# When should a person have the right to drive thru a crowd of demonstrators? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 3, 2018, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732 "2018-04-03T17:20:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 19
**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:** [April 6, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/361 "2018-04-06T20:28:25Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Police need to get the word out that this form of protest in unacceptable, they will be arrested with heavy penalties, and the law wont always protect them if they try they get violent and try to assualt drivers. Where do you propose to find sufficient numbers of police to arrest large numbers of demonstrators? And how will you finance the building of more jails/prisons to house these dangerous offenders? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/362 "2018-04-06T20:29:08Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > Or, perhaps people shouldn’t deliberately hit other people with their cars? I think both “You shouldn’t be in the street” and “even if they are, you shouldn’t hit them with your car” are valid viewpoints. Both probably have some legal backing to them. Only one of them has the laws of physics on its side though. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/363 "2018-04-06T20:35:27Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Again I say, we need to remove the problem in the first place. I dont care what laws are enacted sooner or later drivers lose patience and drive thru protesters. People will be hurt and killed. > > Police need to get the word out that this form of protest in unacceptable, they will be arrested with heavy penalties, and the law wont always protect them if they try they get violent and try to assualt drivers. People who get violent and try to assault drivers should be sent to prison. And people who get violent and try to kill demonstrators should also be sent to prison. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/364 "2018-04-06T20:47:07Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Again I say, we need to remove the problem in the first place. Because it so pervasive that millions of people are struggling with it every day. ---
**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:** [April 6, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/365 "2018-04-06T20:50:52Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Again I say, we need to remove the problem in the first place. I dont care what laws are enacted sooner or later drivers lose patience and drive thru protesters. People will be hurt and killed. > > Police need to get the word out that this form of protest in unacceptable, they will be arrested with heavy penalties, and the law wont always protect them if they try they get violent and try to assualt drivers. You should hold a rally to make your views heard to the public. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/366 "2018-04-07T23:00:30Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Again I say, we need to remove the problem in the first place. I dont care what laws are enacted sooner or later drivers lose patience and drive thru protesters. People will be hurt and killed. They have a term for that, it’s called “road rage”. And it’s not considered an acceptable defense for running people over. People lose their patience with shit all the time – what makes protesters so special? If I lose my patience with a people holding parades all the time, does that allow me to plow my car through them? :dubious: Or what about rush hour traffic? Or hey, what about all the construction that’s always going on here in Western PA? I see that way way waaaay more than I do protests. If anything would make people lose their patience, it’s those Penn DOT jagoffs in orange with their “Detour” and “Go Slowly” signs. “Losing your patience” isn’t a valid defense. Get that through your head. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/367 "2018-04-07T23:13:37Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > People lose their patience with shit all the time – what makes protesters so special? The perception that most protesters are liberals. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2018, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/368 "2018-04-07T23:43:02Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Where do you propose to find sufficient numbers of police to arrest large numbers of demonstrators? > > And how will you finance the building of more jails/prisons to house these dangerous offenders? Oh, those questions are easy. “All we have to do is cut taxes!” ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732/369 "2018-04-08T00:21:41Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Oh, those questions are easy. “All we have to do is cut taxes!” Right. We can privatize the penal system, forcing all the otherwise unfunded prisons to support themselves and turn a profit for the contractors. Because, that would be nothing at all like slavery. “_Hey, tell the AG we are short-handed down here. I’ll make it worth his while to send us some more guys._” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-should-a-person-have-the-right-to-drive-thru-a-crowd-of-demonstrators/811732.md?page=18)