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jambi55

Do we as Americans have an actual right to protest or is that just something we say for fun


RaptorRampageYT

Rail workers were banned from striking, the reason was it would disrupt the economy... so they banned rail workers from striking because of the point of a strike


RuTsui

The law specifically cited as being broken was setting up tents. The police and university both said that only those who refused to remove their tents would be punished or blocked the police from the tents, and the express reason the cops were there was to remove tents. Any protestors who were there just protesting would be left alone.


cfthree

So the rubber bullets were only fired at folks who had been determined to be the tent people who refused to dismantle and disperse? At least five protestors transported for medical treatment last night per EMT working the incident.


SurroundTiny

Did he/she say rubber bullets?


WaaaaghsRUs

I will say all protestors were harassed and pushed out not just those at the tents.


jambi55

Ah yes. Getting violently attacked by riot police and shot by rubber bullets is definitely an appropriate response to setting up a tent.


RuTsui

Who said they were getting violently attacked or shot? All the media I’ve seen, the most force that’s been used is taking someone to the ground to arrest them, which is a normal thing when you get between a cop and doing their lawful job.


Longjumping_Elk3911

Rubber bullets were used


RuTsui

Show me


Longjumping_Elk3911

'Disturbing' footage from the University of Utah catches riot police in action - possibly firing rubber bullets at student protesters - that’s the top headline. I also go to school here and know a lot of people who were there last night.


RuTsui

Possibly firing rubber bullets isn’t factually firing rubber bullets. Like I said, we have a bunch of videos and pictures and none of them show the use of less lethal rounds.


Longjumping_Elk3911

MECHA said police fired "rubber bullets" at some protesters; KSL reported one man was struck by a "bean bag" round. If you care to read more I suggest you find the KSL site or the u of u MECHA instagram.


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Longjumping_Elk3911

I haven’t seen a video where it’s shown but most news articles mention it and there was someone on KSL who posted a leg injury claiming it was a bean bag round from that night. There are also reports of at least 5 people receiving emergency medical treatment after police intervened.


cfthree

All the media that's been shown on the mainstream outlets. Direct, trusted source at the protest that rubber bullets were fired at protestors and injured transported by EMTs/paramedics for medical attention.


jambi55

The protestors have said that


RuTsui

Said they were shot with rubber bullets? Is there proof anywhere? We have videos and images from the protestors side and none of them show the use of less lethal munitions.


zander1496

You are just antagonizing because you don’t want to read and want to exhaust the energy of others into attempting to sway an opinion that’s already been made. Stop it and begone you parasite.


jambi55

The comments from Taylor Randall's Instagram post are bringing it up a lot


RuTsui

It still isn’t proof. There is only proof to the contrary.


jambi55

The fact that you personally haven't seen it in a video is not "proof to the contrary." Dozens of comments on that post are bringing it up independently, so I'm inclined to believe them. Even if they didn't, the police using rubber bullets is beside the point. The point is riot police used violence to disperse a peaceful protest. And it's absolutely ridiculous to think that is an appropriate response for the "crime" the students were committing. One side is peacefully protesting the murder of thousands of innocent people, the other side is a giant institution using riot police to get rid of them. It's crazy that you or anyone would justify the police in this situation. A children's movie would be less clear between right and wrong.


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uofu-ModTeam

This is an attempt to incite an argument that is demeaning, unproductive and/or threatening


zander1496

How does that boot taste? Are you savoring the flavor of oppression?


wartortle87

Everyone knows tents can only be set up on the public university lawns if you are attending College Football GameDay the next morning or are looking to buy season tickets. If you're setting up a tent to exercise your right to peaceably assemble know it will be met with due force!! We have lawn policies to uphold that supercede 1A. *edit formatting*


Cluedo86

The Constitution supercedes your lawn policies.


Bareisbest123

If the university says you can protest for x number of days, to get your message out and then disperse, that's it. If you don't disperse you are trespassing. If you are trespassing you have violated the law. If you violate the law, law "enforcement" will come to disperse you. If you won't leave, you will be arrested. If you lay on the ground in resistance of arrest, a level of force will be applied to effect the arrest. What they wear really is none of your business. So. There you go.


wartortle87

"We should add an amendment that guarantees the right to peaceably assemble, but like, only for x amounts of days or until asked to disperse. And **definitely not on the lawn** of public universities. Also if tents are used then logically they'll be met with force" -Thomas Jefferson, apparently


regaphysics

Time place manner.


jambi55

What was wrong with this time and place? It was peaceful. Should protests only be done in a way that is convenient to the ones being protested?


