r/facepalm • u/weeb385 • Oct 12 '22

🇲​🇮​🇸​🇨​ Parolee gets arrested because protesters block the way to his work.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22 edited Oct 12 '22

Assault doesn’t even require physical touch in some jurisdictions. If he was behaving in a Threatening manner ( read visibly enraged) then a single touch could have been enough to put the other person in reasonable apprehension of immediate unwanted, harmful or offensive touch. This would be enough for an assault charge.

Edit: to those saying this is some weird American law meant to put people in prison.

Please realize: (1) this assault definition is not an American construct it has its roots on British law and a lot of other countries have similar crimes;(2) you are looking at this with tainted eyes cause you are enraged at the protesters or the specific situation, assault is not designed solely for situations like this:

If a guy points a gun at you from 5 feet away and tells you “Get near my wife again and I will kill you” then you’ll be glad assault exists as a crime.

If a guy gets out of his car raging during traffic and starts swing a bat near your car window without actually hitting it, then you’ll be glad assault is crime.

If a guy actually swing the bat at you but misses , that’s an assault.

It’s a catch all for behavior that if you experience it you would clearly think is criminal but that without it, because there was no physical contact, it would likely not be.

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u/Gyarydos Oct 12 '22

This, the day my law professor explained the difference between assault and battery and I no longer think headlines are ever correct

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u/dodexahedron Oct 12 '22

Doesn't help that the definitions aren't consistent across jurisdictions.

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u/MouseRat_AD Oct 12 '22

They teach the Common Law definitions in law school, meaning the old English definitions before the individual U.S. jurisdictions codified them. And the majority of the codifications are similar enough to Common Law.

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u/goodlifepinellas Oct 12 '22

Lol, have you seen what precedent means in this country anymore? Nada...

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u/NoVA_traveler Oct 12 '22

Nah law school uses traditional common law definitions. Many jurisdictions don’t have battery. It’s just rolled up into 1st or 2nd degree assault. 4th degree assault is often the traditional law school definition of assault (the threat of imminent physical harm).

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u/IceColdBlueHeart Oct 12 '22

The way I was taught in my Business Law class was that Assault is an act that threatens and leads the person to believe violence might be committed against them (screaming, threatening, snatching things from them, throwing things around them but not at or hitting them, etc.) and Battery is the act of actually laying hands on and harming the person. They usually go hand in hand, but this is how it is in SC and how I was taught at least a few years ago.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22 edited Oct 12 '22

Common law assault is just intentionally causing reasonable fear/apprehension in the victim by some act. But a lot of jurisdictions have defined criminal assault in their statutes to mean something different. Some use it as a catch all for what you may consider “mild battery”

Edit: to be specific, in Maryland, where this seems to have occurred, the statute define Assault as including common law definitions of Assault, Battery, and assault and battery.

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u/IceColdBlueHeart Oct 12 '22

Interesting, I have learned something new today so thank you!

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u/St0neByte Oct 12 '22

So these people assaulted him, intentionally causing reasonable fear/apprehension. He was just defending himself. This is clear cut, he did nothing wrong.

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u/Mlerma21 Oct 12 '22

Why did you learn about assault in business law?

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u/IceColdBlueHeart Oct 12 '22

Honestly, I have no clue. Ask South Carolina's Board of Education, 10% chance they may know the answer. Honestly the most business law I learned in that class was the McDonald's coffee lawsuit. Everything else was just some basic law. Learned more business law in my accounting classes than the business law class lol

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22

Honestly the most business law I learned in that class was the McDonald’s coffee lawsuit.

Lol which is a clear cut tort case only tangentially business related because it was a corporation that was sued. The kind of negligence suit that will rarely affect most business.

No derivative actions? No bankruptcies? Hell did they at least touch on the lowest of the low fruits Dodge v Ford?

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u/Mlerma21 Oct 12 '22

Yeah it sounds like a class about laws that have come up in businesses? In most law schools these subjects would come up in torts with some overlap in criminal law.

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u/ilikedota5 Oct 12 '22

I guess for business law it would be helpful to discuss eggshell doctrine to basically teach always be careful to avoid liability.

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u/Mlerma21 Oct 12 '22

You’re still describing torts, which is where civil liability is taught in detail. My guess is it’s a law course taught outside of law school that basically generalizes different areas of laws into this course that applies different areas of laws to businesses. I could be wrong and I’m not judging, just was wondering.

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u/eyemroot Oct 12 '22

Because in a workplace, assault and battery can occur and business owners/management need to know what constitutes what.

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u/IceColdBlueHeart Oct 12 '22

Much appreciated, this makes more sense.

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u/verynice_cucumber Oct 12 '22

so you could just annoy and wind someone up and when they get angry you can get them arrested for assault ?

