about a week ago, i had the misfortune of being downtown when a protest was happening. now, i'm all for protesting for something you believe in, if that's your thing (it's not mine). but this was different.
i was headed downtown for an appointment after work. i got out of the metro and walked a short distance (only to realize i'd gone the wrong way), turned around and crossed in front of the same metro station. only this time there were some 2 dozen cops, in full riot gear, heading inside. seemed odd. and frightening (i mean, i *just* left the same station). then i remembered that the students have been protesting tuition hikes and figured it was them.
i continued to meander the streets, looking for a bank, when i realized most of the streets were barricaded by cops. lots of them. it was unnerving. i hadn't realized the student protests had escalated to this. i turned up a side street only to hear an incredibly loud noise and suddenly see a group of people running. in my general direction. so i got out of there. fast. really fast.
it seemed unusual that the students could cause such intensity amongst the cops. i've been reading in the paper (every morning...) about their protests (a whole *other* story) but only remembered one count of violence. they've been pretty passive-aggressive since that time.
it wasn't until the next morning that i read what the riot was really about: the 16th annual march against police brutality. the irony of this is painful. according to the papers (and i read a kind of left wing one, so i feel it's pretty accurate), the "marchers" were throwing things at cops, turned over a cop car and vandalized and looted a few major shops downtown, amongst other things. when the cops responding by throwing "sound grenades", people got more violent and the rioting escalated. the paper also had some quotes from rioters discussing how this clearly demonstrates needless police aggressiveness.
correct me if i'm wrong but it seems to me that this is essentially, well, asking for it. it's like complaining that sharks are dangerous and demonstrating it by covering yourself in fresh meat and jumping in the ocean. or maybe it's more like sitting next to your brother and poking him repeatedly, while he tells you that if you keep doing it he'll hit you, and then wondering why he hit you (uhm, not that this uhm, ever happened to me...to be fair, i was 10. 12. ok, like 18. whatever)
the idea that a group of people would be protesting violence by engaging in acts of violence is beyond me. surely the best way to show that people are too violent is to be peaceful. or causing some sort of non-violent chaos. take the students for example. whilst i don't agree with their protest (again, another story), i think they are being very clever with their protesting. they generally just go and block/sit in the streets or in office buildings. or block entrances to major bridges/highways. enough to make people in the city go nuts, but not enough to cause a riot. people pay attention to them. cops actually facilitate them in their protest (directing traffic, etc)...as long as they don't get out of hand. makes more sense to me. fight for your rights. don't just fight.
again, i'm all for protesting if that's what you believe in. but it's pretty well accepted that you can't fight fire with fire. and if you choose too (*ahem* rioters), you can't complain that you've been burned.
xo
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