# Are police officers being more lenient on armed protesters sending the wrong message **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 13, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746 "2020-05-13T22:18:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/21 "2020-05-14T21:42:32Z")
One of these days, I want to see cops call these armed protesters on their bluff. If there is an armed crowd in the state capitol building, order them to disperse “or else you will be arrested.” And when the cops do approach with handcuffs, what are the protesters really going to do? Open fire? ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/22 "2020-05-14T22:16:52Z")
Has anyone actually ever been shot at one of these demonstrations? It seems to me it’s just ritualistic protest theatre. The cops know it, the protesters know it, everyone knows nobody is going to start shooting anyone, and so nobody does. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/23 "2020-05-14T22:54:41Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Has anyone actually ever been shot at one of these demonstrations? It seems to me it’s just ritualistic protest theatre. The cops know it, the protesters know it, everyone knows nobody is going to start shooting anyone, and so nobody does. But then, as **iamthewalrus(:3=** said, let the treatment be the same for armed or unarmed, white or nonwhite, right or left. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/24 "2020-05-14T23:44:21Z")
> [@Lamoral](#): > > Has anyone actually ever been shot at one of these demonstrations? It seems to me it’s just ritualistic protest theatre. The cops know it, the protesters know it, everyone knows nobody is going to start shooting anyone, and so nobody does. Plenty of people get killed by the police with the supposed justification that the police thought they were reaching for a gun. So why are the police standing by when they see a bunch of people openly brandishing guns? ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/25 "2020-05-15T00:07:01Z")
> [@epbrown01](#): > > Yep, I’m waiting for someone to implement the Chappelle Solution - bring in a bunch of brown people with assault weapons and have them lurk around government buildings in masks. The police will be implementing new policies within hours. > > Some armed black guys did escort a congresswoman, but I don’t think they stuck around. There’s footage every year of black men protesting and open carrying guns, just nobody seems to care about it. It’s like how when a innocent Hispanic person gets shot by the cops it almost never makes the mainstream stream at all but every month we get a new innocent black person shot by the cops, despite the fact they both get shot at fairly even rates by the cops. Only what we “expect” makes the news. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/26 "2020-05-15T00:20:07Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > One of these days, I want to see cops call these armed protesters on their bluff. If there is an armed crowd in the state capitol building, order them to disperse “or else you will be arrested.” And when the cops do approach with handcuffs, what are the protesters really going to do? Open fire? They’re probably going to put their hands up and submit to the arrest then take their day in court, I’d guess it ends with a minor plea and the return of their firearms. Where things might get sketchy: A shot is fired, purposefully or accidently(by either side). This might suck for everyone. If the police start spraying and/or beating the guys that submitted to arrest. Those guys still armed are gonna become increasing unlikely to wanna take the passive route. … Of course I’m grossly under informed on current events. I’m working on the assumption that both protesting and openly carrying arms are legal in the location in question. If either weren’t I’d suspect the order the police gave would not be to disperse, but to perform some other action. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/27 "2020-05-15T01:21:48Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > Yes, the cops are sending the wrong message. > > The right message is not to forceably arrest the protesters with guns, it’s to _also_ not use force on the ones without guns. > > The solution to protest should as much as possible be to be present in case things turn violent, take pictures so you can later arrest or fine people who are doing illegal things, and otherwise just let them shout. Either they will grow in popularity to the point where they effect real social change or they will eventually get bored and go home. Yes, this. Every now and then I’ll see news footage a group of people doing something really outrageous in a group situation like this without police intervention, and I’ll think “How can they let them get away with that? Why aren’t they arresting these people?” Then a few days later I’ll hear of arrests - the police will review the video footage and issued warrants. This not only keeps things from turning riotous, it denies those protesters the photo op they desperately want. I’m kind of torn on the idea of arresting them for disobeying the stay at home orders - they probably should but that’s just fueling the fire and giving them what they want. But once a few of them get sick, maybe then they should review the footage and quarantine everyone that got exposed. Not that they’d obey. I managed to check out a few of the OPEN WHATEVER Facebook groups -although they’re getting pulled constantly-. People were posting the actual letters that told them they tested positive and need to stay quarantined with all sorts of outrage about their rights being abridged. They’re probably going to the protests anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/28 "2020-05-15T01:45:08Z")