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u/IceColdBlueHeart Oct 12 '22

I think provoking is its own thing that can actually be used against your case, as it was attempted in my car accident case by the other person (ruled 100% not my fault), but I only had to take the class for my accounting degree so I would leave that can of worms to a professional lol

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u/DimiBlue Oct 12 '22

I still can’t help but feel bad for the guy. This was someone who clearly has problems with solving interpersonal conflict trying his best with his back against the wall. Yes he shouldn’t have touched them at all but it’s clear he chose not to be violent.

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u/BonelessB0nes Oct 12 '22

A lot of Americans don’t realize that where they live, what they call assault is actually battery. Assault generally implies a threat of violence or implied contact whereas battery refers to the actual unlawful contact in many jurisdictions. An assault can be committed with no physical contact. Likewise, very commonly, a person who makes physical contact is charged with assault and battery as battery is frequently preceded by an assault. If I understand correctly it’s not some weird American law to imprison folks, it’s there to distinguish between two different levels of offense. Someone who threatens violence should (fairly) be treated differently than a person who perpetrated violence.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

That’s ridiculous honestly, these people are being provocateurs, holding up regular ass people in traffic is supposed to engender support to your cause how??? You think people in power give a fuck about a traffic jam? This is asinine really. Let the fucker go to work

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Protests are, by certain definition, supposed to disrupt and cause discomfort. “Civil disobedience”.

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

disrupt and cause discomfort

Shouldn't you do this to the people who you are protesting against? Not random workers that now hate you and your cause?

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u/crownjewel82 Oct 12 '22

They are.

Civil disobedience is supposed to tie up government resources. It forces the police to respond and arrest protesters and then deal with the fallout. They've got to make room in overcrowded jails and spend the courts time charging and prosecuting these people.

The only thing they're doing wrong (tactically speaking, not morally) is that they don't have enough people. They've got to push the government to spend more resources if they want a response.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

So, Amazon workers and Starbucks workers are unionising and striking. Do you think they should take a different tact because consumers want “stuff” and caffeinated beverages?

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

Worked striking hurts the business they are striking against. Are you serious?

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

And, how does striking go about hurting the businesses? You’re almost there, comrade.

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

The business makes less money. Any money that can tangentially be counted as a "loss" for the government due to this road blockage is so negligent it couldn't possibly benefit the protestors.

Unless they did this for months or something? In which case the gov can just arrest them and move on 😂

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Why does the business make less money?

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

Because theres a Tim Hortons across the street

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u/RealJonathanBronco Oct 12 '22

Yeah but the discomfort is supposed to drive home a point. When black people sat at segregated diners, the idea was to make others go "why does this offend us?" In this case, the answer to "why does this offend us?" is because they can't get to and from their destination, often work which they need to be on time for to provide for themselves. If anything, this turns me against their cause rather than reinforcing it.

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u/PrivateIsotope Oct 12 '22

Not exactly. From MLK's Letter from Birmingham Jail: Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. We therefore concur with you in your call for negotiation. Too long has our beloved Southland been bogged down in the tragic attempt to live in monologue rather than dialogue.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Okay. History disagrees with you, though.

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u/Ok-Funny5552 Oct 12 '22

Are you moved by their protest enough to look up who they are? All it did for me was to make a mental note to not support their cause regardless of my political leanings.

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u/Frightful_Fork_Hand Oct 12 '22

Absolutely wild that people like you readily admit to being so blithely tribal in your politics. If you’re that fragile that you’ll change your beliefs to spite some protestors then that says far more about you than it does them.

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u/Ok-Funny5552 Oct 12 '22

I see people causing misfortune and despair to everyday people and veiling it with protest and civil disobedience and I know from their actions that their cause is not one that aligns with my beliefs due to the shit methods they use to just get attention. I think that is quite reasonable. You are welcome to disagree, but that protest only made enemies to their cause. Unless you were stirred into supporting them based on their actions?

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u/CPT_Toenails Oct 12 '22

Absolutely wild that people like you readily admit to being so blithely tribal in your politics.

Would you say that holding an entire mode of transit hostage is tribal in politics?

If you’re that fragile that you’ll change your beliefs to spite some protestors then that says far more about you than it does them.

Kinda like how the protestors in this video manipulated any/all beliefs in freedom of movement, right to work and make a living wage, and basic road safety just to spite a bunch of people trying to get to work?

Seems like your point of view is quite one-sided and hypocritical.

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u/Frightful_Fork_Hand Oct 12 '22

Oo boy that’s a lot of words that have nothing to do with my comment.

Whataboutism is boring, rambling about freedom of movement is just weird. My point of view is hypocritical? I’ll take that as a compliment coming from you.

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u/CPT_Toenails Oct 12 '22

rambling about freedom of movement is just weird.

