View on Police Restraint at the Capitol Riots Is Ill-Reasoned!
Last week I noted the police restraint at the Capitol riots on January 6 and asked if that restraint would serve as a model for other protests. We now know a lot more about the riots. Here is a counterpoint from Pankaj, in his own words, edited slightly.
There is a very good reason that we will not see such an ill-reasoned viewpoint elsewhere! To say that rioters were “aroused by frenzy of occasion” and “weren’t aiming to cause physical harm” is being willfully ignorant. This is as delusional as the claims about the election. They weren’t aroused by frenzy of occasion but were exhorted to “be strong”, go to Capitol and “fight like hell.” They wanted to do “trial by combat” and “hang traitor Pence”. These were not some peaceful protesters. They came prepared for insurrection and violence. They had put a few pipe bombs to distract the Capitol Police away from guarding the Capitol — luckily, they did not go off! They physically assaulted the police manning the periphery with guard fence, poles and punched them and they also came prepared with chemical sprays and used it on hapless police. They pushed, punched, and kicked their way through and ransacked the Capitol — and yes, they killed a policeman with blows to his head with a fire extinguisher! All this was known openly for weeks in many forums and everything should have been done to stop them in their tracks.
“Individual and collective restraint” is a very charitable way to completely absolve the clueless, ill-prepared, incompetent, and possibly criminal law enforcement forces. This was aiding and abetting criminals by federal forces at worst and stupidity of policing at best. Not asking for help for hours was no restraint — it was dereliction of duty and cowardice! The only shot that was fired was by a plain clothes policeman. One shot! If even a few teargas shells had been fired when the rioters were already shoving and pushing outside, Capitol would not have been breached. This is a shameful blot that is now sad legacy and will be remembered potentially for centuries! It is stupid to applaud them for “restraint” and not recognize the deep damage their inaction did — arguably, more than the damage done by the rioters.
The policing at the Capitol riots should never become a model of how to handle “protests”! If law and order are not maintained, in ANY violent protesting events then we cease to become a lawful nation. We will be sending an open invitation for all such elements to come and tear apart the fabric of the society.
My thanks to Pankaj for writing this response and I hope other readers will feel free to do the same in the future!
I wish the incoming Biden Harris administration well. I am hopeful as we celebrate the MLK Day weekend. Let us make the holiday count.
