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GIRL ARRESTED FOR BLOWING BUBBLES
15 years ago
All 99 of Jay-Z's problems are Chuck Norris.
I can't believe I'm just hearing about this now. It's from July.
This video shows a police officer at the G20 protests in Toronto threatening to arrest a protestor for blowing soap bubbles ("If one of those bubbles touches me, it's assault") and then leading the protestor away, presumably for the aforementioned "offense." If the goal of the police at the G20 was to act pissy and escalate minor incidents into major ones in order to assert their authority, mission accomplished. If, on the other hand, their mission was to de-escalate, keep the peace, find rapport, and celebrate the democratic right to protest, this officer is an abject, total failure.
Okay. Wow. Just wow. I'm not going to get into my feelings on G20, but I have to say that I would support ANY PERSON'S right to a peaceful protest, even if it was... I don't know, PeTA. EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN has a right to peaceful protest and that shitwad took that young woman's away. It takes a real soldier to make a girl cry, huh? If I met that guy, I'd give him a real reason to arrest someone.
This video shows a police officer at the G20 protests in Toronto threatening to arrest a protestor for blowing soap bubbles ("If one of those bubbles touches me, it's assault") and then leading the protestor away, presumably for the aforementioned "offense." If the goal of the police at the G20 was to act pissy and escalate minor incidents into major ones in order to assert their authority, mission accomplished. If, on the other hand, their mission was to de-escalate, keep the peace, find rapport, and celebrate the democratic right to protest, this officer is an abject, total failure.
Okay. Wow. Just wow. I'm not going to get into my feelings on G20, but I have to say that I would support ANY PERSON'S right to a peaceful protest, even if it was... I don't know, PeTA. EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN has a right to peaceful protest and that shitwad took that young woman's away. It takes a real soldier to make a girl cry, huh? If I met that guy, I'd give him a real reason to arrest someone.
I lol'd.
Also as far as I know, those crazy "God hates soldiers" people are still within their rights to protest even though they are completely insane and ABSOLUTELY hateful/hurtful, so the fact that blowing bubbles would cause such retaliation, but those Westborough* Baptists' horrible behaviors/statements doesn't, makes absolutely no sense.
*???
But they're still allowed, legally, to do what they do, but a girl gets told bubbles touching an officer is going to be considered "harassment"? It's a damn soap bubble.
What I'm saying is, if those crazy Westborough whatever-they-are's are allowed to say the disgusting things they say, and legally they get left alone, a girl blowing bubbles should be viewed as a non-threat. In fact, less than a threat.
I support harassing the Westborough Church btw. :3
There is something freaking wrong with them and I don't know why they are still allowed to be such horrible people.
I hope the afterlife is nothing like how they want it to be. <3
I wonder what they think about transpeople. xD
I wonder what they think about transpeople. xD
But I have heard that there is a motorcycle "gang" you can hire if you need to attend a family member's funeral where they intend to show up. They circle around them with flags, so that the family doesn't have to see them, and rev their engines so that the family can't hear them. And it's not against the law for the bikers to do that, so it pisses the Westborough church people off.
...Which is the best thing in the universe. xD
I'm not sure if that is true, I heard it on a radio show, but I sure hope it is. x3
"The Patriot Guard Riders formed last November to confront fundamentalist pastor Fred Phelps' Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church, whose parishioners have been picketing soldiers' funerals with signs reading 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers' and claiming that dead GIs are divine punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality. The Patriot Guard Riders started accompanying the families of dead soldiers (with their consent) from wake to church to cemetery, riding in a proud parade of chrome and gasoline fumes, sometimes blocking the protesters from view with flags and gunning their engines to drown out renditions of 'God Hates America."
:D :D :D
That's what I want to be when I grow up ;u;
I also consider it harassment of the worst sort and trespassing on a private affair that has been paid for by the family. I don't care if you're not actually on the grounds of the ceremony or what have you. In the same way that I think standing outside someone's house, on the public sidewalk, and screaming profanities at them while they're watching TV is harassment/trespassing, so are those "protests."
More like tantrums anyway. Bah.
*blows some of those bubbles she has that does not pop and sticks to things :D*
Bubble epicness: http://twitpic.com/2134lj
And people wonder why I hate the government.