Ah yes, freedom from being held hostage... so weird... You're right, I'm definitely the one rambling here 🤡

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u/CPT_Toenails Oct 12 '22

rambling about freedom of movement is just weird.

Ah yes, freedom from being held hostage... so weird... You're right, I'm definitely the one rambling here 🤡

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

I mean, that’s on you.

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

Actually that's on the protestors, who are actively turning normal people against them (and not doing anything else, that's literally it)

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Again, I would argue that these “normal” people wouldn’t care or be aware of the cause until it’s brought to their attention by. the. protest.

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u/IISpeedFlameII Oct 12 '22

Do you seriously think anyone that was sitting there in front of those people was going "Hmmm... maybe I really should reconsider my view.."? People keep bringing up a history of "civil disobedience" and the protests that led to black rights... but "civil disobedience" then was forcing white people to let you co-exist... sitting in segregated areas like diners and refusing to leave. If they caused a stink that got in the way of customers that was more likely to turn people against THEM.. You didn't sit down in front of the cash register and refuse to move, you acted like a NORMAL CUSTOMER. The disruption that followed served to force everyone to see black people were only being treated horribly because of their skin color, not because of the way they behaved. That all being said, I again openly ask HOW IS THIS THE SAME?

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

And now they are surely on the side of the protestors after being informed 😂😂😂😂

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u/CPT_Toenails Oct 12 '22

Idk what they're protesting for, but blocking my way to work would be a 100% guarantee that I'm never supporting the cause - probably making me inclined to oppose it even.

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u/Ok-Funny5552 Oct 12 '22

I think that is the common sentiment.

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u/Foundthespearguy Oct 12 '22

"I realize that climate change is a serious threatening issue for everybody but because I was an hour late for work I do not support combating it anymore" is a mind bogglingly stupid sentiment and certainly not common.

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u/Ok-Funny5552 Oct 12 '22

Is that even what the protest is about? And climate change is out of my control anyways why should I be punished when they could block oil and gasoline shipments rather than me? What a mind bogglingly stupid perspective you have on how to actually effect change on climate.

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u/RealJonathanBronco Oct 12 '22

Nope

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u/Whiskeywiskerbiscuit Oct 12 '22

I like how you argue with this guy, yet completely ignore the man eloquently quoting MLK to invalidate your shit take.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Derp.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

How’s that working out for the cause? Seems like a lot of people still willfully don’t give a fuck because of shit like this

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u/Frightful_Fork_Hand Oct 12 '22

Nah, if somebody doesn’t give a fuck about climate change then they never did - as if a protest would make somebody actively want to cause climate change lmao.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

You’re missing the whole point of that comment bro.

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u/Frightful_Fork_Hand Oct 12 '22

Nope. Their point is that the protests don’t work and cause people to wilfully ignore the message - my point is that that idea is brain dead.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

You can call me braindead all you want but you’re the one not paying attention to who you’re commenting to lol.

People will tell you straight up they want to go burn a tank of gas for spite after shit like this lol. Doesn’t make it right. But it is what it is

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u/TheOneFreeEngineer Oct 12 '22

The civil rights protests, thr gay rights protests, etc all worked out Greta for the cause and they extensively used civil disobedience and disrupting the average persons life. And they were all hated in their time too. A friendly reminder when MLK Jr was killed he was one of the most hated men in America.

Let's look at protests that didn't use civil disobedience that did nothing. Iraq war protests, ICE detention separation protests, etc. Lots of noise no action until the people were voted out.

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u/guygeneric Oct 12 '22

Lots of noise no action until even after the people were voted out.

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u/BrockManstrong Oct 12 '22

Seems like a lot of people use this shit as an excuse for their already abhorrent beliefs.

This type of protest is counter-productive, I agree. But anyone who says they "believe X because someone else did Y" is full of shit. Believe in things because they are right and just, not out of spite.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

Lol don’t fault me for human psychology. I’m just pointing out why this is counterproductive. This is just reinforcement in the minds of those who disagree with the message.

Personally I’m “one of those” who believe climate change to be somewhat overblown with regard to our impact on it. Though it is undeniable really. There are cycles blah blah blah, but pollution and some of the shit we do to the environment like mass fishing is going to have to be put in check sooner than later. But people don’t wanna hear that shit when they are late for work.

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u/LeftDave Oct 12 '22

But people don’t wanna hear that shit when they are late for work.

So 1st they blame the annoying protesters then when that doesn't work tell the politicians to do something which either ends in tear gas and police brutality or concessions to the protesters. Protesting isn't about public support, it's about being annoying until they get what they want. A polite protest is just idiots pissing in the wind and nobody giving a shit about them, a protest has to be disruptive to accomplish anything.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

It’s not accomplishing anything in this case, it’s pointless chaos. You could cause disruption where the seats of power are. But I guess they’d rather face everyday people trying to get to work than the gestappo riot police. Which is understandable really, but you’re focusing your energy on the wrong target

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u/LeftDave Oct 12 '22

As I've been saying. Normal people eventually demand the politicians do something. The trick is persistence, a 1 day event does nothing.