[Michigan closed down its capitol in Lansing on Thursday and canceled its legislative session rather than face the possibility of an armed protest and death threats against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.](https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-05-14/michigan-cancels-legislative-session-to-avoid-armed-protesters) Telling them they can shut down the capital and threatening the Governor with murder is definitely “sending the wrong message”. But hey, it’s angry white right wing men threatening Democrats and worse a woman in power; so _of course_ they can do whatever they like without consequences. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/29 "2020-05-15T11:31:27Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > There’s footage every year of black men protesting and open carrying guns, just nobody seems to care about it. Maybe the guns are being mistaken for cellphones. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/30 "2020-05-15T14:29:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Imagine if all the occupy wallstreet protesters had had semi auto rifles, body armor and pistols. The cops probably wouldn’t have beaten the shit out of them as often. The idea that the NYPD ‘beat the shit out of OWS protesters often’ is dubious. If anything they were too lenient IMO in allowing those protesters to interfere with traffic and non-protesting people’s general right to carry on their own normal activities without interference. There is no 1st amendment right to block bridges and highways, etc. even without violence. Nor can any direct comparison be made in the birthplace of OWS…the location of WS 🙂 to the NYPD’s treatment of armed right leaning protesters. Since there basically aren’t right wing protests in NY, at least within orders of magnitude the size of the biggest left wing ones. So the comparison angle of your premise weakens your point I think. You might have some point about whether local political authorities (who tell local police forces what general policies to follow) are too politically intimidated by the supporters of certain protests to hold the protesters to the letter of the law. However a) that would not be limited to right wing protests and b) of the relatively few places in the US that commonly deal with both significant left and right wing protests, the home of the OWS movement and site of its largest demonstrations, is not one of them. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/31 "2020-05-15T14:35:58Z")
**Are police officers being more lenient on armed protesters sending the wrong message?** Yes. People who use weapons for political protest are called terrorists. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/32 "2020-05-15T14:42:19Z")
COPS ARREST PROTESTORS: “Oh, oh, the evil evil govvamint is oppressing us and taking away our RIIIIGHTS!” COPS DON’T ARREST PROTESTORS: “Oh, oh, we are in the right, and the govvamint KNOWS it, and we can do whatever we WAAAANT!!!” ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/33 "2020-05-15T14:57:13Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Is this going to be the new “I rather be a Jew in Nazi Germany than a minority in Trump’s America” topic? Cite? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/34 "2020-05-15T14:57:20Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > [Michigan closed down its capitol in Lansing on Thursday and canceled its legislative session rather than face the possibility of an armed protest and death threats against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.](https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-05-14/michigan-cancels-legislative-session-to-avoid-armed-protesters) > > Telling them they can shut down the capital and threatening the Governor with murder is definitely “sending the wrong message”. > > But hey, it’s angry white right wing men threatening Democrats and worse a woman in power; so _of course_ they can do whatever they like without consequences. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, if this had been a foreign country where that had occurred, there would have been “statements of concern” issued by the State Department and 1000 word think pieces in NYT and WP about how it showed the “fractures and intolerance in that society”. