“We absolutely discourage that,” Bennett said Monday. “It is imperative to allow police to do their jobs.”
The problem is that, in some places, the police are not (or are not permitted to) doing their jobs.
Like those anti-protestors - I respect the right to PEACEFULLY protest - but, violence breeds (sometimes necessary) violence.
From what I have observed, the police are all about control. In the academy they are taught the first thing you do is take control of the situation. I think that is a necessary part of dealing with people in a small group. That is why they show up with overwhelming force.
In the case of a protest, peaceful or otherwise, the police may very well be outnumbered and they know they can easily loose control. That is why the first option is to disperse the crowd. In the case of a confrontation between two armed factions, the police get very nervous because they can quickly become targets or irrelevant. They are also under ROE from their superiors which are often based on political objectives, not public safety or officer's safety. Tough situation and often there is no right decision.