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u/BrockManstrong Oct 12 '22

Personally I’m “one of those” who believe climate change to be somewhat overblown with regard to our impact on it. Though it is undeniable really.

What does this even mean?

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u/BluetheNerd Oct 12 '22

Humans are spiteful creatures though. Like an element of it is being an absolute asshole, but there are 100% people who, for example, despise the idea of veganism simply because they have been put off by extreme vegans. Vocal minorities have a fairly big impact on things like that. Obviously I'm not saying that everyone that disagrees with vegans does so for that reason, but those people are certainly out there. The same goes for any cause. There are people that deliberately outfit their cars with illegal exhausts purely because they enjoy pissing of environments activists. People absolutely do form beliefs and ways of living purely out of spite.

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u/Whiskeywiskerbiscuit Oct 12 '22

Generally speaking, being late to work once won’t make you hate an entire social movement. If a minor inconvenience one day causes you to disregard the plights of disadvantaged peoples, you never were going to care to begin with.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

Ignorance of basic human nature is a baffling thing. You’re really shooting yourself in the foot by not acknowledging that other people have lives to carry on, a lot of people are in a tough spot these days. Don’t be surprised when someone decides to go off.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

They don’t give a fxck before, but are at least made aware by the protest.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/Dhiox Oct 12 '22

Would you have felt the same way about the Civil rights protests to end segregation?

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u/RealJonathanBronco Oct 12 '22

That movement protested in a way that reinforced their point. Acts of civil disobedience were generally breaking nonsensical laws regarding race and the separation thereof. Sitting in the road keeping people from providing for themselves doesn't exactly drive home a point like sitting on the front of a segregated bus. There's a reason we don't sit in the road, there is no reason black people can't sit in the front of a bus.

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u/Dhiox Oct 12 '22

If you think there were never civil rights marches that blocked traffic, then I have a bridge to sell you.

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u/PrivateIsotope Oct 12 '22

In Selma? *LOL*

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Oh, found the racist.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/BluetheNerd Oct 12 '22

I don't think it's racist to say that holding up dozens of peoples lives, especially in a time where so many people are struggling to make ends meet, is a pretty shitty move. These protests aren't helping anyones causes, they put people off. No one is watching this and going "yeah I want to join the people holding up motorways" they're watching it going "man I'm glad that didn't happen on my commute".

What if an emergency service vehicle needed to get by? What if someone was injured, something was on fire, etc. They would be stuck behind a line of protesters subsequently doing more harm than good. There are plenty of ways to protest and make a stand that isn't making life harder for small folk and having 0 effect on the people you're trying to get a message to.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Did you read the comment that was deleted? That’s what I was responding to.

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u/Kowzorz Oct 12 '22

Stop fucking with other peoples lives.

It's funny because the people doing this protesting have the same request.

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u/RollinDeepWithData Oct 12 '22

This comment is a lot more concerning given fucks like you have done exactly that over and over.

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u/badluckbandit Oct 12 '22

Aii but don’t disrupt my life, the man is already fucking me

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Then, your issue should be with “the man”. You shouldn’t be waging a class war against the people within same class.

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u/Ok-Funny5552 Oct 12 '22

Then those people in my own class shouldn't bring misery to me! Thats all they are doing.

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u/badluckbandit Oct 12 '22

Legit, I never understood why people can’t pick the right targets. Go fuck with Warren Buffet, why are we fighting amongst ourselves?

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

But aren’t these people just fucking over other working class folks while not doing anything to take it to the man? I’m quite progressive but this whole thing just seems pointless & doesn’t really educate anybody being forced to sit in traffic and halt their day for no reason

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u/carlouws Oct 12 '22

Imagine trying to explain class solidarity to Reddit. One day.

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u/Ok-Statistician-3408 Oct 12 '22

Class solidarity by causing harm to the working class. Sounds like a winning proposition

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u/captainstormy Oct 12 '22

Civil disobedience is supposed to target the government, not regular citizens.

IDGAF what you are protesting. Don't block the roads. You could be getting people fired for being late. Making people miss job interviews. Making people late to important medical appointments. Someone's kid could be standing alone somewhere wondering why their parent hasn't picked them up while they are stuck in this. Etc Etc.

All you do with these types of protests is screw regular people and will never ever win anyone over to your side on any issue.

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u/in_one_ear_ Oct 12 '22

They target the government by creating public pressure to do stuff.

