Police in riot gear swinging batons. Plumes of tear gas. Protesters on their knees, pepper-sprayed in the face. Rubber bullets shot from moving cars. Such scenes have played out in some 75 cities across the US after the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
US president Donald Trump has called for authorities to shut down protests with tougher policing, but he’s wrong. Decades of research show the right way to police a protest is to avoid excess force, remain calm, communicate transparently, and constantly negotiate.
WIRED UK
This story originally appeared on WIRED UK.
For the most part, that’s not what’s happening in the US. In New York City, police cruisers were filmed driving into protesters; in Atlanta, six officers are facing charges for using excessive force while arresting two students; in Louisville, Kentucky, two police officers were fired after they fatally shot a man while their body cameras were switched off. “They’re relying on escalated use of force to try to police the protests,” says Jennifer Cobbina, associate professor in criminal justice at Michigan State University, pointing to tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash grenades. “All of these are escalated use of force. That is incredibly heavy handed, it’s militarized tactics—and it’s used on protesters who are actually protesting police violence.”
If we assume the goal of police is to reduce damage and destruction, then these tactics are pointless. “The research suggests pretty routinel ..
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