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/35 "2020-05-15T16:20:32Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > [Michigan closed down its capitol in Lansing on Thursday and canceled its legislative session rather than face the possibility of an armed protest and death threats against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.](https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-05-14/michigan-cancels-legislative-session-to-avoid-armed-protesters) > > Telling them they can shut down the capital and threatening the Governor with murder is definitely “sending the wrong message”. > > But hey, it’s angry white right wing men threatening Democrats and worse a woman in power; so _of course_ they can do whatever they like without consequences. Yeah I came here to post this. This is bullshit. I remember when Homeland security under Obama mentioned that right wing white nationalists were an emerging threat. The Obama admin caved to pressure and pulled the report, which was pathetic. Now we’re letting them terrorize democratically elected legislators without consequences. Pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/36 "2020-05-15T16:22:21Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > But hey, it’s angry white right wing men threatening Democrats and worse a woman in power; so _of course_ they can do whatever they like without consequences. Its starting to look like it. The same people who go into a rage when Kaepernick kneels during the anthem are engaging in domestic terrorism without any consequences. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/37 "2020-05-15T18:18:48Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > One of these days, I want to see cops call these armed protesters on their bluff. If there is an armed crowd in the state capitol building, order them to disperse “or else you will be arrested.” And when the cops do approach with handcuffs, what are the protesters really going to do? Open fire? Probably not. But probably’s not quite good enough. Is there anyone in that group that is stupid enough to do so? Are we sure that the cops have enough discipline not to escalate things? I’d say, 9 times out of ten, that situation gets resolved without bloodshed. > [@Asuka](#): > > There’s footage every year of black men protesting and open carrying guns, just nobody seems to care about it. Did they raid the capital building? If so, I’ve not seen this footage. If not, then your comparison fails. > [@Corry\_El](#): > > The idea that the NYPD ‘beat the shit out of OWS protesters often’ is dubious. If anything they were too lenient IMO in allowing those protesters to interfere with traffic and non-protesting people’s general right to carry on their own normal activities without interference. There is no 1st amendment right to block bridges and highways, etc. even without violence. So, what they should do is a nice, peaceful protest out of the way of traffic. Maybe find themselves a football field, and do something as non interfering as kneeling for a few moments during the national anthem. Is that the sort of protest that you are recommending? ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/38 "2020-05-15T19:14:58Z")
By nature, a protest is meant to be seen by the public at large. That’s why I’ve always been against “Free Speech Zones,” where they put you because they don’t want you interfering with anything meaningful. That being said, blocking traffic is unacceptable. And bringing your guns along isn’t QUITE terrorism, but it’s getting there. I am told it’s “to underscore the seriousness of the protesters.” Yeah, okay. Second amendment, and all that. And the minute they suggest, imply, or flat out state that said weapons might be used to shoot elected officials, appointed personnel, police officers, or anyone they don’t like? Terroristic threats. Arrest the lot of them, and enforce the laws. You didn’t want to get arrested, you were peacefully demonstrating? Then perhaps you should have policed your own effectively enough that no one committed a crime in their zeal to show everyone how serious they were. There’s people on death row now who never killed anybody, but the video shows that they walked in with Bob, who promptly shot the place up. And the defense of “I didn’t know Bob had a gun, much less that he was going to use it,” is legendarily a weak defense in court. How much better would that defense be, when you showed up armed with the intent of screaming at people about what you wanted? Tempers are running high, and while we claim to be safe and responsible gun owners, Bob is over there talking about how we ought to plug the Governor? And all of this is well BEFORE we even address the issue of angry people in a mob waving around guns that may or may not be loaded, and how this tends to tetch up the possibility of one of said weapons being accidentally discharged. Eeeeyeah. I wait anxiously to see what news comes of this movement. And whether or not the guilty parties will be swiftly pardoned by the authorities and lionized as heroes, as opposed to the cops who were there to try and keep the peace. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/39 "2020-05-16T03:03:17Z")
Good for Hillary Clinton, she just called these people domestic terrorists. [https://thehill.com/homenews/news/498060-hillary-clinton-calls-armed-michigan-lockdown-protests-domestic-terrorism](https://thehill.com/homenews/news/498060-hillary-clinton-calls-armed-michigan-lockdown-protests-domestic-terrorism) > [@](#): > > Armed men storming a legislature to disrupt its democratic proceedings is domestic terrorism. It cannot be tolerated. - Hillary Clinton ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746/40 "2020-05-16T10:24:38Z")
We maybe ain’t seen nuthin’ yet. These groups are just doing warm-ups for the Main Event coming in November. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-police-officers-being-more-lenient-on-armed-protesters-sending-the-wrong-message/853746.md?page=3)