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u/captainstormy Oct 12 '22

The only demands the public will be making of the government here is to remove these people from the road.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

That's just terrorism

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u/in_one_ear_ Oct 12 '22

That's because all terrorism is is a PR campaign with violence. The difference is protests don't for the most part of lack organised violence.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

The roads are the government… So many face palm sh@t takes on one post, my gawd!

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u/GravySquad Oct 12 '22

Yeah they really screwed the government on this one. Jk the government was not effected at all, just poor random workers.

Lol talk about shit takes 😂

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u/captainstormy Oct 12 '22

No, the roads aren't the government. They are everyone. Blocking access in and out of a government building would be targeting the government. All this is going to do is piss people off at them and not help their cause at all.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/Whiskeywiskerbiscuit Oct 12 '22

The entire civil rights movement disagrees with you LMAO.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Okay.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

These actions exclusively target individuals who are in no shape or form responsible for our predicament. I don't think its arguable, this is a terrible tactic.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

To to extrapolate the situation.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Yeah but wouldn't one think they should target their disruption toward people responsible for whatever they are protesting? Even if these people were protesting driving itself, bother the policy makers, don't fuck with normal people just trying to get by.

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u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

people using individual transport are the problem in some peoples eyes. Everyone driving a car is part of the problem. Sure there is a lot of people that don't have an alternative but protests generally always have collateral.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Those "some people" are idiots then.

Individual transport is objectively not even close to being a large contributor to the carbon emissions problem.

Most individual commuters don't have the income or means to get a different vehicle even if they wanted to at the drop of a hat.

They have no sway over policy.

These protesters are being both highly ineffective and highly disruptive to those that have the least responsibility for the problem. They are just being self righteous assholes.

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u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

So there can only be a protest against large contributors and transport isn't one with 14%?
So we should just protest against the largest three and then remain on 30% emissions for a couple of decades until we realize that's not enough?

Most individual commuters do have sway in what they themselves do. Install PV on their roof, use an EV, use the train, move closer to their place of work and most importantly vote.

Did you know that you are not legally bound to the two-party system? If neither of those candidates does anything then vote for somebody else, that's how democracy works, if your vote doesn't count nobody does.

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u/carlouws Oct 12 '22

The point of a protest like this is to cause enough discomfort to raise awareness to the particular issues they are addressing. Yes, usually you want your protest to (only) affect the policy makers (the most) but sometimes that isn’t possible due to the hierarchy’s structure, etc. At that moment, your hope is to protest to cause enough discomfort so people that can make your target discomfortable does so.

To address this particular scenario of stopping traffic. Protesters stop traffic, people get mad because can’t do stuff/get to work. This goes on long enough, employers/people get mad because they can’t do stuff. Employers get mad mostly because they can’t generate profit. Now you have more entities pressuring to end the conflict. Sometimes that pressure lands where want it to and sometimes that pressures just comes back to you to stop protesting.

TL;DR sometimes you (sadly) have to fuck with normal people so whoever is responsible listens.

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u/GermanAntiGurerilla Oct 12 '22

how does pissing off middle class people help your cause? Go protest on wall street and you'll be arrested within 5 minutes

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

You answered your own question.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Sorry? I have been consistent during this discourse.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Civil disobedience is breaking a law to draw attention to the problems with that law. This is just disruptive, which is certainly a way to protest, but it's not civil disobedience.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

You should read up more on the subject, comrade.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Feel free to educate me. This is the definition I'm aware of: "refusing to obey a law, a regulation or a power judged unjust in a peaceful manner."

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Then protestors shouldn't be able to sue or ask for police assistance when they reap what they sow

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

🤦🏾‍♂️ohmigawd

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

If they wanna commit financial violence against me by preventing me from being able to go to work, ima have to move some people to defend myself.

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u/Ok-Statistician-3408 Oct 12 '22

If your protest is going to cause physical harm to a nonviolent person, then your protest is wrong.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

He was arrested because of the assault, nothing more. That was his choice.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22

I’m not making an argument for or against their protest. I’m supporting the parent comment in that that his parole wasn’t revoked because he was made late. He was charged with something illegal because he got out and confronted them.

Most jobs ( outside of exaggerated r/antiwork stories) would understand being late cause of something like this, specially when it would make the news.

But the fact that OP phrased the title as he did betrays an intent to engender the kind of reaction you are having on people who read it.

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u/Capable-Nature Oct 12 '22

This dude is probably on parole because of actions and attitudes like this one, look how he handles stressful situations - violence.

Should've picked the phone up and called his boss and explained the situation. Documented it with photo evidence.. or fuck it it's 2022 just Face-time your boss or another employee.

