special forces to be dispatched. Even in the mildest possible of cases you would probably be at the very least prosecuted for destruction of private or state property (depending on the prison), and trespassing. Except, it seems, if you are in a group of people engaging in a "protest", in which case the police will simply come when they have the time, and just stand there between the fence and the "protesters" doing nothing to them.
* If you were to deface and damage a statue owned by the government, you would be arrested and prosecuted, at the very least for vandalism and destruction of state property. Except if you are "protesting".
* This one made me absolutely sick when I saw it: A guy is just standing on the street, doing nothing, and people are harassing him, and a woman is even physically assaulting him by repeatedly hitting him. Something like a dozen of police officers, in full riot gear, are just standing about 10 meters away, watching this happening. The guy, who is being physically assaulted, is directly asking the police officers to intervene. The officers do absolutely nothing, but just stand there. Only when the guy was dragged to the ground, and several people assaulting him started literally kicking him when he was on the ground, did the police officers finally intervene. But only then. The harassment and physical assaults had started quite a time prior to that, in full view of the police. The video does not show the police officers actually arresting the assailants (although I do not know if they did arrest anybody).
I simply cannot comprehend why "protesters" seem to be above the law in the United States, exempt from the same laws that apply to everybody else. Like there were some kind of special exception in the law for people who are engaging in a "protest". I'm not aware of such a law existing anywhere in the United States, but it looks like there is one, apparently. At least deducing from the actions of the police.
From the numerous YouTube videos I have watched, it seems that at least these things, which would normally cause a person to be arrested and prosecuted, seem to be allowed, with complete impunity, even if done in direct close view of the police, who will just stand there doing absolutely nothing to stop it, as long as it's a "protest". These are all examples of people doing these things clearly in the direct view of police officers, and these officers doing absolutely nothing about it, without any clear reason why. (Note that this is not true everywhere in the United States, but apparently it is in some places, deducing from those videos.)
* If you were to start pestering, harassing, shouting at, insulting, calling names, and blocking the path of a random person on the street, and kept doing this for tens of minutes, if that person were to call the police, you would probably get arrested. At a very minimum the police would order you to stop and give you a warning, if they are being lenient. Except if, it seems, you are part of a group of people engaging in a "protest".
* If you took a megaphone and starting making very loud noises on the street, in a densely populated area, disturbing the peace, and kept doing this for hours, if somebody were to call the police, you would likewise be arrested, or at the very least ordered to stop and given a warning. Except if you are in a group engaging in a "protest".
* Intentionally blocking traffic is explicitly illegal in most (or all) of the United States. If you were to do that, you would get quickly arrested and removed from the roadway. Except, it seems, if you are in a group of people engaging in a "protest".
* If you were to try to damage and take down a fence surrounding the premises of a prison, and get in, you would normally be arrested and prosecuted in the blink of an eye. It might even cause alarms, and special forces to be dispatched. Even in the mildest possible of cases you would probably be at the very least prosecuted for destruction of private or state property (depending on the prison), and trespassing. Except, it seems, if you are in a group of people engaging in a "protest", in which case the police will simply come when they have the time, and just stand there between the fence and the "protesters" doing nothing to them.
* If you were to deface and damage a statue owned by the government, you would be arrested and prosecuted, at the very least for vandalism and destruction of state property. Except if you are "protesting".
* This one made me absolutely sick when I saw it: A guy is just standing on the street, doing nothing, and people are harassing him, and a woman is even physically assaulting him by repeatedly hitting him. Something like a dozen of police officers, in full riot gear, are just standing about 10 meters away, watching this happening. The guy, who is being physically assaulted, is directly asking the police officers to intervene. The officers do absolutely nothing, but just stand there. Only when the guy was dragged to the ground, and several people assaulting him started literally kicking him when he was on the ground, did the police officers finally intervene. But only then. The harassment and physical assaults had started quite a time prior to that, in full view of the police. The video does not show the police officers actually arresting the assailants (although I do not know if they did arrest anybody).
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