Honestly, this is the most frustrating shit ever. I’ve been on the protest and police side of this so I am MORE THAN QUALIFIED to speak on it thank you very much. Myself and many other CITIZENS were doing a protest in Redwood. Unfortunately, many officers feel the need to involve themselves in already peaceful protests. They incite issues.
Not only do they block of lanes of traffic, then stand in those empty lanes just to yell at civs who walk in those same lanes… But they abuse the Disorderly Conduct law in order to clear out protesters because they’re using the sign. I get that in any other circumstances the sign can be annoying when spammed, but during a large protest it makes sense.
We were enjoying a peaceful protest, and then cops showed up to harass us.
if you’re a cop dont do this shit. You can rp with us but don’t start arresting people for the disorderly conduct during legitimate protests. Such bullshit does not belong in FS.
TL;DR
COPS UTILIZE DISORDERLY CONDUCT TO CLEAR OUT LEGITIMATE PROTEST ROLEPLAYS
FNG is usually also called out by LEOs through the radio for these protests too, which makes no sense to me if they’re peaceful (aka just on the sidewalks “chanting”)
if theres a whole crowd RIOTING, maybe yeah they should be called out but what’s the point of having SCSO/FSP there if they can’t even control a scene slightly
As a peace officer myself, I don’t mind protests as long as they are peaceful. They are pretty rare and are exciting but also unfair that the protesters get arrested which is the point you’re highlighting. But in a scenario like this, you have so many options now such as requesting a supervisor or even file a report on the arresting officer. Really the only reason when we can arrest is when a riot breaks out, now it would only be directed to the rioters who would meet the iron bracelets.
as much as it sucks we have to enforce laws like DC lol. if not DPS will ride our ass (see the 11 scso dps cases that people have submitted… people get mad over the smallest things.)
also, we block the road for yalls safety. no one like rammers.
also forums rants don’t work lol. file a complaint or go to supervisors. but the way we handle protests isn’t gonna change.
also if you look there’s a few (what i believe are) gang members in that photo so LEO presence is warranted.
as for calling out the fng yeah that was unnecessary i agree on that
Isn’t there a BOR that lets people protest or something, but yeah cops stand on the roads but then tell civs to get off the road happens all the time and is kinda whack
cops are not there to break it up they are there to protect it, every protest will have a crim in it who is gonna start shooting or is gonna start punching randomly.
Also for capitol protests, thats a restricted area under control of DHS and when people start gathering there its usually put under a lockdown cause when you have a big crowd people like to sneak around to get past the bollards and into the building, cops are within their full authority to protect restricted areas when there is a chance it’ll be compromised
It’s realistic to have protests and sometimes they even march along the road with Law Enforcement closing down the roads. Protests are and should only be considered illegal if you’re violating the law such as blocking the road or trespassing.
Hi so, I understand your concerns. LEOs block lanes to help protect you guys.
The FNG is called out to help provide extra manpower (and use their guns) to further help protect you guys.
If you have any specific complaints about an officer I’d reach out to their department.
Also, I’d try to plan protests (and their routes) beforehand. We can gladly have officers out there to protect everyone, we also just need to try to keep the roads open as much as possible.
It’s all a team effort here.
Also, sometimes FNG arrives on scene notices there is no issue and goes home pretty soon thereafter.
Hope this helps. If you have any further specific FNG related questions/concerns let me know.
EDIT: government officials have offices in the capital… they obviously don’t need people waltzing in with firearms while they try to help move this state in a positive direction… that’s why DHS restricts the capital… if you talk to DHS about protesting inside the capital ahead of time they may be able to work it out so that you can come inside (I can’t guarantee any outcome though)
I concur, we have the absolute right to peaceably assemble and protest. The peace officers impeding these rights are absurd and this should not be tolerated. I highly frown upon this, I am clearly aware Law Enforcement are going to be present and overseeing it is a peaceful protest. As long as there is no violence it should be fine. Any Law Enforcement deciding to obstruct and impede a peaceful protest should be reported if not prosecuted if they arrest you. Section 2 of the Bill of Rights protects you!
Try to plan protests here and get people to like and comment so LEO’s and others are aware it is about to occur as they get very confused if it happens all of a sudden.
hi! former leo here. the basis of your argument (cops shouldn’t break up peaceful protests) i 100 percent agree with. however, there are a few things i’d like to mention:
in the very first image you posted, there is a person in the background saying: “attack?”. now from what i see, there are four uniformed LEO’s there and FBI (although FBI looks AFK), against around 11 civillians holding signs with messages that aren’t too nice about the police. (plus a known crim (red shirt girl, forgot her user but i got killed by her some). and your also in redwood. at CD. do you know what happens at CD? thats right, crazy shit. and since LEO’s have to deal with said crazy shit every patrol, they kinda can become assholes. i don’t think that is happening here, but anyway.
secondly, the guy who got arrested in the second image was standing in the road (legit cause to arrest).
dunno about the blue goggle dude
rat standing on the building is legit cause (and since the LEO is an SCSO deputy he has to enforce the no climbing buildings law passed by the county)
ok this shit (fifth image) is where your argument loses itself. the “peaceful” protesters are now destroying someone elses property (disorderly conduct). now, i have no idea about the riot laws in this state, but i would say this is starting to get out of hand. and in multiple other images we see people rping grabbing weapons and vandalizing police cars and being nasty.
overall, i agree with your main point but the evidence you show basically shows that the cops were justified in their actions.
ps: i am pretty sure that SS (and DHS as a whole) doesn’t like it when you protest on cap grounds. (cap grounds being past the bollards)
Police respond to protests to make sure they stay peaceful and to be there incase they turn violent. Cops to this in real life too so its not like its unrealistic. Not only that but you protested the capital, a building which is not only federally owned and the workplace of the state congress, but is also a building notorious for raids, riots and shootings. I’d expect a dhs presence at the capital for those reasons.