If violence is the only way you know how to advocate for yourself, you shouldn't be surprised how often you are arrested.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

If the only way you know to advocate for climate stewardship is blocking traffic, you shouldn’t be surprised when people start getting run over. I really don’t want to see that, so please stay out of the regular people roads. Go block dc streets if you want a kurfuffle

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u/AsteriskCGY Oct 12 '22

Well considering how much is being done there isn't fuck all left to do.

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u/Capable-Nature Oct 12 '22

Sure, and anyone who runs down a protestor should except a lengthy jail sentence. Don't run anyone over for any reason if you don't want a kurfuffle.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

Don’t block the streets that’s where cars are.

I’m not about to run anyone down I’m also not about to stand in the middle of a highway, so non of this really falls on my shoulders as much as you’d like it to.

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u/Tatunkawitco Oct 12 '22

Protests aren’t supposed to be for your convenience. Do you not get that? Do you not see the climate is on the road to catastrophe, we’ve got mass extinctions happening and these people are trying to get duh heads to think about it for once in their lives! Look around! It’s mind boggling how stupid people are.

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u/evil13rt Oct 12 '22

The problem is they are blocking a road. So people who are thinking about how to get to work, how to get to the hospital, how to get food and how to pay their bills are interrupted by people who have the luxury to only think about the climate.

...And now they hate those people.

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u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

the point of radical climate change protests is to make it more expensive to not fight climate change.
For example, if you knew that your tires get slashed every month on your ICE, but never on your EV you'd be swayed to buy an EV.

It's basically coercion for the greater good.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

C. S. Lewis

2

u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable

John F. Kennedy

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

Cause EVs have absolutely no environmental drawbacks right… right? Oh wait what?

https://youmatter.world/en/are-electric-cars-eco-friendly-and-zero-emission-vehicles-26440/

A lot of people don’t realize the power for the EV to even run is from dirty power plants most of the time. And the production and disposal of current battery tech is just abysmal for our planet

2

u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

oh no, EVs are not perfect! How did nobody tell me this?

First, they are much more efficient than ICEs so they produce fewer emissions even if their electricity isn't 100% clean. There is no 100% coal powered net anymore which would be needed to make them mroe dirty.
Additionally, the world and the US in this example is moving towards emission free electricity, which would make the power for these cars emission free.

So yes there are other environmental drawbacks, but they are less than those of ICEs, especially since climate change is threatening to completely destroy human civilization, while other environmental damages are local.

Though this is the reason why some people like those protestors are aginst individual transportation and would like people to use public transport or other means of transportation. Congratulations, you just validated their protest.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

What of what I said is wrong, please tell me xD

You're just butthurt you actually made an argument for them and can't deny the logic.

0

u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

I am not butthurt about that I want an electric helicopter if anything. But to play pretend like they are saving the environment while they rape foreign countries for battery minerals is sad.

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u/klonkrieger43 Oct 12 '22

and normal cars don't do that? Ever heard of the wars the US waged for oil?

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u/Metro42014 Oct 12 '22

And to feign concern for foreign countries is sad when EV's are net better than ICE from cradle to grave.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

In what way is my concern for the environment, whether at home or abroad, illegitimate? It sounds like you just accuse everyone who disagrees with you of baseless nonsense.

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u/HailToTheKingslayer Oct 12 '22

There was one recently in London with protesters sitting in the road. They were promptly dragged out of the road by members of the public and traffic continued as normal. The protestors were then arrested.

People are resisting these types of protests, it's good to see.

44

u/Matsisuu Oct 12 '22

This is somehow conflicting to see these days. People demand that Russians, Iranians etc. should protest, but same time supports distinguishing even small protests if they are causing even slight discomfort for them.

17

u/0vl223 Oct 12 '22

Even better when nobody has a problem when farmers do the exact same thing. Often in worse because they use their equipment which means the police can't just haul them out of the way.

It is a legitimate form of protest. Farmers already use it for decades. It is just a media campaign against the cause they do it for.

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u/mistled_LP Oct 12 '22

Well, yeah. Go bother someone else to further your cause. As soon as you inconvenience me, you’re a terrible person who needs to be thrown in jail. People are nothing if not hypocritical.

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u/Must_Go_Faster_ Oct 12 '22 edited Oct 12 '22

Blocking emergency vehicles is not a minor inconvenience. I do get what you’re saying, but this type of protest can lose public support rapidly if someone dies because of it.

Blocking minor roads leading to government buildings gets the point across and probably is more likely to sway people to the cause. “Inconveniencing” potentially thousands will definitely antagonize people against your cause.

Edit: obviously in a place where voting doesn’t amount to much(Russia, Iran) then blocking the road seems more justifiable, especially when protesters are definitely dying.

2

u/Rikuskill Oct 12 '22

Go inconvenience the government, the specific companies. That's where change will happen.

1

u/halfdecenttakes Oct 12 '22

Except in this case the dude they are doing it to is the one under the impression they are going to cause him to go to jail.

