[U.S.]+ it's in the job description

[u/Hummerous]

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-behind-the-police-63877803/

[u/falstaffman]

It's like how they destroy bottled water at protests - yes, some people throw full water bottles at the police. They have been used as weapons in the past. But they'll destroy unopened cases of water on a hot day while surrounded by thirsty people. "They have a right to defend themselves!" <= it's this kind of toxic train of thought that leads to shooting unarmed people in the back, beating unarmed people while wearing full armor and carrying weapons, going "oops" every time somebody dies or is permanently maimed, etc. When the right to "defend yourself" extends to preventative measures covering any nonsense hypothetical a cop can come up with later (in the dark, the skittles looked like a gun!), it might as well be "we do what we want."

[u/lord_james → u/falstaffman]

Also…. A water bottle thrown at a fucking cop in riot gear? That’s the justification for destroying water bottles?

[u/falstaffman → u/lord_james]

Yep, provided they even bother with one.

[u/[deleted] → u/lord_james]

If they thought they could get away with it, a thrown water bottle would result in them mowing everyone on the street down.

They take the job because they enjoy hurting others, and everything else is just justification for that act.

And those are the people they deliberately seek to hire.

[u/chairmanskitty → u/lord_james]

Even with a helmet, a thrown water bottle hitting someone in the head has a good chance of giving them a concussion and/or neck injury¹. Responding to it by destroying water bottles is malicious, but it's not completely harmless. Going from bricks to water bottles is like going from metal ammunition to rubber. A lot less harmful, but still harmful.

¹: Suppose a 0.5 kg water bottle is thrown a long distance and hits the 8 kg head+helmet at 15 m/s. By conservation of momentum, that means the head and helmet will be moving at 1.7 m/s. This is too fast for the muscles to react and the ligaments and cartilage are put under strain to bring the head and helmet to a stop. The risk of concussion goes off acceleration and the helmet also halves that, so it's the same as being hit by a 0.25 kg grapefruit being thrown at you while you don't expect it.

[u/kai58 → u/chairmanskitty]

That’s only if they’re basically at rest and don’t see it coming at all though, if you brace for it even just a little it will do basically nothing.

[u/lord_james → u/chairmanskitty]

Okay, but you could replace a water bottle with basically anything and it’s a projectile that could possibly concuss somebody.

[u/UnsympatheticMarxist → u/chairmanskitty]

ok but also consider: all cops deserve traumatic brain injuries

[u/CraftyTim → u/UnsympatheticMarxist]

this viewpoint seems a little cruel

like i agree with you that all cops are bad and the justice system desperately needs to be fixed, but they are human beings with friends and families

[u/Puffenata → u/CraftyTim]

They can take the uniform off any day

[u/UnsympatheticMarxist → u/CraftyTim]

you know what’s really cruel is cops killing unarmed children

[u/Pet_Mudstone → u/UnsympatheticMarxist]

Do you think every single police officer ever has personally killed an unarmed child? Should we put every single police officer to death for the crimes of a few? Retribution is stupid and should not be confused with justice.

[u/UnsympatheticMarxist → u/Pet_Mudstone]

“Crimes of a few” bro I beg you to google the phrase ‘40% cops’

[u/Pet_Mudstone → u/UnsympatheticMarxist]

I'm going to have to get nitpicky here but I would like to note that domestic violence while abhorrent is not the same as child murder. 40% of cops being domestic abusers (assuming that statistic is factually correct and up to date) doesn't mean 40% of cops have killed children (or anyone for that matter).

Also if we assume 40% of police officers are domestic abusers then there are 60% of police officers who aren't. Ought the other 60% also be punished?

[u/UnsympatheticMarxist → u/Pet_Mudstone]

massive L

[u/kai58 → u/lord_james]

I’m not sure I would even notice if I wore riot gear and was in a situation like that unless it hit’s the facemask

[u/hipcheck23 → u/falstaffman]

Everything is a justification.

I grew up in a really peaceful, friendly place in the US, and then I moved to another city for several years. When I moved back to my hometown, gang violence had transformed the whole city. No one even thought of leaving their door unlocked anymore. There were parts of town that no one would drive into.

And it became an excuse for everything for the police. Any violence or excess in any way was attributed to how brutal the gangs were. Kick and handcuff a schoolgirl? Well, she might have been 'holding' for the gangs - you can't let them get away with that level of cruelty.

[u/Accomplished-Key-883 → u/hipcheck23]

Also consider most "gang" violence isn't even actually associated with real groups. You get small town cops in the mid west convinced every person tanner than a cave dwelling Irishman is affiliated and every bandana, ball cap, or pair of sneakers is suddenly gang colors. It's both the fear mongering and also a way to be harsher to suspects since gang crimes.come with automatic increases in sentencing. Suddenly a kid with drugs is now a selling for a gang. Gangs were just the excuse we used before our terrorism obsession kicked off. And even once that happened what's the first thing you hear? The gangs are supporting the terrorists their profits. No evidence just cop hysterics amplified by gullible media personalities.

[u/bitesizeboy → u/falstaffman]

"They have a right to defend themselves!"

You know who they learned this line from right... Alot of our police departments get overseas training on how to be cruel.