In all seriousness, Gasland made me start buying drinking water. I'd recommend you check to see if your area is affected. There are nasty chemicals about.
Well, Dick Cheney. That's how it's legal. But y'know.
no one cares about Canadia
I take good care of my hats
To me, a peaceful rally means you don't go around pissing other people off by blowing bubbles in their faces. You hold your signs out of the authority's way and stay in small groups. It looked to me ilke the officers were holding a line and the girl was blowing bubbles in their faces. The girl was not told she could not protest or that she had to leave. In this case the girl was more than warned to stop irritating the cops. If she's dumb enough to persist then she got what she deserved. I am not defending the guy's rude behaviour but that is another rant. I dislike people using the "peaceful rally" excuse for the sole purpose of tauntung the law.
Anyway this is just my personal opinion on this particualr matter.
If you read Kohaku's reply to your journal, it seems like she was there to purposly be a shit disturber anyway. It was clear to me anyway that she was baiting the cop however harmless it may have seemd. the point is to rile up the croud against the cops adn you saw some reaction from other croud members.
As I stated before, I am not a huge fan of some cops who abuse their athority but in this case I thought he handled this situation properly. Kohaku also mentioned that the patrols were warned of possible biological assaults. The officer could have confiscated her bubble liquid but he instead just told her to stop and warned her of the consequences if she persisted.
The G-20 is a forum that was proposed by former Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin for cooperation and consultation on matters pertaining to the international financial system. It studies, reviews, and promotes discussion (among key industrial and emerging market countries) of policy issues pertaining to the promotion of international financial stability, and seeks to address issues that go beyond the responsibilities of any one organization. With the G-20 growing in stature since the 2008 Washington summit, its leaders announced on September 25, 2009, that the group will replace the G8 as the main economic council of wealthy nations.
The heads of the G-20 nations have met semi-annually at G-20 summits since 2008. The most recent was held in Toronto on June 26–27, 2010, and the next will be in Seoul on November 11–12, 2010. Starting in 2011, G-20 summits will be held annually."
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20
as sad as this story is, it did make me chuckle. I'ma go blow sum bubbles at the next riot downtown. :D
actually I've always wanted to be part of a protest. like, seriously. It'd be awesome. although one could say it's a bit radical...
I was a member of the security task force for the G20, so i was one of those "shitwads".
During the weeks and weeks of pre-training that we got for this, we were made aware of several security threats. our number one threat was attack in the form of chemical agents. one of the threatened methods of delivery was through bubbles blown into the eyes of soldiers and police. Bubbles containing chemical agents.
Another thing we got in our pre-training was the signs of problematic protesters. and this girl showed several key signs that she was a black block member. first off the bandanna, black block members will wear bandannas eather around there neck or head to cover there faces during a riot or to use as a primitive gas mask (high level members and assulters will wear gas masks and helmets as well as pads). secondly the backpack, though this may seem trivial, when factored in with other signs this can be a big deal (one can never be sure as to what is in there). heavy duty surplus army or leather boots, this girl has nice high leather boots (once again may seem trivial but also a sign when factored in with other things) and the biggest tell tail sign of all that she is trouble and more then likely black block, the phone number written on her arm. members of the black block or other aggressive protest groups will write the number for legal council on there arms in the case they get arrested. this is a very big sign that this protester means to cause trouble.
Every single member of the task force knew the signs of troublesome protesters. we all were trained in what to look for and even had classes in crowd behavior. and every single member of the task force was given up to date briefings on the threats made against us.
All this being said, the officer was more then restrained, gave her warning and told her of the consistences if she did it again. He was firm but fair.
also that video is not one continuous shot. she is asked to stop she gives them trouble stops then the tape cuts. im willing to bet that after the tape cut she did it again or did something else that would cause us to take her away.
Media groups love to use that tactic to get there point across, a video like this wouldn't have as much impact if it showed her doing it again and then getting arrested. better instead to edit out parts to make it look like the police are the bad guys.
also if we were to deam a member if the crowed to be troublesome and suspect that they may try and start problems for ether us or the other protesters (remember we did learn all about crowed behavior) then we would detain them. this just takes them off the streets and gets them away from the protests. by the time they are released the summit was over.
think of it as a time out.
Based on this journal, their deception seemed to work.