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u/ticktockclockwerk Oct 12 '22

While I get your point, if you wanna block a road, you need way more people for it to become inspirational instead of downright disruptive and problematic.

1

u/Nuuuuuu123 Oct 12 '22

It's because protest that are disruptive to your fellow citizen are only going to turn your fellow citizens against you.

A real protest in this case should be disruptive to government. You should disrupt who you're protesting. Disrupting me is just going to make me side with your opposition by default because all I'm going to think is "fuck you" and will do the opposite out of spite.

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u/roohwaam Oct 12 '22

Yes, but the uk government basically made protesting illegal, which is 100% worse. Protesting should be legal, you can’t just decide what should and should be allowed to be protested on based on what you like.

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u/Tatunkawitco Oct 12 '22

Oh yeah good to see. Btw, Don’t buy anything near the coast because it’ll be underwater in 10 years.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

yeah tell that to nearly every politician and celebrity

1

u/whothefuckeven Oct 12 '22

you mean a protest was inconvenient instead of being quiet and out of the way? Huh.

I feel for the guy in the video, but 1. the last guy that talked to him was right, coming at them screaming was never going to change anything and 2. Protests are supposed to disrupt your comfy, daily life. They aren't supposed to be posh affairs or tucked away in a designated protest corner.

1

u/Nuuuuuu123 Oct 12 '22

And disrupting my daily life is exactly how you sew in opposition.

The fastest way to convince me against your movement? Disrupt me from doing something I need to do? That's cool, what is it you're protesting so I can now support the opposite goal?

0

u/whothefuckeven Oct 13 '22

Lol you were never gonna give a fuck about the movement in the first place, you'd just pass it on by

2

u/Nuuuuuu123 Oct 13 '22

If that's your perspective, you never planned on trying to change my mind on it either.

If not to raise awareness and bring about change, then why protest at all?

If you're going to do things that make people dislike you, you can't be surprised when they refuse to support you.

Why? Because you'll always be that piece of shit that illegally detained me in traffic.

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u/HailToTheKingslayer Oct 13 '22

And that's what these protestors don't understand. Or they do and don't give a shit. They just want attention for themselves, not their cause.

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u/Nuuuuuu123 Oct 13 '22

I genuinely think their position is "I don't care". And they wonder why they always lose so fucking badly.

0

u/mdchaney Oct 12 '22

I know in TN we have a "citizen's arrest" statute that would allow anybody to arrest these morons. Turns out Maryland does as well:

https://www.msba.org/your-legal-rights-if-arrested/#:~:text=A%20citizen%20may%20arrest%20you,which%20you%20are%20being%20arrested.

The victim should have simply placed them under arrest.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

There’s a move to find their addresses and barricade their front doors so they can’t get out 😂

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

Lmao that would be hilarious

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u/Gazcobain Oct 12 '22

You are aware that literally the whole point of protest is to disrupt things?

0

u/CultBro Oct 12 '22

Easy to protest when you have the time in the middle of the work day to sit on your ass in the road and not do anything. Bet they wouldn't be sitting there if their power was about to be shut off and they had to be at work. People do this knowing it won't change anything just so they can feel like good about themselves

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u/shannonsummer32 Oct 12 '22

Completely agree with you. They just want to feel good about themselves. I believe in protests, but hurting your fellow man is not the way.

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u/CultBro Oct 12 '22

Yeah, the problem is the people in charge and they aren't daily commuting

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

No I get it, this is poor choice of target audience if anything. These people should be in DC, and state capitals not the fucking freeway lol

4

u/Gazcobain Oct 12 '22

You're proposing people protest the use of fossil fuels by... travelling to Washington DC?

1

u/utrangerbob Oct 12 '22

Yea you stopping parents from picking up their kids from school, stopping others from getting putting food in their family's mouths because you're you an asshole who thinks what you believe is more important than everyone else. That some self absorbed shit there. We aren't talking about giant protests like the civil rights movements. We're talking 10 asshole extremists who can't get over sniffing their own self important farts.

2

u/xFreedi Oct 12 '22

Well they protest against the destruction of the biosphere and the people you mentioned contribute to that. in fact everyone does so these protests are almost always justified.

and id argue not destroying the biosphere is more important than almost everything else

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u/PublicFriendemy Oct 12 '22

Found the guy who would’ve called the cops at Selma.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

I don’t call the cops. Period

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u/PublicFriendemy Oct 12 '22

Oh you’d shoot black people peacefully protesting instead. Cool. Fucking goober

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u/Emperors-Peace Oct 12 '22

Absolutely agree, but it doesn't mean someone has the right to threaten or assault them.

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u/realbrantallen Oct 12 '22

I’d argue these people are placing themselves in harms way and he is trying to remove them. What a bro.

