What do I do if the Ferguson Riots spread to St. Louis/Crestwood area

[Kochieboy]

>probably

Media coverage is so shotty, but it's pretty right to assume that the protesters used many methods, so the livelihood is very possible.

[Ad Bot]

[dudeman162]

Media coverage is so shotty, but it's pretty right to assume that the protesters used many methods, so the livelihood is very possible.

And it's not pretty right to assume that the cops are being unreasonably belligerent to people protesting?

[Kochieboy]

And it's not pretty right to assume that the cops are being unreasonably belligerent to people protesting?

They are using force to contain the situation, expect equal and opposite reactions.

If you are going to show violence and force to the community, expect force to be used on you to maintain the peace. It's equilibrium at work.

[dudeman162]

They are using force to contain the situation, expect equal and opposite reactions.

If you are going to show violence and force to the community, expect force to be used on you to maintain the peace. It's equilibrium at work.

You're assuming that all of the protesters are rioters. Again.

Did you not read the Amnesty report?

[Kochieboy]

You're assuming that all of the protesters are rioters. Again.

Did you not read the Amnesty report?

But they certainly make up a good group. As I say to all those who deny this, get your head out of your ass.

[dudeman162]

But they certainly make up a good group. As I say to all those who deny this, get your head out of your ass.

I knew you were not reading it, so I'm posting some quotes.

Law Enforcement Response to Protests in Ferguson
"I condemn the excessive use of force by the police [in Ferguson] and call for the right of protest to be respected. These scenes are familiar to me and privately I was thinking that there are many parts of the United States where apartheid is flourishing." - the United Nation's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on the police response to Ferguson protests.
The rights of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and freedom of expression are basic human rights. These rights are also guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States and the laws of the state of Missouri. The vast majority of those participating in the demonstrations in Ferguson that spontaneously grew in the days and weeks following the shooting Michael Brown have been peaceful - as noted by government officials such as the President of the United States, the Governor of Missouri and Attorney General along with the Missouri Highway Patrol. However, the responses by state officials and law enforcement to the violent actions of a limited number of protestors have impacted the rights of all participating in peaceful protests.

International law does allow the restriction of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly if it is carried out for a legitimate aim, such as the protection of public safety, order, health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others. Restrictions should be proportionate and necessary to meet that aim. Law enforcement in Ferguson and the Missouri government employed several tactics of concern to Amnesty International, including the imposition of a curfew for the entire city of Ferguson which limited the rights of those demonstrating peacefully but also the freedom of movement of the general public and requirements for those protesters on West Florissant Avenue to "keep walking" under threat of arrest, impeded protesters from exercising their right to freely assemble.

Law enforcement also impeded protestors' right to assemble by closing and occupying the QuikTrip gas station on West Florissant, where many gathered daily, instead, setting up an "approved" assembly area in the parking lot of a car dealership that was no longer in business and set back from the main road. After the "keep walking" rule was imposed on Aug. 18, arrests of protesters for "refusal to disperse" escalated as 85 protesters were arrested under that charge on the nights of Aug. 18 and 19. A number of activists remarked to Amnesty International that they believed the rule was imposed to tire out the protesters in hopes of getting the protests to end earlier in the night. Overall, during the 12 days following the death of Michael Brown, 172 arrests were made in the Ferguson protest zone with 132 people charged solely with the crime of refusal to disperse.

Late in the evening on Aug. 18, following the use of tear gas and stun grenades, often known as flash bangs or concussion grenades, to disperse the crowds on the south end of W. Florissant Avenue, Amnesty International decided to leave the scene for the purpose of securing delegation members' safety. The delegation needed to cross a police line in order to reach their automobiles on the other side and approached the police line next to the media staging area with their hands up and clearly wearing shirts which identified them as human rights observers. One officer directly in front of the delegation pointed his weapon at the delegation and shouted "get on the ground!" A staff member at the front of the delegation knelt on the ground and informed the officer, "We are human rights observers." A St. Louis County commanding officer immediately waved the delegation through the police line with his gun in hand. As the police line parted, officers nearest the delegation kept their guns trained on the delegation until they passed through.

Shortly before midnight on Aug. 19, Amnesty International witnessed an officer with the St. Ann Police Department in Missouri point his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at a group of journalists and threatened to kill them. The incident was filmed by a journalist and went viral on Aug. 20. The video shows the officer walking toward a group of protestors with his rifle raised. Voices can be heard telling him to put his gun down. The video shows the officer approaching the crowd with his rifle raised yelling, "I'm going to loving kill you! Get back, get back." A voice in the crowd asks, "What's your name, sir?" To which the officer responds, "Go forget yourself!" Another officer quickly approaches and escorts the officer away from the crowd. The officer was immediately placed on indefinite, unpaid suspension and resigned several days later.

