No excuse for police brutality

So at UMW, we have a handy little piece of software that we use called "Canvas." We take quizzes on it, submit essays on it, and much like Facebook, can add a little bit of our own commentary to our classes. Every class I am in has its own page where you can post as often as you'd like, and if your professor is okay with this, on whatever you'd like, so long as it is relevant to the class. Last week, I took it upon myself to post the famous pepper spray video from the Occupy Wall Street movement. Much to my surprise, instead of an outcry towards what was featured in the video, the following comment showed up under my post:

"It's been featured in the NY Times for several days. The police are under extreme pressure with terrorist threats and the possibility of riots like London and before that, Paris. These men and women (in uniform) have been undergoing training for terror threats and with the heightened security fears in our society, their force is understandable. These peaceful protestors also did not have permits to march and are breaking the law. After what NY has been through in the last 10 years, I feel that their actions are understandable in a larger context"

I politely responded to her, pointing out that I wanted people to view the video for themselves without considering the political agenda of the protests. After all, shouldn't freedom of speech be protected regardless of how you feel about the issue?

"When you post things like "the mass media has kept under wraps" and "major examples of police brutality" one can't help but feel an agenda being pushed. I think it's important to understand both sides instead of creating a victim vs. predator idea."

Let me tell you that my eyes rolled so far into back of my head, I did a damn back-flip. This is the kind of attitude that has rendered us fucked in the long run. Thoughtless acceptance of violence and brutality by the hands of the state is so dangerous, so ignorant, I didn't even know how to reply. I'll break it down here:

1. First off, at the time of my posting, the event was barely a week old. Upon visiting top news sources such as MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN, I wasn't able to find coverage on a single channel's front page. Plenty of Bieber gossip and Reality TV coverage, but nothing at all about OWS. The New York Times' coverage was undoubtedly biased, casting a negative light upon the protesters and failing to mention their plight at the hands of the NYPD.

2. I believe it goes without mentioning that her harping over "terrorist threats" has much to do with people's diminished sensibilities in the post 9/11 era. I can't say that I'm surprised. It disgusts me, but I'm not exactly falling out of my chair.

3. I will never understand how people can be spoon-fed cold, hard, evidence, and still deny what is happening in front of their eyes. I posted a video of women being corralled and sprayed for no justifiable reason, and this woman tried to justify it.

I was (and still am) infuriated by the replies I received. The NYPD are predators. People are being victimized. I'd like to think that you cannot ignore the evidence or the revolution that is happening right in front of your eyes, but that seems to be the case. Until it shows up on your doorstep, I suppose it's pretty easy to ignore.