Kinny Fear
VirginianRanger
Some(actually,
most) of you that protested are too young to remember that protests like this is reflective of the ones back in the 1960s(yeah, I'm that old!!). What really did it accomplish? Protestors and their activities didn't cause the US to get out of Vietnam, it was the fact that America was just worn out of fighting(and it wasn't even our conflict to begin with. It was the French!). Then take in to account the incident at Kent State University. Someone in authority paniced, called out the National Guard, and 4 people were shot. Certainly
not a good day for all involved there.
My point is there are other ways of protesting than breaking windows and throwing paint bombs. Ghandi resorted to "civil disobedience". Maybe you could give that a try?
By the way, what's wrong with Phoenix Jones' crew? Yeah, they're vigilanties but they were helping out the police in trying to disperse the "undesireable element" from an otherwise peaceful(term used loosely) movement. So some people were pepper sprayed. There are bigger fish to fry.
Oh, so because protesting doesn't do anything, we shouldn't even try? rolleyes
AGAIN. The black block anarchists were only a small percentage of the group. Do not lump me in with those counteractive morons.
If you look carefully, any pictures of protesters getting arrested reveal that they are completely limp, forcing many cops to carry them away. When the police began to round up signs and get aggressive, some of us sat down; some of us formed lines and locked arms. We do practice civil disobedience.
What's wrong with the Rain City Superhero Movement? Exactly what you said: they're vigilantes (civilians) and people were pepper-sprayed by them. I don't know what book you read, but in mine that's known as assault.
Never once did I say you shouldn't try protesting. I said the
method was all wrong.
What, exactly, are you protesting about? What specifically are you and those in the movement attempting to change(I've heard the ramblings of some of the "occupy" protestors and they make absolutely no sense)?
True, there are some bad elements involved in your movement(ie the black block anarchists). But what I don't understand is why those that are there to "peacefully" demonstrate go limp when the police ask them to leave(due largely in part because the protestors are demonstrating without the proper permits. Yes, you have to have a permit to demonstrate. Yes,it's covered under the Bill of Rights but many municipalities require permits to be obtained before the demonstration begins). I mean, if the police tell you to leave and you don't, then you're breaking the law and the police have to arrest you. By going limp you just make a bad situation worse for yourself. Police now struggle to move you away and it also opens up an opportunity for others to possibly assault the police who are only doing their job. This is where Phoenix Jones and others step in. Yes, they are vigilantes, but would it be better to have someone using non-lethal force(come on, its pepper spray and yes, I've been sprayed with it. I'm an EMT and had it applied to me during training) than to have the previously mentioned black block anarchists beating on the police? So assaulting the criminal that is assaulting a police officer is wrong? This isn't a "two wrongs don't make a right" equation. This is stepping in and helping out equation.
Perhaps you and others like yourself that want this "change" to come about would further your cause by becoming more organized and define what it is you are attempting to achieve. This filtering system would then eliminate those radical influences that will only further mar your cause.