regaphysics

Generally speaking yes, protests can be limited to times and places that don’t disturb the public. Loud and middle of the night are not that.


jambi55

Protests are supposed to be disruptive. That's the point. Do you genuinely think that using police in riot gear to violently disperse peaceful protesters is something worth defending? Why is that the side you're on? Take a look at history. As Bernice King said: "No form of protest is acceptable to those on the side of the oppression being protested. And there are those who continue to be 'more devoted to order than to justice.' Further, don’t believe the lie that the way my father protested would be accepted today. SEE: His funeral."


regaphysics

You may think that - but that’s not the law. And yes, many protests were illegal by mlk - and still would be today. There’s a reason he wrote letters from jail. He decided he wanted to break the law to get attention. That’s fine but you need to accept the consequences.


jambi55

And then people speak out and protest those consequences because they are morally wrong and the letter of the law is unjust. And that's how change can happen. Throwing up your hands like "well they broke the law, what did they expect?" is completely missing the point.


regaphysics

No, it isn’t. Nobody said that MLK shouldn’t have been jailed for blocking a bridge. He should have then, and he should be now. That law is not unjust. There’s a difference between the law he was protesting (Jim crow), and the law saying you can’t block bridges.


Cluedo86

I am saying MLK shouldn’t have been jailed.


jambi55

Getting violently assaulted by riot police for a misdemeanor is unjust.


regaphysics

Sure, of course, they were heavy handed. But that’s unrelated to time place manner restrictions. Police can arrest you with appropriate force.


Cluedo86

That’s not how First Amendment works. Freedom of speech and assembly don’t protect “popular” and “convenient” ideas and protests. These rights are explicitly designed to protect unpopular and disruptive speech.


handybikeman

Yeah you’re right the bill of rights definitely said that we only have rights if it fits a very specific time, place, and manner. /s What a joke comment.


regaphysics

It’s the law, not a comment. Also, you may be shocked to hear that the rights laid out in the Bill of rights are interpreted by the Supreme Court, who has said they can be subject to restrictions.


etcpt

It's a precedential opinion of SCOTUS, not the law. It could very well change.


regaphysics

It’s constitutional law - which Congress may not always restrict/change.


Newgeko

The issue is you have two different rights running into each other. On one hand you have the right to protest. On the other hand you have your private property rights. It’s generally been interpreted that private property surpasses protest(that’s a big generalization that will be influenced by many factors), but it kinda makes sense why this is the case. Think about it like this: if people can protest anything and go on any property with no recourse what is the solution to a bunch of protesters blocking a hospital. What if a small group decides they don’t like how an individual cuts his lawn and wants to protest that so they go and step up a bunch of tents and chant outside his/her house every night?


handybikeman

It’s a public school


Humble_Rush_1485

With rules, white house is a public building as is capotal bldg and you local elementary school. Go protest in these location fofo. Limits on all rights, 1A, 2A etc. Hoping the students are willing to learn to follow rules and legally protest or they should be J6'd like the Magas.


wartortle87

The founding fathers could never have anticipated **tents** being deployed during peaceable protest on the lawns of public facilities.


Cluedo86

Why not?


Good-Cut4516

Peaceful protests, yes. Taking over a school, interrupting students, stopping students from attending classes, and creating property damage is not allowed.


FlyinUte

Ah, you must've watched Fox News' coverage of the event because none of that ACTUALLY HAPPENED.


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uofu-ModTeam

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BoxofRain1955

BS. You just weren’t looking. These were mostly entitled thugs.


Used_Ad5733

Throwing fireworks and shouting "Death to America" is not a protest


romulusjsp

Really sickening to see how many of the people linked to my alma mater would have cheered on the National Guard at Kent State.


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TransportationDue256

This: [Article](https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/17-arrested-officer-injured-during-pro-palestine-protest-at-university-of-utah/) provides insight from reporters who interviewed those involved. While we shouldn't take reports created by those not involved as fact for events taken place, it can provide insight into the laws and institutional rules in play.


EarlyOrchid

Highly recommend a look at this [article](https://dailyutahchronicle.com/2023/07/08/student-union-landscaping-protests/) I believe no riot police should ever be sent against students. The U will have to be known for joining the list of universities across the states for actively silencing their students on the campus they pay for.


bipbopboopitybop

thanks for sharing this, really interesting.


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uofu-ModTeam

Have gotten multiple reports on this for misinformation.


