Responding to mass panic
1. In the Seattle protest video, the police are seen responding to the protest in what was described as an “over reaction, which gave the revolutionaries new ammunition”- meaning the aggressive response by police to the protesters, many of whom were initially not engaging in violent act, escalated the situation and turned a mostly peaceful protest into a riot. Using the textbook and this video as your sources, respond to this assessment of the police response. Do you agree or disagree that the tension and behavior of the crowd was escalated by the police’s response/actions. Use evidence and material from the sources to support your answer.
After reading the article by Former Seattle Police Chief, Norm Stamper, answer the questions below:
2. What do you think Chief Stamper meant by a “militaristic solution”, when he wrote, “My support for a militaristic solution caused all hell to break loose” (Stamper, 2011), referring to his leadership and response during the WTO riots. Do you agree or disagree with his assertion that he took a militaristic approach to the protests/riots in Seattle. Do you agree with his assessment that this was the wrong approach to take? Why or why not?
Do some research on your own to view video footage of the crowd and police actions during a recent event reported in the news in response to the death of George Floyd and other black men, while in police custody. Using your video sources and the articles in the LA TImes and Crosscut.com as your sources, answer the questions below.
3. Describe what you saw, as far as actions and behaviors, from the crowds protesting in the location you choose (your answers will vary based on which videos you research, which event /location you choose and what you use as your sources). Describe the actions and response by law enforcement. Don’t forget to cite your sources and use details and information that would provide someone who did not see the video a clear understanding of the event.
4.Based on your understanding of former Seattle Police Chief Stamper’s opinion of law enforcement today, his assessment of his own failures in Seattle during the WTO protests and his thoughts on the response to the protesters in Ferguson, MO- can you find parallels to what Stamper has written about effective and ineffective police responses and apply the information to the event you choose to research and write about in question 3. Are you able to make any conclusions or provide an assessment of the police response you researched, based on what you’ve read in the assigned sources regarding effective ways to de-escalate and contain an event.
Responding to Mass Panic
Responding to Mass Panic
The 1999 demonstrations against the World Trade Organization in Seattle were initially peaceful. They escalated into violence after the police tried to disperse the protesters using teargas and pepper spray. It is evident that the forceful response by the police was the main cause for the skirmishes afterwards. When the police fired teargas to the protesters, they became agitated and stared hurling objects. There is disturbing image of a police officer dragging a protester on the pavement. This makes the crowds charged, so does the pepper spray. The police are involved in running battle with the demonstrators amid the thick fog from the teargas and the spray.
Militaristic solution mentioned by Police Chief Norm Stomper refers to the use of force by the police to quench protests. It is characterized by the use of teargas, electric tasers, pepper spray, and rubber bullets. Water cannons and armored fighting vehicles are also used to disperse crowds in such approaches. Police Chief Norm Stomper solution to the Seattle WTO protests was indeed militaristic. It was the wrong approach to take. The protesters were largely peaceful before police intervention. Demonstrating crowds tend to get agitated and respond with violence when accosted by force by the police.
In this video in You Tube (2020), it is clear that violence begets more violence. A police officer drives through protesters knocking them on the street. Another police vehicle almost overruns a protester it knocks over. The demonstrators run away from the vehicle but do not abandon the protests. On the contrary they start hurling insults at the police and throwing things while running towards the police vehicles. This is clear that it is the police stoking violence among the otherwise peaceful demonstrators.
Stomper’s assessment is correct and one can find parallels in demonstrations and protests all over the world. For example, Hong Kong was rocked with protests before the advent of the Coronavirus. The protests were weeks long. They were almost exclusively peaceful unless the police tried using force to disrupt them. In conclusion, the police should not try to disrupt peaceful protests. They should only stand guard and watch.
References
Murphy, K. (2011). Ex-Seattle police chief: Occupy responses were too ‘militaristic.’ LA
Times. https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/11/seattle-wto-protests-norm-stamper.html
You Tube. (2020). George Floyd protesters met with violence from police across US.
