http://www.indybay.org/uploads/2008/09/01/pepper.mpg

thumbs up, police

9/2/2008 11:08:29 AM

was this RNC?

she got unloaded on

9/2/2008 11:11:21 AM

looks like she should have gotten out of the way - was she confused by the marching line of armed individuals?

9/2/2008 11:13:04 AM

Yeah, I guess she deserved it for not being in the designated free speech zone.

9/2/2008 11:13:48 AM

Is this seriously footage from the USA? Shit like this scares the fuck out of me.

9/2/2008 11:18:25 AM

Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

9/2/2008 11:21:58 AM

9/2/2008 11:23:32 AM

Quote :

"Is this seriously footage from the USA? Shit like this scares the fuck out of me."

Yes, and wait, there's more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

9/2/2008 11:26:39 AM

Is it just me or do you have to be a cold SOB to just shoot someone point blank in the face with mace

9/2/2008 11:28:02 AM

But that's precisely what he gets paid to do.

9/2/2008 11:28:46 AM

Yes, the protesters did nothing at all to suggest to police that they may be violent. It wasn't like they broke windows, threw hammers at cop cars, blocked traffic, etc. Nope.

Anyways, here's a funny article from slate (of all places) on how one portion of the protest got out of hand.

The peace-loving, road-blocking, window-smashing protesters at the RNC.
Best bit.

Quote :

"Another vanful of riot police pulls up. Meanwhile, a counter-protest is forming. As an Iraq chant begins, one of the anti-rioters yells, "You could have volunteered!" "Or take a bath!" shouts another. A protester raises two middle fingers skyward: "Fuck you, white America!" The two hecklers seem baffled. "You're white," says one."

http://www.slate.com/id/2199060/

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 11:35 AM. Reason : ``]

9/2/2008 11:33:25 AM

as much as they spent on "protecting" the conventions I thought theyd have robots to do the dirty work

CNN is saying $50 million from the Federal Government to protect the conventions. I wonder how much they gave to the third parties?

9/2/2008 11:34:18 AM

PS* I have no idea how marko is sometimes so able to capture an argument in a picture.

9/2/2008 11:36:46 AM

USA #1 I love my freedums!!

dem hippies are just communist conspirators!

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 11:37 AM. Reason : j]

9/2/2008 11:36:56 AM

If you are ever at a protest and see a bunch of people show up with bandanas over their faces, get the fuck out of there. It means they are about to go all corky and claim the fascists are attacking them.

9/2/2008 11:40:35 AM

Yeah man, that fat girl standing in front of the "civil defense forces" totally was wrecking shit. Did you see her holding that flower? She could have cause some serious damage. It's a good thing she got maced.

9/2/2008 11:49:21 AM

haha damn, they kept spraying.

This video is analogous to me trying to spray the mutant spiders that hang out around my house.

i keep spraying and they keep living.

9/2/2008 12:04:37 PM

Quote :

"If you are ever at a protest and see a bunch of people show up with bandanas over their faces, get the fuck out of there. It means they are about to go all corky and claim the fascists are attacking them. "

Seriously. I was watching some of these "peaceful protests" and its a bunch of punk ass kids tearing shit up. Unless that girl was retarded, they should have clubed her. What an idiot. "Oh look im holding a flower, now let me go get in the way of the police force." I hope that shit is still stinging her eyes..

THey have a right to a peaceful protest, not to act like a bunch of animals and tear shit up. When this shit turns destructive, the police should load up live ammo. I think that would end much of this shit, with only a couple warning shots. Now they know they will get on tv and might get some spray, so they wear thier masks and goggles. just my opinion.

9/2/2008 12:17:15 PM

Was their evidence this girl was involved with the breaking of windows / pelting cops???

I think this was a little rediculous.

9/2/2008 12:22:54 PM

Was there any evidence she wasnt?

I guess she fits the description of idiot kids with black masks tearing up shit, that warranted a riot patrol in the first place.

Those officers arent there to debate this moron or take her flower, they were called in to do a job and she should have gotten out of their way. imo

9/2/2008 12:28:45 PM

the first time they sprayed her (point blank in the face) because they almost had no choice. what were they supposed to do? break their formation/slow down to take the flower from her or gently escort her out of their path? she looks old enough to know she needs to get out of the way. its even sort of funny

but the second time they spray her (as she is clearly walking away), aint right.

9/2/2008 12:28:51 PM

They were pretty obviously clearing the area... that's why they were in, you know, riot gear and marching forward in a line. She knew what was coming, notice her body language, she was anticipating getting struck. This was pretty much, let's be dicks and provoke the police to take action, then cry about it because they did.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 12:30 PM. Reason : .]

9/2/2008 12:29:39 PM

Quote :

"Was there any evidence she wasnt?"

Yeah, man, guilty until proven innocent. Fuck those hippies!

9/2/2008 12:53:57 PM

seems pretty harsh but she was obviously trying to get some kind of reaction, so I don't feel sorry for her

haha "girl hands flower to riot police"

9/2/2008 1:01:39 PM

^^ Unless she was arrested and charged with something that isn't applicable.


