What Made you Smile/What Ticked you off Today?

[mjmjr25]

Hm, okay so I'm the villain here because I am actually able to express compassion for people? Right.

No one inferred you were a villain by any stretch.

Your may be confusing compassion for enabling however. I have compassion for people going through tough times. I have empathy for people who are going through tough times, but those tough times are a result of poor choices. I think you may be the type who would replace empathy for sympathy - and thats an individual choice and no one is saying you shouldn't feel that or insulting you for feeling that way. Flake, and now I, are attempting offer a different side to a post and video that we believed didn't fully represent what actually was occurring.

[Sideroller]

Fair enough, I just find the whole situation a bit absurd.

^

[Hobie-wan]

Medieval knight is the first British stereotype you though of? I'm kind of flattered. Normally it's either a Charles Dickens style chimney sweep or a toff in a monocle and top hat.

My mother is from England so I'm used to English things. I was just scribbling down quick thoughts and that crossed my mind first. Not like a mullet is a great example for an American either.

[jfe2]

Smile: Day off work.

Ticked: Didn't do a damn thing.

[Michi]

Been looking for 2 old missing game guide books lately and last night I finally found one. Sure I don't need the guide book for Pokemon Snap to play the game, but that's not the point. The point is, what was lost now is found.

Ticked: My Banjo-Kazooie guide still eludes me

[dsheinem]

[. Some guy in a wheelchair might not be able to walk but if he is able bodied enough to roll himself down for a hearty dose of protesting, he's fair game when the crowd turns violent and the cops exercise their obligation to restore order....


where are those kids parents? What the hell were they thinking bringing their kids or allowing them to go?

So I shouldn't ever bring my kids to a peaceful protest to show them that not all change has to be violent? If I am disabled I shouldn't go anywhere that I can't quickly leave if things turn bad? I am guessing that the parents and disabled folks who went down there had no expectation that things would turn out the way that they did, given that the Occupy protests have been largely peaceful all across the county.

The people who started throwing things are certainly to blame for the violence that ensued, but the police also used excessive and inappropriate force given the makeup of the crowd. There's enough blame to throw around here, but the parents and peaceful protestors should be immune...

[Flake]

So I shouldn't ever bring my kids to a peaceful protest to show them that not all change has to be violent? If I am disabled I shouldn't go anywhere that I can't quickly leave if things turn bad?

If you take your kids to something and you see a line of police officers in riot gear 30 yards away, wouldn't you use some common sense and re-consider your decision? I dunno, I'm not a parent but the sight of armed officers ready to react to a crowd that KNEW it was being evicted for trespassing isn't a place I'd bring my kids to, if I had any.

But hey, maybe that's just me?

If I was in a wheel chair I would probably be quite concerned with figuring out the best way to get in and out of an area all the time and ESPECIALLY if I decide to go protest and I see that same damn line of officers who have ALREADY informed the group I am joining that they are to be removed.

Choices. Consequences. These are not unrelated subjects. No one is immune from them, either.

[J T]

If you think the police only did this when protesters were attacking them and didn't try to deliberately hurt the innocent, then watch this:



"There is no honor in this"

[Luke]

This wouldn't happen if people were trying to occupy Sesame Street.

Someone please enlighten me, what are these protesters trying to accomplish other than protest? I'm not being flippant, most of my news comes from NPR and the Daily Show, and all I hear and see are people sitting around with signs. Is there a goal, or is it just about making statement?

One more question: Are the people who are protesting democrats, republicans, or a mix of both?

[alienjesus]

So I shouldn't ever bring my kids to a peaceful protest to show them that not all change has to be violent? If I am disabled I shouldn't go anywhere that I can't quickly leave if things turn bad?

If you take your kids to something and you see a line of police officers in riot gear 30 yards away, wouldn't you use some common sense and re-consider your decision? I dunno, I'm not a parent but the sight of armed officers ready to react to a crowd that KNEW it was being evicted for trespassing isn't a place I'd bring my kids to, if I had any.

But hey, maybe that's just me?

If I was in a wheel chair I would probably be quite concerned with figuring out the best way to get in and out of an area all the time and ESPECIALLY if I decide to go protest and I see that same damn line of officers who have ALREADY informed the group I am joining that they are to be removed.

Choices. Consequences. These are not unrelated subjects. No one is immune from them, either.

I don't know about this particular protest, but in other protests I've seen, police have been known to box in protesters meaning that if you saw police in riot gear 30 yards away coming towards you, you wouldn't really be able to go anywhere. It's called kettling. Normally they leave only one exit, but it's determined by police, and it's very possible that the side you're on after being herded back into a small area by the police isn't the one next to the exit. It's also absolute hell trying to walk through a protest crowd, even a small one, from experience, so I'd hate to try and get kids or a wheelchair through there. It seems you're saying that they have two choices - be there, but expect repercussions, or don't go. I fully agree with Dsheinem myself, why shouldn't the disabled and minors expect to be able to engage in peaceful protest without suffering from unnecessary force from the police. Why shouldn't anyone?