# Violent Left-wingers attack police **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 25, 2009, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507 "2009-09-25T12:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/21 "2009-09-25T14:50:16Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Seems to me, reading the news, that even the “peaceful” protests are leaving some property damage in their wake. Broken windows and the like. > > I haven’t made more of this than it is, and I am happy the Pittsburgh Police have been very restrained in their response. I was around twenty years ago when they would just put on the riot gear and crack heads, like at the Grateful Dead concert in '89. > > But leaving all that aside, I feel sorry most of all for the small shopkeepers and restaurateurs in Pittsburgh, and the ordinary people not caught up in protest politics. Generally conventions represent not only increased business but an opportunity for them to show off their work and their city. This time around they are losing money and can’t talk to anyone. And you can blame the security regulations for this as much or more than the protesters. > > It’s a shame. Mostly, it appears that a spontanous protest mob of about 100 moved through Bloomfield toward Shadyside causing most of the damage. They focused on banks, a BMW dealership and also some large fast food chains, like KFC. It’s all bullshit - the multinational corporations won’t feel the sting of a broken front window, but some men and women from around here employed by these places will have to spend time and effort cleaning up their shit. There was something that occurred around the Cathedral of Learning last night, but I don’t know if any damage was caused. The police response was pretty massive. It’s hard to see a strong message on the part of the protesters, and it seems almost like it’s become the fairly mindless thing to do whenever there’s a meeting like this. I’m not sure anyone anymore is really sympathetic to their issue, whatever it might really be. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/22 "2009-09-25T14:52:32Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > These disturbances have absolutely nothing to do with mainstream American politics Agreed. As I said in the other G20 thread: > [@](#): > > If these are the same sort of stupidheads that turn out at the usual Mayday protests in London, there’ll be a core group of supposedly anti-capitalist types who are really just there to break things, with a much larger contingent of well-meaning but naive college types who have turned up for the “event” as much as for any political purpose, and a wide variety of smaller groups there to “promote” their own particular, largely irrelevant left-wing issues. The percentage of people attending with relevant grievances and constructive intent will likely be non-zero but very, very, very small. Damage (to property and persons) usually ends up being done either by the core group or by the police in reaction to the actions of the first group or both. Sadly, the victims tend to be either the other attendees (who were caught in the middle) or innocent bystanders. Politics are largely irrelevant for the culprits, no matter what they say - they’re just selfish bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/23 "2009-09-25T15:04:19Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Were any flags peed on, so as to look olde timey and stained? Actually, those photos you see of protesters and cops were staged. Really, Chuck Norris took them down one by one. Okay, so a protest turned violent, they threw sticks and some trashcans and the cops shot ‘sandbag’ bullets. The usual with G20. Also the usual with G20 protests? Tons of Canadians, Europeans, anarchists, etc. attendance who wouldn’t be pleased to be lumped together with what Americans consider left wing. To be honest, if I had to walk through a protest I would probably feel safer, physically, with a Tea Party protest. Assuming they didn’t know my political views. But then I don’t like huge crowds. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/24 "2009-09-25T15:05:21Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Seems to me, reading the news, that even the “peaceful” protests are leaving some property damage in their wake. Broken windows and the like. Not defending the window-breakers, but I’m still more upset about hundreds of thousands (best guess; our government deliberately avoided keeping any sort of count) of Iraqi civilians dead as a result of our invasion. Ditto all the people tortured by the Bush Administration, some to death. Or people dying or losing their life’s savings because we’re the only advanced nation that doesn’t have universal health care. You seem to get upset about broken windows, or the cost of a John Edwards haircut. I find your values to be lacking a certain something. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/25 "2009-09-25T15:27:10Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You seem to get upset about broken windows, or the cost of a John Edwards haircut. I find your values to be lacking a certain something. Where am I getting upset over either? A cite would be appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![fubbleskag](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fubbleskag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fubbleskag)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/26 "2009-09-25T15:37:44Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > Since it’s now our turn up on the soap box, I’ll take this opportunity to denounce all liberals as violent, spiteful people who are subverting the democratic process by using violence to further their agenda. You should be ashamed of yourselves, liberals. This is the logical end of your anti-capitalist policies. > > Yes. That is right. Every single last one of you. No exceptions. No, not YOU either. What’s that? You say you don’t support these protesters? Doesn’t matter. They are the lunatic fringe, but they are YOUR lunatic fringe. Therefore you are 100% responsible for them. 1. you mean this and have just outed yourself as a **bigot** 2. you don’t mean this and have just outed yourself as a **troll** which is it? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/27 "2009-09-25T15:39:07Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > But leaving all that aside, I feel sorry most of all for the small shopkeepers and restaurateurs in Pittsburgh, and the ordinary people not caught up in protest politics. Yep. I’m pretty anti-big-corporation myself, but the people most affected by these protests are the poor folks who live and work in Pittsburgh. I’m not saying that there shouldn’t be protests, but the protesters should do their best to annoy the people in power, not the people who are just trying to get by. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/28 "2009-09-25T15:47:40Z")
I think this is a fair comparison. There are Democratic Congressmen that speak at anarchist rallies. When anarchists speak up at Town Meetings the Democrats praise them as “good Americans”. CNN and MSNBC hyped the anarchist rallies and then invited some of the speakers to speak on air. Annie the Anarchist has become a darling of the left and is paid to appear at Democratic rallies. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/29 "2009-09-25T16:03:28Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > I haven’t made more of this than it is, and I am happy the Pittsburgh Police have been very restrained in their response. Posted without comment: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8CNa\_viKg0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8CNa_viKg0) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/30 "2009-09-25T16:09:52Z")
