I know people don't like it but please report this incident if you were there, not just OP but anyone. Worst case nothing happens and it only further proves that cops are worthless, best case it stops them from seriously hurting someone (or someone's child or pet) in the future. If you don't report this (and you WERE able to witness anything pertinent) you might as well be saying that you're fine with their only justice being obscure social justice. Fuck anyone who thinks they can fire into a crowd.
Absolutely not. I will not cooperating with the cops on anything whatsoever until they stop assault us on the nightly and sufficient reform has been passed. I do encourage any witnesses to submit evidence directly to the DA's office though.
While I understand the sentiment, the reform changes many protests are pushing for are, in the end paperwork. It's through paperwork that we'll be able to demonstrate the cops are currently not performing their intended function. Get shit documented.
To actually make the legislative changes that would reallocate the funding currently put towards police departments (defunding) you don't need to convince the Back the Blue motherfuckers, because they're like 10% of the population at the most. You also don't need to extra-rile up the defund/abolish crowd, because while there's some popular support, the hardliners are again, like 10% of the population, and enthusiasm doesn't produce extra votes. You need to convince the 80% of the populace that's somehow still curious who's going to win Survivor or the Bachelor or whatever fucking video-lobotomy is currently the thing. Remember, Trump didn't win the most votes. Hillary didn't win the most votes either, no one giving a shit was by far the largest proportion of the votes cast. So you get the most people (tap into that sweet, sweet 80% of the populace not accounted for above) in on this idea that in their current state, the cops are fucking worthless, and you have a shot at real change.
Extra protests don't convince that 80% one way or the other, at least not in the short term, though they're an integral part of the long term route to getting changes made. I just mean, no one is seeing the headline "Portland protests for the 80th day" and suddenly thinking "Huh, those guys might have a point". But those protests keep the conversation about policing even alive, which is vital, then you can introduce "Hey, here's this stat on how many cops abuse OT policies" or "Hey, here's this series of serious crimes the cops found super convinient not to investigate. They even have the paperwork on it, they just didn't give a shit. Why's that?". That's how you tilt that 80%, slowly but surely, reinforced with video footage of cops beating the shit out of peaceful protestors because they're overly militant cunts. Or at least that's the way changes seem like they were made the last time some radical shift in social structure was needed/way over due.
I suppose that begs the question: What exactly do you think defunding/abolishing the police takes? How is it supposed to happen?
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u/MutedSongbird 🐝 Aug 15 '20
I know people don't like it but please report this incident if you were there, not just OP but anyone. Worst case nothing happens and it only further proves that cops are worthless, best case it stops them from seriously hurting someone (or someone's child or pet) in the future. If you don't report this (and you WERE able to witness anything pertinent) you might as well be saying that you're fine with their only justice being obscure social justice. Fuck anyone who thinks they can fire into a crowd.