She's guilty of impeding police trying to clear an area and for that got maced.

I think it's pretty cold myself, and there's probably a better way to deal with it, but I have a hard time feeling sorry for her.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 1:02 PM. Reason : ]

9/2/2008 1:01:56 PM

No comment on the girl handing the flower to riot police... She got her photo op, hopefully the photographer who was with her got the money shot.

As for the second:
1: Policeman: If you cross this line you will be arrested.
2: (Woman crosses line)
3: (Woman gets arrested)

These are most definitely not the most egregious uses of police force in recent memory.

9/2/2008 1:28:01 PM

I like the usage of the word girl, when it is clear she is a grown fucking adult.

9/2/2008 1:29:50 PM

Quote :

"Is this seriously footage from the USA? Shit like this scares the fuck out of me. looks like she should have gotten out of the way - was she confused by the marching line of armed individuals?"

the comments i felt like quoting

9/2/2008 1:32:10 PM

"Girl"

lol

9/2/2008 1:33:57 PM

Quote :

"She's guilty of impeding police trying to clear an area and for that got maced. "

OBVIOUSLY the Tienemen Square protestor that got run over by the tank by the Red Chinese Army was in the wrong. He should have seen the tanks coming and moved. The protestor was impeding the Chinese Army from trying to clear an area and for that got run over

9/2/2008 1:49:27 PM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_man

He didn't get run over. He may have been killed later, but those reports are dubious at best.

Are you really comparing the woman on the video standing in the way of marching cops (with a flower in her hand) to Tank Man?

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 2:00 PM. Reason : .]

9/2/2008 2:00:27 PM

she does not deserved to be in the same discussion, and from everything I know about Tiananmen Square that guy did not get run over.

While I agree the punishment was harsh, the woman (lets not use a softer word for the sake of trying to garner her more sympathy) looks stupid and is serving no purpose but to interfere. I have a hard time feeling sorry for her.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 2:04 PM. Reason : ]

9/2/2008 2:03:27 PM

Oh shit mace is fatal now?

9/2/2008 2:04:20 PM

Don't mace me bro!

Seriously, this is the same type of shit. She's obviously looking to get sprayed. Also, you can't tell what she had done previously, if anything. Clips like this often leave out the important parts...duh.

9/2/2008 2:35:53 PM

I was expecting to see something like this

9/2/2008 2:47:50 PM

Wow, she did something really stupid hoping to make a statement and as a result her eyes stung for a few hours. The horror.

It's a good thing that TWW wasn't around when cops would bust her face open with a billy club for that sort of thing.

9/2/2008 3:47:17 PM

wow, the police support in this thread is lame

Impeding a police officer, WTF?

I guess everytime a cop is moving in your direction you should be sure to step out of their way and bow your head so as not to look them in the eyes.

That woman had every right to stand in her own personal space on that public sidewalk. I congratulate her b/c her direct action is now "Internet Famous", which is more than what we can say for all the protestors that stayed inside the "protest zones" or whatever they are calling them.

9/2/2008 4:17:55 PM

Im not supporting the cops by saying what she did was stupid. I said the punishment was harsh and didnt really fit the "crime" but at the same time what the woman was doing was just stupid and didnt serve a point. She very well could have been shoving a bowl of cereal into the face of the men and it wouldnt change anything. If she was doing something more memorable, with a clear purpose then maybe I would feel more sorry for her. But simply doing something when its obvious youre only intent is to annoy/anger the police is just stupid and youll probably get whats coming even if its more force than was needed.

Quote :

"I guess everytime a cop is moving in your direction you should be sure to step out of their way and bow your head so as not to look them in the eyes."

dont try and spin this towards sympathy. no one is saying that if you are walking down a sidewalk and a policeman is walking towards you and you dont move that you should get maced. this is NOTHING like that. a woman was doing something PURPOSELY to get in the way of them without a real reason other than to provoke them we can assume.


In summary: They shouldnt have taken the bait, but she doesnt deserve ANY recognition or sympathy for purposely trying to provoke them.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 4:28 PM. Reason : ]

9/2/2008 4:26:50 PM

Quote :

"Is this seriously footage from the USA?"

Look, I can't stand mindless hippie politics and I largely can't stand the people who advocate them, but that doesn't justify this in the slightest. She was clearly backing up, she wasn't resisting, she wasn't attacking them, I'm doubting she had a suicide vest hidden under that top, she wasn't doing anything to provoke the cops . . . she just had a flower. If there was an issue with her, grab her, arrest her, and bypass her. But even then, why would you do that?

Quote :

"Seriously. I was watching some of these "peaceful protests" and its a bunch of punk ass kids tearing shit up."

Right, and every college student at a party should be beat down and maced because the cops got called over a couple of guys throwing a keg off a porch.


I'm sorry, the police have a responsibility to exercise due restraint. I don't think they went horribly over the line here, but there were better ways to handle it.

Then there is the whole 1st Amendment question.

