Violent protests, violent police

Violent Protests
I've personally seen scars on police horses caused by protesters hitting them with boards they had driven nails through during a protest at Queen's Park during the Mike Harris era. I feel passionately about a great many things - in fact that's probably an understatement - but I can't fathom sitting at home making a weapon I intended to use on an animal. Make no mistake these protesters knew mounted police would be there, and the spike boards were intended for the horses.

As an undergrad I majored in Labour Studies. There was a handful of people in the program who got involved with OCAP and felt violent protest was completely justifed and wouldn't have hesitated to throw rocks (or whatever else happened to be handy) at police officers. It astounded me that such intelligent, articulate people couldn't find a more peaceful, effective way to get a message across. I know that some protesters incite violence because I've met them, sat through lectures with them, studied with them, and drank with them. I wanted the same changes they wanted but I didn't agree that the end always justified the means. I also believe the general public is more likely to get behind a cause if they don't associate it with a bunch of people acting like thugs.

I love the spirit of a peaceful demonstration. Whether it's joining striking workers on a picket line, marching for Burma (Kiera and Chelsea's first protest btw) or demonstrating outside of a courthouse to try to save a pitbull puppy, it's important to me to stand up for what I believe in, and to do so without damaging property or doing any harm. I'm glad that most of the causes I get behind are generally supported by non-violent people. The protests and demonstrations I've attended had such vibe of empowerment, solidarity and hope. It wouldn't have the same if the atmosphere was full of tension and apprehension and hostility. My two cents.

Violent Police
A lot of people don't like police. A LOT. I've met them in university. I've met them through the campaign to save Rambo (pitbull puppy). For a long time I didn't understand it for a number of reasons. The most significant is that my father is a police officer (and fellow graduate of the Labour Studies program). I must also acknowledge that I'm white, female, and middle-class: in a nutshell, not a likely candidate to be bothered by police unless I'm blatantly breaking the law.

Given that my experiences with the police have been fairly positive I'd always figured they'd been given a bad rap. Most police officers aren't violent. Most police officers demonstrate the highest level of restraint and professionalism when dealing with all people while they are on the job. They aren't all fascist, they aren't all racist, they aren't all anything, good or bad.

Funnily enough my brother recently had an experience with police in a different municipality. The officers weren't violent but they absolutely went out of their way to be beligerent and obnoxious. They thought he'd been drinking and driving (he hadn't) and they harassed him, swore at him, called him a liar, tried to entrap him, and didn't lay off until he blew zero on the breathalyzer. My brother is a very soft-spoken, hard working, straight and narrow kind of guy and there is no doubt that he did absolutely nothing to provoke them. After I heard the story I really got it. Some police are unprofessional, behave badly, treat people poorly and leave them with a bad impression. Or worse.

Police officers are mums and daughters and dads and sons and sisters who get up every day and go out and do an unthinkably difficult, often thankless job. How well they do it, and the degree of good or bad judgement they exercise while doing it varies from officer to officer, just as it does in any field, job or profession. They undergo psychiatric evaluations, personality tests and ongoing training, but you can never entirely remove the "x" factor which is being human, and therefore inherently imperfect. Police have greater power than most and therefore a greater responsibility to conduct themselves in a manner that is beyond reproach, and most of them do most of the time. Most of them deserve more praise and recognition than they will ever receive. But then there are the duds. The duds are very much like their "thug-like protester" counterparts. They have an "end" in mind and will use inappropriate, damaging means to achieve it. Thug-like police officers harassment, intimidation and violence can all be justified. Shameful not only because of the damage they do, but because so many others do their jobs so well without resorting to those tactics. Not unlike non-violent protesters.

So protesters have grown wary of the police and the police have grown wary of protesters. Neither side is without blame and I think both sides are guilty of stereotyping the other. All because of a very small, thug-like minority. How sad when the majority of both groups are caring, dedicated people working tirelessly to make the world a little better and a little safer for everyone in it.