> [@Mr.Moto](#): > > Where am I getting upset over either? A cite would be appreciated. OK, you mentioned the broken windows because you were perfectly OK with protesters breaking windows. I don’t know why you condone such lawbreaking, but have it your way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Algher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Algher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algher)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/31 "2009-09-25T16:17:10Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > 1. you mean this and have just outed yourself as a **bigot** > 2. you don’t mean this and have just outed yourself as a **troll** > > which is it? How does that make him a bigot? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/32 "2009-09-25T16:19:01Z")
Someone very close to me is in jail at the moment as a result of yesterday’s protests. To the extent that this person’s actions were “political” in nature, this person was protesting a Barack Obama decision. Does that make that person a right wing lunatic? I’d really like a response. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/33 "2009-09-25T16:21:17Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I think this is a fair comparison. There are Democratic Congressmen that speak at anarchist rallies. When anarchists speak up at Town Meetings the Democrats praise them as “good Americans”. CNN and MSNBC hyped the anarchist rallies and then invited some of the speakers to speak on air. Annie the Anarchist has become a darling of the left and is paid to appear at Democratic rallies. QF…well not strictly T, but certainly it bears repeating. **Jimmy Chitwood** : What did this person (allegedly and/or actually) do? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/34 "2009-09-25T16:23:00Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > There was something that occurred around the Cathedral of Learning last night, but I don’t know if any damage was caused. There was. I saw some boarded-up broken windows when I went out to lunch. They didn’t just target large corporations, either. Pamela’s Diner, which is a small local restaurant chain, had broken windows too. I don’t consider any protest that causes property damage to be “peaceful” or “nonviolent”. > [@RTFirefly](#): > > Not defending the window-breakers, but I’m still more upset about hundreds of thousands (best guess; our government deliberately avoided keeping any sort of count) of Iraqi civilians dead as a result of our invasion. Ditto all the people tortured by the Bush Administration, some to death. Or people dying or losing their life’s savings because we’re the only advanced nation that doesn’t have universal health care. Those things are problems, and something should be done about them. But how exactly does breaking windows help on any of those issues in a way that protest tactics that don’t cause property damage don’t? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/35 "2009-09-25T16:23:48Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > OK, you mentioned the broken windows because you were perfectly OK with protesters breaking windows. > > I don’t know why you condone such lawbreaking, but have it your way. 😃 No - just that I wouldn’t describe these demonstrations as entirely peaceful, myself. But that’s a far cry from getting upset. As of right now I’m apprehensive - the demonstrations massing up in Oakland near the University of Pittsburgh look like they might turn ugly. And I care about that for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that I am a Pitt alum. I don’t want to see students get hurt, and I don’t want to see my school or the city around it broken apart. I’m just silly that way. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/36 "2009-09-25T16:26:20Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > There was. I saw some boarded-up broken windows when I went out to lunch. > > They didn’t just target large corporations, either. Pamela’s Diner, which is a small local restaurant chain, had broken windows too. > > I don’t consider any protest that causes property damage to be “peaceful” or “nonviolent”. I can agree with that. Incidentally, Pamela’s had just one location when I was at Pitt. I would go there sometimes for the “morning after breakfast.” ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/37 "2009-09-25T16:33:35Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > **Jimmy Chitwood** : What did this person (allegedly and/or actually) do? Why, agg assault, of course. I haven’t heard the full story. I expect it’s the typical kind of scenario – failure to comply with an order, resisting, etc. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/38 "2009-09-25T16:33:37Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > I universally condemn each and every one of these sorts of OPs. Am I really the only one that finds this nonsense exasperating? No, sometimes this place is like a school yard. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/39 "2009-09-25T16:36:14Z")
> [@fubbleskag](#): > > 1. you mean this and have just outed yourself as a **bigot** > 2. you don’t mean this and have just outed yourself as a **troll** > > which is it? Wow! Way to dial up the stupid and stand out. Nicely done. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507/40 "2009-09-25T16:42:40Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > I think this is a fair comparison. There are Democratic Congressmen that speak at anarchist rallies. When anarchists speak up at Town Meetings the Democrats praise them as “good Americans”. CNN and MSNBC hyped the anarchist rallies and then invited some of the speakers to speak on air. Annie the Anarchist has become a darling of the left and is paid to appear at Democratic rallies. I’m pretty lefty and I’ve never heard of Annie the Anarchist. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-left-wingers-attack-police/511507.md?page=3)