Unforgivable

AGAA4 I think the police over here are not as bad as they are in general in the USA but we are not without similar abuses here. And there is evidence.
Have you googled "British police abuses" ever?
(Not challenging, just asking)..

The miners strike comes to mind.
Someone died at the G-20 protests (?2010?). And who of our generation could forget Blair Peach?

Sorry Dinahmo - had intended to comment yesterday. I see you are ahead of me.

NotSpaghetti, the actions of some police officers during the miners strike left a terrible legacy in public-police relations. My father joined the police in 1949 and retired in 1983. His funeral 15 years later was attended by many former colleagues. I was chatting with three who had joined around the same time as dad and one of them mentioned the miners strike. He talked about the damage caused to relationships between the police and communities and said "it's going to take two or three generations to repair that damage". We're north west with (former) mining communities. Older officers were disgusted that men from the Met were shipped in, who waved their overtime slips at the striking miners.
Sorry that detracts from the OP. Yes, I watched the video, yes its disgusting on so many levels. Despite the public order problems, thuggery and violence shown towards the police by some in London yesterday, restraint seems to have continued to be shown by officers. The police by consent training is significant, as is the fact our police don't routinely carry guns

NotSpaghetti. I was replying to a previous poster who was talking about incidences of police abuse on facebook. I don't trust Facebook to get the facts right.

I didn't say that there was no abuse by British Police. I did say you always get bad people in most jobs but this current abuse was in the USA, where I believe racism is rife in many walks of life.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise if I implied all police are arrogant or inhumane. This most definitely is not what I think. I have known police personally who have been really great people who I would totally trust.

Iam64 - the agressive policing of the miners strike, I have read, was politically motivated and had direction from the central government (Margaret Thatcher's government of course). I think your father's colleagues are right, and what a horrible thing to happen right at the end of your father's career.

As we aim to police by consent here in the UK I know we train our police in de-escalation. This is something that America needs to learn I feel. As I said earlier, most of the USA uses the "warrior police" system which is bound to make everyone more tense and hostile. I also heard recently that some forces in America have only six weeks training - which seems totally ridiculous to me.

And I agree thuggery towards the police here was, and is, totally unnecessary and doesn't do the cause any favours. This would, almost certainly have been shooting incidents in America.

I am not trying to belittle the good work many police do in the UK, I just (mistakenly) thought that AGAA4 was implying we had no examples of police abuses here. Sorry to anyone I've upset.

NotSpaghetti, you didn't upset me, though the violence dished out to our police (and their horses) yesterday has upset me. We are three months into the most difficult period most of us have lived through. I'm sure we've all lived through very difficult personal circumstances by now but there will have been some escapes, we could go away for a week, drive to the coast, go to the theatre/cinema, or best of all, hug our loved ones to sustain us during those personally tough times. This is different, we are all living under the continued stress that this virus is here and likely to stay for a good while.
So, the scenes in London yesterday felt even worse than they usually would have done. Police officers attempting to maintain public order during these dangerous times, no PPE of course it would be impossible, and facing missiles directed straight at them.

Just going back to the miners' strike. I knew many of the police in the northern part of the country and they were wholeheartedly behind the miners.
They made their feelings known and were given hot drinks and snacks by the miners' wives as they were on duty for 16 hours a day.
They were there to keep the peace but I think as more police were drafted in things became more violent on both sides.
Not all had sympathy for the miners.

Trump Falsely Targets Buffalo Protester, 75, as ‘Antifa Provocateur’

The president attacked Martin Gugino even as the activist was in the hospital recovering from a head wound sustained when the police shoved him to the ground.

www.nytimes.com/2020/06/09/nyregion/who-is-martin-gugino-buffalo-police.html

Varian I spent an awful half an hour last night reading posts on a Trump page on FB. Yes, I know, I shouldn't have, but it made me fearful, sick, angry and I wouldn't recommend it. There are posts stating as fact, that George Floyd is alive an actually attended his own funeral, that the old man who was knocked to the ground faked the whole thing, even to posts describing how the fake blood was spread ( this from a person claiming to be an ex US army medic), that he was trying to block the police radios with a device and so deserved to be knocked down......it was truly, truly disgusting and made me realise just how Trump got where he is and why he will probably get back in.

I think we all know that there are some utterly dreadful people in America, but it is just shocking that there are so many of them that this monster could even be re-elected.

Unfortunately Varian I think President Trump will be elected for a second term, USA is an extremely divided Country.

The DM on line today has a video of white men with banners supporting Trump, acting out the murder of George Floyd, one man lies on the floor face down, another kneels on his neck -obviously without the pressure that killed Floyd. My technical skills are hopeless or I'd put a link on.
It's absolutely nauseating to see. Terrifying to imagine Trump could be elected again. His malign influence isn't just destroying America, it's spreading to other countries.

Desiderata.

1. The good politicians need to pay a lot of money to public relations experts who groom them for public appeal.

2. Large fee paying schools should be closed down because by their very nature they teach young minds the myth of the superior social class.

3. Tertiary education should free at point of use and available to all.

I lived in Brixton, just off Railton Road, one of the hotspots, during the 1981 riots. Before the first riot I had noticed the arrogant attitude of some of the younger police officers whilst they were out and about. I was also aware of the sus laws. However, what I did not know was that a few days before the riot plain clothes policemen were sent into Brixton and over 5 days there were nearly 1000 people stopped and searched.

Several buildings in Railton Road were destroyed by fire but that probably did the owners a favour because many of them were condemned and needed to be pulled down anyway. One memory is of the staff of a Chinese restaurant who came out side carrying their knives in order to protect their building, which they did.

In the following days there were several "bobbies" on the beat. Not young ones, more 30 somethings. They didn't wear their jackets but did wear their helmets. They were welcomed by all the local residents, not just the white people.

Since then I've always thought that there should be more visible policing but I guess that's a forlorn hope, given the reduction in numbers over the last 10 years or so.

Finally I think that the officers in charge in London and Bristol gave the right orders regarding policing of the demonstrations.

The 75 year old gentleman who this thread is about is alive and alert but does have brain damage and will need Physiotherapy
www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/75-year-old-buffalo-protester-hospitalized-after-cop-shove-suffered-brain-injury-lawyer/2457512/