9/2/2008 4:34:47 PM

Meh, I'd sympathize if she her feet were settled in concrete and she couldn't move. But, fat chick was asking for it. Besides, who comes to a "peaceful protest" with a bandana/facemask? It's synonymous with walking into a bank with a ski mask. You're asking for it.

Update: Everyone in every video on CNN about the protest had bandanas on. LOL... losers need to get a life.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 4:59 PM. Reason : ]

9/2/2008 4:48:40 PM

Quote :

"but at the same time what the woman was doing was just stupid and didnt serve a point."

I disagree here. she was protesting. Protesting the fact that she is only "allowed" to protest where the police tell her to. That she can only stand where they tell her to. Protesting the fact that a political party which doesn't represent her can use publicly funded police as their personal goons to sweep sidewalks of undesirables outside of their convention. protesting the SYSTEM!!! man. /hippy rant

Quote :

"dont try and spin this towards sympathy"

Your right, that statement may be a little far fetched. but the only reason that this wasnt a situation of a cop coming up to someone on a random sidewalk is that the convention is in town and someone High up decided that people shouldnt be allowed on that sidewalk at that point in the day.

Quote :

"but she doesnt deserve ANY recognition or sympathy for purposely trying to provoke them. "

I disagree here too. It takes plenty of courage to do what she did. I realize she didnt necessarily risk death or even really injury, but she did risk arrest. She felt compelled to stand there and did. Her action obviously meant something to her even if it meant nothing to you.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 5:00 PM. Reason : im not a hippy though for real guyz]

9/2/2008 4:57:39 PM

The arguments in here are pretty lame.

"Well, uh, she may or may not have been the one throwing a hammer through a cop's windshield!!! Therefore they should have left her alone. Uh, Man."

Yah, that's the nice thing about mobs--they're so organized. The cops could just say "hey, I know your friends are destroying public property and you yourself are resisting police instructions to clear the area so the situation can be controlled, but you have a flower so let me ask you one more time (with sugar on top) to leave the area."

Look kids, these protesters were tearing shit up and causing a disturbance. Yes, roads and sidewalks are considered public property and that's exactly why we don't let people do just whatever they fucking want on them (try building a campsite on the interstate and telling the cops "it's public property").

This chick is not internet famous either. This is just one more bit of photage of mean cops beating up "peaceful" protesters. If this is the first time you've ever seen anything like this, you're probably just too young to remember the WTO protesters in Seattle (and those were much much worse, playa).

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 5:10 PM. Reason : ``]

9/2/2008 5:08:28 PM

Wait, where was the girl in that video

9/2/2008 5:15:09 PM

This thread reminded to stay out of the Soap Box

9/2/2008 5:23:49 PM

Well the public property being destroyed was most likely Corporate property if the "violent" protestors are anything like the black bloc and other anarchists at the WTO protests ( I remember it). Its a shame these protests havent reached that magnitude. (police learned so much from that experience, namely make sure you have enough troopers).

As far as tearing up corporate property I could honestly care less.
A) They probably have insurance
B) They are probably fucking shit up equally as bad somewhere else
C) No one person actually owns that property, so its not like any form of intimidation or really violent in my opinion.

9/2/2008 5:32:45 PM

Quote :

"The arguments in here are pretty lame. "Well, uh, she may or may not have been the one throwing a hammer through a cop's windshield!!! Therefore they should have left her alone. Uh, Man.""

The converse of that argument is far more dangerous. "Well, uh, she may or may not have been the one throwing a hammer through a cop's windshield!!! Lets just run her in, even though we have no evidence."

9/2/2008 5:39:17 PM

ABC News Producer Arrested in Denver during the democratic convention.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tvNTIHjatI&e

9/2/2008 6:17:37 PM

Hey, sign me up for one of those "free pass on assaulting people" badges. Oh, you have to be a cop. Never mind.

^Wouldn't feel bad for that cop if I saw him in one of those Amazing Videos shows where the cop gets hit by a semi during a routine traffic stop.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 6:43 PM. Reason : -]

9/2/2008 6:40:42 PM

guys, this is how it works.

a) cop says do not do something
b) someone does it
c) they get arrested.

this is how the law of self-defense works, a) ask to move back, b) if person does not comply and they are threatening your safety (or in this case someone else's) you have the right to defend yourself, this is no different than what the police are doing.

1st video, she was asked to move back, part of an a group associated with rioting.
2nd video, she was asked to return to the sidewalk, she was involved in a group associated with rioting
3rd video, he was asked to move back, in this case though i don't see what threat he was.

you only have freedom of speech if you do so in a civil and safe manor. the minute you endanger property or people with an organized protest, march or riot, you lose your rights to freedom of speech as you are actively taking part of criminal activity.

[Edited on September 2, 2008 at 6:56 PM. Reason : /.]

9/2/2008 6:51:33 PM

Quote :

"As far as tearing up corporate property I could honestly care less. A) They probably have insurance B) They are probably fucking shit up equally as bad somewhere else C) No one person actually owns that property, so its not like any form of intimidation or really violent in my opinion."

I hope one day someone burns down your house, because you probably have insurance to cover it so it's not like they're hurting you at all.

9/2/2008 6:53:05 PM