The enforced dispersal of a public assembly should only take place as a measure of last resort, when violence occurs or there is an imminent threat of violence. The police should not intervene aggressively simply in response to the actions of a small number of participants. Assemblies are always diverse gatherings, and participants do not lose their individual rights simply because a small number of people are behaving violently.

The methods used by law enforcement in Ferguson to disperse crowds often employ the use of police in riot gear - equipped with helmets, vests and carrying shields and batons - and has led to the repeated the use of "chemical irritants" (tear gas/pepper spray) and "kinetic impact projectiles" (rubber/plastic bullets) against demonstrators. Oftentimes it is unclear whether an order to disperse was given, whether that order was in fact lawful, and whether that was made clear to the protesters before law enforcement forcibly ended the protests.

Though not directly witnessed by members of Amnesty International's delegation, law enforcement often resorted to the use of tear gas and the firing of rubber bullets at protesters in Ferguson. On the initial nights of protests shortly following the death of Michael Brown, tear gas and rubber bullets were reportedly used on the nights of Aug. 11 and 12. On Aug. 13, Renita Lamkin, an African Methodist Episcopal church pastor, was shot by a rubber bullet while attempting to mediate between police and protestors. Lamkin was among protestors calling for the release of Antonio French, a St. Louis alderman who was previously arrested later released. According to media reports, Lamkin was protesting calmly while repeating "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." When police arrived in armored vehicles, Lamkin stood in front of the protestors, attempting to mediate, telling the police, "They're moving, they're leaving." Lamkin heard a "pop" and was hit by a rubber bullet in the stomach. The bullet left a large, bloody bruise approximately four to five inches in diameter. After what had largely been a day of peaceful protests, on Aug. 15, police again used tear gas to disperse the crowds late in the night, as members of the crowd grew more confrontational with police and some individuals engaged in looting and vandalism of local establishments, despite the efforts of other residents to prevent the destruction. Following the imposition of a curfew and after it went into effect on the nights of Aug. 16 and 17, police fired tear gas at those protesters who defied the curfew and the order to disperse which was given at midnight on each night. Due to the large number of families who participated in protests on Sunday, August 17, at least two children were treated for exposure to tear gas at area hospitals and later released. Police later used tear gas to disperse crowds which had defied the recently imposed rule that protesters must keep walking, unless they were in an approved protest area on Aug. 18 and 19.

On the night of Aug. 18 at approximately 10:00 p.m., following the reported throwing of bottles at police and a group of protesters stopping in front of a police line in defiance of the five second rule, law enforcement activated a Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD). The LRAD was pointed at group of stationary protestors on the street approximately fifteen feet away. Members of the media and observers were likewise about the same distance from the device. No warning from law enforcement that an LRAD would be used was given to the protesters. After providing earplugs to a member of Amnesty International, a St. Louis County police officer says, "This noise will make you sick." Several members of the delegation reported feeling nauseous from the noise of the LRAD until it was turned off at approximately 10:15 p.m. LRADs emit high volume sounds at various frequencies, with some ability to target the sound to particular areas. Used at close range, loud volume and/or excessive lengths of time, LRADs can pose a serious health risks which range from temporary pain, loss of balance and eardrum rupture, to permanent hearing damage. LRADs also target people relatively indiscriminately, and can have markedly different effects on different individuals and in different environments. Further research into the use of LRADs for law enforcement is urgently needed.

[Kochieboy]

I knew you were not reading it, so I'm posting some quotes.

Maybe people shouldn't pillage their own city. Gee, maybe then they wouldn't be met with such force and restraint. It always has to be a group of people that ruins it for the rest.

I'm not saying there weren't any peaceful protestors, in fact I support their efforts through a means that is peaceful and gives them rightful leverage. But when the rioters start hurting and vandalizing the proprerty of their peers, I do not support that. That should be stopped, because it causes nothing but anarchy and pain.

[dudeman162]

Maybe people shouldn't pillage their own city. Gee, maybe then they wouldn't be met with such force and restraint. It always has to be a group of people that ruins it for the rest.

I'm not saying there weren't any peaceful protestors, in fact I support their efforts through a means that is peaceful and gives them rightful leverage. But when the rioters start hurting and vandalizing the proprerty of their peers, I do not support that. That should be stopped, because it causes nothing but anarchy and pain.

Yes, but the cops were being unreasonably violent to the peaceful protesters.

[Harm94]

Yee yeeeee!

Endorsed by Joe Biden and a very high pitched voice guy.