Officers ordered to stand down and allow vandalism and desecration of memorial

[SamuraiCO]

Sounds like England's first response to the Nazi's. Didn't work out too well for them.

[Big E3]

When the police allow the people to break the law, the rule of law has no meaning. The law breaking will escalate each subsequent time following the police inaction. So the police allow 100-200 to break the law, do they step in when it reaches 500 or 1000? When is it too much law breaking that it must be stopped? At what point will it reach the level that it's not ok? Should they wait until there are so many law breakers that the police can't stop them and the National Guard must be called. What happens when armed citizens band together and decide that if the police won't do there job to protect life and property they will?

[Dave_L]

When the police allow the people to break the law, the rule of law has no meaning. The law breaking will escalate each subsequent time following the police inaction. So the police allow 100-200 to break the law, do they step in when it reaches 500 or 1000? When is it too much law breaking that it must be stopped? At what point will it reach the level that it's not ok? Should they wait until there are so many law breakers that the police can't stop them and the National Guard must be called. What happens when armed citizens band together and decide that if the police won't do there job to protect life and property they will?

It's almost like they're letting it build until marshall law is necessary...

[BPTactical]

It's almost like they're letting it build until marshall law is necessary...

Nah, ya think?

[Irving]

What happens when armed citizens band together and decide that if the police won't do there job to protect life and property they will?

I think if armed citizens band together to prevent protesters from throwing paint, then the problem will have gone out of control a long time ago.

[mcjhr]

When the police allow the people to break the law, the rule of law has no meaning. The law breaking will escalate each subsequent time following the police inaction. So the police allow 100-200 to break the law, do they step in when it reaches 500 or 1000? When is it too much law breaking that it must be stopped? At what point will it reach the level that it's not ok? Should they wait until there are so many law breakers that the police can't stop them and the National Guard must be called. What happens when armed citizens band together and decide that if the police won't do there job to protect life and property they will?

They'll find a way to take more of our rights away based on such "protests".

They want conflict and turmoil...they want us to behave like animals so they have evidence to rule us as such.

It's pathetic that these sub human scum think it proper to desecrate a memorial. Sticks in my craw.

[Big E3]

I think if armed citizens band together to prevent protesters from throwing paint, then the problem will have gone out of control a long time ago.

So you are saying you believe this will never go beyond paint throwing. I doubt anybody here is going shoot someone for throwing paint. My point is if it is allowed to "escalate" how many people are going to step in to protect their life and property when the police won't, and what does that look like?

[Irving]

I don't think this particular event will go past paint throwing, no. However, I do think that had the police intervened at the time, that it very well could have gone past paint throwing, which I believe is what they were avoiding at the time.

Again, I'm not trying to justify any paint throwing, I can't even wrap my head around the mindset behind that. I'm saying that if letting protesters throw paint on the memorial (and still arresting people by the way) stopped this from escalating, then it was probably the right call to make. Now, I'm not exactly a dim-witted protester, but the police standing down during this isn't exactly conveying a message of, "I can do whatever I want now because the police are afraid to act." Good luck to any protesters dumb enough to think that and try to get away with anything else.

[Big E3]

I just can't wrap my head around what amount of breaking the law and damaging property is acceptable when it is being observed by the police. Who gets to make the decision of how much law breaking is acceptable each time it happens?

[Irving]

In this case it sounds like the guys that were present wanted to step in, but were instructed by guys above them not to do so. I imagine police witness chargeable offenses every single day that they choose not to act on. As I'm not now, nor have ever been an officer, I believe I've reached the very edge of my lane as far as contributing an opinion on the matter.