"During the weeks and weeks of pre-training that we got for this, we were made aware of several security threats. our number one threat was attack in the form of chemical agents. one of the threatened methods of delivery was through bubbles blown into the eyes of soldiers and police. Bubbles containing chemical agents."
Can you point to a single case of someone in the US, or anywhere, ever, using a comericial toy bubble-blower to blow harmful chemical agents at cops? You can buy these things at Toys R Us. They aren't weapons, and no one uses them that way, and that should be obvious to anyone who was interested in seeing that justice was done rather than seeing that people are kept in line and keep their fucking mouths shut. These are hippies, not the Joker.
"first off the bandanna, black block members will wear bandannas eather around there neck or head to cover there faces during a riot or to use as a primitive gas mask (high level members and assulters will wear gas masks and helmets as well as pads). "
Lots of people other than Black Block Terrorists wear bandanas, man. Especially hippies. Are you saying it's okay to arrest people for wearing the wrong clothes while exercising their first ammendment rights?
"secondly the backpack, though this may seem trivial, when factored in with other signs this can be a big deal (one can never be sure as to what is in there)"
Anyone who isn't a paranoid jackass knows that students wear freaking backpacks more often then terrorists. Since when it is okay to just arrest people because you don't know what they're carrying? What happened to our constitutional rights to be secure in our persons, papers, and effects?
"heavy duty surplus army or leather boots, this girl has nice high leather boots (once again may seem trivial but also a sign when factored in with other things)"
God forbid anyone wear practical footwear. If I were going out for a nice day of ever-so gently mocking the jeering, jackbooted swarms, I'd want to wear something comfy and durable, too. Since when is that a crime?
"and the biggest tell tail sign of all that she is trouble and more then likely black block, the phone number written on her arm. members of the black block or other aggressive protest groups will write the number for legal council on there arms in the case they get arrested. this is a very big sign that this protester means to cause trouble."
Actually, it's just a sign that she insists of being granted all of her rights in the face of an unrelentingly hostile police force, which is impossible to do without a lawyer. Since police at events like this have a documented history of violating protestor's rights, how could it possibly be unreasonable to be prepared to defend yourself legally?
Being prepared to insist on your legitimate legal rights is not a sign of someone causing trouble, you fascist jerk. It's a sign of someone engaing in peaceful protest intelligently. It shouldn't be surprising that she took precautions in case she got arrested - after all, she did get arrested even though she patently and obviously posed no threat whatsoever to the fifty heavily armed police in front of her. Clearly her precaution was legitimate.
"Every single member of the task force knew the signs of troublesome protesters. we all were trained in what to look for and even had classes in crowd behavior. and every single member of the task force was given up to date briefings on the threats made against us."
They're training you to treat citizens of this supposedly free country as potentially 'troublesome' because the intentional purpose of the police presence at these events is to utterly and completely shut down dissent. That is unconstitutional and wrong, and you're a dangerous fool if you fail to question this usurpation of our legitimate constitutional rights.
"All this being said, the officer was more then restrained, gave her warning and told her of the consistences if she did it again. He was firm but fair."
I don't want to live in a country where that is 'firm but fair.'
"also that video is not one continuous shot. she is asked to stop she gives them trouble stops then the tape cuts. im willing to bet that after the tape cut she did it again or did something else that would cause us to take her away."
Yeah, because cops with a hard-on for authority, aggression and violence and specific orders to treat the crowd in a hostile fashion would never ever arrest in innocent person and hold her just as long as they could get away with without charging her...
"also if we were to deam a member if the crowed to be troublesome and suspect that they may try and start problems for ether us or the other protesters (remember we did learn all about crowed behavior) then we would detain them."
Your paranoid, reflexively authoritarian attitude is craven, brutish, and un-American. You are a professional thug, and you you should be ashamed of yourself.