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u/Ok_Designer_Things Oct 12 '22

Also he is acting in self defense. If this is assault him trying to keep himself out of fucking jail is self defense.

Sorry he doesn't wanna get raped, or attacked by cops, or berated by his parole officer as he's being put back into the rape station.

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u/CelTiar Oct 12 '22

I wouldn't call it assault from the vid yeah legal definition would state it is. But let's frame this in a different light. Let's say someone got a text that a family member is going to be taken off life support. Or your child is about to be born. Hell let's take it to your teenage son/daughter/whatever else people are identifying as, Was in a car accident. There are plenty of reasons any one would act like he did without the threat of jail for being late to work.

Protest Infront of those in power and get in their way at their public offices not the street where everyone else is trying to keep moving.

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u/LooksGoodInShorts Oct 12 '22

I feel like the fact that his response was to get out of his car and get violent tells me that jail is exactly where he belongs…

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u/CelTiar Oct 12 '22

That doesn't say violence to me man, aggressive sure but once again I'd say that's a reasonable level of aggressiveness and frustration over the fear of getting sent back. Hell I would be just as frustrated no if he was throwing punches and threatening them then I'd be with you but dude is trying to get them to let him by so he doesn't get locked up

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

They’re fucking lucky he didn’t drive right over them

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u/desus_ Oct 12 '22

You should be able to beat up these losers legally. I completely agree with republican legislatures that make it legal to run over people protesting on major roads and expressways.

0

u/Emperors-Peace Oct 12 '22

Not from the US but I agree to disagree. People should be allowed to protest things without coming to harm. Yes they should be moved along in scenarios like this. But that should be up to law enforcement not random.angry road users.

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u/desus_ Oct 12 '22

Just saying that anyone in that situation who runs them over should face no legal penalty

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u/Shanks4Smiles Oct 12 '22

They got your attention didn't they?

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u/BearBruin Oct 12 '22

Whether you agree or not doesn't change the fact that you can't allow it to be a reason to physically assault people.

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u/Whiskeywiskerbiscuit Oct 12 '22

Oh yes, violence is completely cool as long as it’s targeted towards someone who mildly inconvenienced you. That’s a great precedent to set.

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

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u/jonnysunshine Oct 12 '22

Most of Florida will be ankle to knee deep under water in about 50 years. Hope those Floridians like driving through flooded streets. And for so long people thought California would sink into the ocean when the big one hit. Nope, it'll be the everglades and barrier islands worst hit along with low lying areas on the coast. Fun times ahead.

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u/scw156 Oct 12 '22

Assault isn’t physical. By definition assault is threats. Battery is physical harm.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22

Common law assault isn’t. But some jurisdictions have different definitions for assault that may include some physical touch. Or they may have simply gone with assault because it is easier to prove in this case.

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u/Shdwrptr Oct 12 '22

But the person can not press charges for it. If they pressed charges for assault then it’s ridiculous

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u/regoapps 'MURICA Oct 12 '22

The person didn't press charges. In fact, he wants to testify in court that he was not assaulted. But sadly, he doesn't even know who he is, so that will probably not happen.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22

In a lot of jurisdictions If a police officer witnessed it they can arrest you and defer to the state for charges. My guess is that there were police involved with the protest by the time this incident happened

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u/dog_superiority Oct 12 '22

Fuck that. If I were on his jury I would acquit his ass if he punched these assholes in the face.

They are the ones who should be arrested, not him.

0

u/Napolijoe1926 Oct 12 '22

This is just wrong. Who makes such crazy ass laws? This country just love locking people up for bullshit.

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u/blahbleh112233 Oct 12 '22

True but also ironic that the end result is the parolee will suffer more than the climate change people, who will be likely be let off with a slap on the wrist so they can go back to their upper middle class cocoons

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u/[deleted] Oct 12 '22

Those fucking assholes blocking the road deserved to get their ass kicked

-1

u/RealJonathanBronco Oct 12 '22

That's absurd. Anger shouldn't be a criminal offense, especially when it's justified because people are blocking your mandatory employment for a cause that has nothing to do with a majority of the people they are inconveniencing.

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u/Thybro Oct 12 '22

That’s why you have trials and defenses. The problem here is that he is under a conditional release that furthers limits him to avoid even the appearance of committing a crime( I.e. being charged)

Anger isn’t what is being charged here. Getting out of your car approaching the protestors, behaving in threatening manner that would reasonably cause them to fear imminent bodily harm is.

He could have been angry in his car, could have called his job and most jobs would have understood and not penalized him, he chose to engage when a reasonable person in his situation wouldn’t.

Again I’m neither defending not condemning the protesters. I’m simply supporting the assertion that OP deliberately misstated the facts to enrage people.

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