the reactions to this story are making me ill. there was a crowd. someone was rowdy. a police officer over-reacted. someone DIED.
this is not a boston issue, a red sox fan issue. brutality from fear is a long-standing issue that policing forces have had to deal with. any student of recent history should be able to cite numerous cases of this happening.
i most vividly recall a peaceful demonstration in Yerushalayim when i was 15. There were speakers, and a huge crowd milling around. suddenly, this guy jumped on stage and began screaming "Baruch Goldshtein Chai! Kahan Chai!"
the cops were all over it. mounted policemen were discharged into the crowds, fire hoses came out. i was chased down the street by a cop and his horse. he tried to run me down. i ducked into a corner between two buildings to get away from him. then i watched the crowd suddenly turn and chase the cops down, screaming "Mavet l'Aravim!"
in the space of two minutes, a crowd had turned into a mob.
i made it back to the main square in time to see cops grabbing whomever they could, regardless of age, disabliity... they had one kid by the hood of his sweatshirt, and they were twisting it, cutting off his air. he was trying to claw at his neck to breath, and they began beating him.
an old man with a cane was dragged by two cops as he fell, stumbling, tripping over his legs.
my best friend was up the street attempting to make a phone call. a soldier (yes, they called in the military) grapped the phone from her and took her forearm in his other hand. he then procedded to slam the phone down into her arm 3 or 4 times, fracturing it.
are you going to blame the crowd for being there? the guy who incited the cops? the cops for over-reacting? the crowd for going nuts after? are you going to shun israel and its politics? hate its police and army?
the people who try to assign the blame for Victoria Snelgrove's death on Boston fans are either really shallow or really blind. and seriously making me ill. my condolensces to her family and friends. i hope her friends who were there have someone to talk to about it.
1. 'Dani Weiss' posted on the Fri 22 Oct 2004, 11:14 am
ReplyDeletei am not saying that the fan who was drunk and inciting the police is blameless. he's an asshole and should feel responsible for her death for the rest of his life. AND should never be allowed to drink again.
'A visitor' posted on the Fri 22 Oct 2004, 11:29 am
ReplyDeleteBTW, Kathleen O'Toole, the police commisionner in Boston, took full responsibility for her death. I like her a lot. She's a hard worker and an honest person, and that's pretty much the only way a woman was able to become police chief. But what will she do to try and prevent this from happenning again?
Zion [zion_chikkimunkee@goqs.com]