I won't take up any more space on Cliff's journal with this if he doesn't want me to, but I couldn't resist the urge to speak out against crap like this. We shouldn't have to put up with police who treat citizens like this.
i never compared them with suicide bombers, i was simply stating that someones age doesnt make them less dangerous or less able to make trouble.
as for the bubbles, when a activist group comes forth and says they will be blowing acid bubbles in the faces of L/E, then the idea becomes a real threat. They would have done the same in the us.
this whole video also takes place the day after the riots. they were there simply to make trouble for the police in front of the detention area. so alot of us were already fed up with what these "peaceful" protesters had done.
this also comes after a woman had run her car through a police check point, then after she was cuffed and in the back of the squad car, produced a vile of acid, melted her cuffs and began to thrash around in the back of the car forcing several officers to attempt to control her, causing 3 officers to suffer severe burns.
you may not understand the way we do business and that's fine, but there are lots of things that ppl just arnt told about. we have reasons for doing the things we do. I personally had to draw my rifle on a civi at least once during that summit. for some reason he thinks its cool to charge our gate to a secure zone with an suv. Thinks its his right to go where ever he wants.
and also. i dare anyone to go up to a cop randomly on the street an blow bubbles in there face, see how much restraint they have.
if you wanna think were thugs or w/e for doing our job so be it, but the fact is we kept all the delegates (President Obama included) safe and no one got killed. as far as G20s are concerned this went very very well
and finally, you say you shouldent have to put up with police who treat ppl like this, wel what about the other way around, why should police have to put up with civis who treat them like dirt for just doing there job?
Honestly, I think all people, regardless of nationality, have the rights to gather peaceably, to speak their minds, and to be secure from random arrest and detention at the whims of authority. Just because those rights aren't legally protected in Canada doesn't mean you aren't a shit for not taking them seriously.
"i never compared them with suicide bombers, i was simply stating that someones age doesnt make them less dangerous or less able to make trouble."
You specifically did. You stated that age doesn't make a protester less dangerous...by comparing them to suicide bombers. Your argument went like this: I saw a very young female suicide bomber in Afghanistan, ergo young females in Canada can't be trusted with backpacks, bananas, bubbles, and phone numbers.
Treating free citizens as highly dangerous troublemakers is the first mark of a police force that is designed to keep them under control, not to keep them safe.
"as for the bubbles, when a activist group comes forth and says they will be blowing acid bubbles in the faces of L/E, then the idea becomes a real threat. They would have done the same in the us."
What acid? Who made the threat? Is there any evidence whatsoever that that threat has ever been carried out by anyone? I mean, think about how dangerous of a chemical would have to be in that bottle to seriously harm a grown man. It would take a very hardcore, serious terrorist with access to a lab and a lot of chemistry knowledge to cook up something dangerous enough to be any harm when used in that manner. And if there were a dangerous chemical in there, blowing bubbles would be a damn stupid means of dispersing them. Do you think a real terrorist would use a method that could easily blow back in her own face because of wind gusts?
Anyone who saw any threat whatsoever in that girl is a paranoid nut job.
"his also comes after a woman had run her car through a police check point, then after she was cuffed and in the back of the squad car, produced a vile of acid, melted her cuffs and began to thrash around in the back of the car forcing several officers to attempt to control her, causing 3 officers to suffer severe burns."
If you can't tell the difference between someone looking to harm you and a young girl blowing bubbles, you suck at your job. Car=potential weapon. Bubble blower from Toys R Us =/= potential weapon.
"you may not understand the way we do business and that's fine, but there are lots of things that ppl just arnt told about. we have reasons for doing the things we do. I personally had to draw my rifle on a civi at least once during that summit. for some reason he thinks its cool to charge our gate to a secure zone with an suv. Thinks its his right to go where ever he wants."
I understand exactly the way you do business. It's called repression, and it's on purpose.
"if you wanna think were thugs or w/e for doing our job so be it, but the fact is we kept all the delegates (President Obama included) safe and no one got killed. as far as G20s are concerned this went very very well"
Yeah, it did, didn't it? World Leaders get to hang out without being bothered by the annoying plebeian dissenters outside? Total success. Random civilians harassed, arrested, and brutalized? Mission complete.
"and also. i dare anyone to go up to a cop randomly on the street an blow bubbles in there face, see how much restraint they have."
Cops on the street are, theoretically at least, there to protect us. The police presence at the G-20 was there to quell dissent. Not the same thing.
"and finally, you say you shouldent have to put up with police who treat ppl like this, wel what about the other way around, why should police have to put up with civis who treat them like dirt for just doing there job?"
We'll only treat you like dirt for doing your job so long as your job is to keep us quiet, submissive, and under control. I'd treat late 18th-century British redcoats like dirt, too; at least they had a sense of style.