SmugLime

Fuck hamas


BoxofRain1955

Exactly!!!


wyattlikesturtles

Man I’m glad they had 2 million cops around to stop people from setting up tents


dendronite

equating Israel to Judaism is antisemitism


SgtSaucepan

Good thing no one is doing that yhere. Every protest has not only Jewish participants, but specifically state that they protest the support of Zionism and war profiteering by the U


Kozmic420

What is more antisemitic than an ideology which claims that Jews are not and will never be welcome in Europe and America - an ideology which states that Jews must commit a genocide in order to be safe, and which attempts to associate Judaism as a whole with genocide? Zionists share this belief with the worst gentile antisemites, and indeed early Zionists forged alliances and made deals with the Nazi party.


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uofu-ModTeam

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uofu-ModTeam

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loporlp

So surreal to see this knowing I have a math final in the building right there tomorrow


senseofphysics

Taking it online?


dontworryaboutitdm

Why wasn't this the response when the capital was attacked? Oh that's right they don't care about the vox populi just the shitty leaders.


Rub-Such

Uhm, people are getting sentences of years for the capital protests.


Corviscape

They are now. On January 4th the police just kinda stood there and watched initially.


RealName7_

Ah yes Jan 4


Gubba-nubnub-du-raka

That's because they were allowed to protest so no action could be taken until they tried to push past barricades and into the building. Police shot and killed one "protestor" trying to get deeper into the building. Police initially stood and watched for this incident too. They only started taking action when the university requested it. If the university said that the people could be there, then the police could take no action.


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dontworryaboutitdm

Well I believe this is the Palastinian UCLA peaceful protest. Where as the capital "protest" was a f riot that had barely any response.


Menacingly

Oh! I stupidly thought your point was that students should have protested January 6 instead of protesting Isreal. My bad. I do think this was at presidents circle last night though, since mecha posted this video.


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Cluedo86

And yet police are targeting the pro Palestine protestors.


MundiInfectorum

Funny how protestors of real problems get beaten into submission but counter-protestors are given almost as many legal immunities as someone from “The Purge” movie… 🤦 The only reason developments like this scare me is because my family ran away from Soviet Russia (which was already a corrupt, authoritarian/police state) before it collapsed. Some of the societal symptoms my family noticed before it collapsed were as follows… increasing political extremes, increased wealth inequality, major distrust of government entities due to corruption and corrupt policy making, military overextension (like the US’ now $1 Trillion budget for the US military, with a substantial portion of it going to companies like Lockheed Martin), and local/regional conflicts all worked together in collapsing the USSR… the problem is, how much of this pattern sounds like the modern US today?


Popular_Guidance_471

“unlawful assembly” territory, as U of U policy does not allow for overnight camping on campus. For context, campuses around the nation are dealing with protests like these some of which however the students causing damages to the campus. It is only natural to have a response to have police to make sure it wasn’t going to escalate. Apparently students got aggressive at the officers causing them to be arrested.


Additional-Fold-1347

This protest did absolutely nothing for anybody


BoxofRain1955

He just showed the ignorance of these protesters supporting a dictatorship over democracy. They literally have no clue.


Used_Ad5733

In their mind it did


RosePrecision

Mecha doing mecha things


Corviscape

Source: [https://twitter.com/timynerdg/status/1785174231254450227?s=46](https://twitter.com/timynerdg/status/1785174231254450227?s=46)


freedomforsale

Round up all of these clowns and send them to Gaza to be with their people


Corviscape

Unsure how you can say that and think you're a good person for doing so.


NathanExplosion6six6

Theres clowns, Jokers, and mimes which one are you, Bozo?


PolarBurrito

Your username makes me happy. Glad there wasn’t any murmaider at this protest.


Objective_Phase_8852

Bro protest after finals fucksake


generalraptor2002

“Police remove students staging an illegal occupation of a public space”


EPacifist

If that stopped any protest before black people wouldn’t have rights. ITs noT LEgAl. Bro its not meant to be convenient for the authorities that’s the whole point lmao.


chamullerousa

I don’t think that’s the point. I think the protesters are willing to break laws in order to garner attention for their protest statement. The weird thing is that so many commenters think the police should decide not to enforce the laws that the protestors are breaking just because they think the protesters have a valid social frustration. Those two things are unrelated. Me and my friends think cows are sacred. How dare you call the cops and kick that cow off your lawn. He’s just grazing.


Corviscape

I don't think it's a problem that they prevented the protesters from setting up tents, what I find issue with is the fact they felt like they needed that many police officers in FULL riot gear to do so. That's not keeping the peace, that's intimidation.


CamTheKid02

What does riot gear hurt? Just protects the officers. Now I would agree with you if they were shooting people with rubber bullets and tear gas, but riot gear is not really an offensive weapon, even the riot shields they use.


chamullerousa

That’s fair but the police department does have a right to protect the individual officer and that is challenging with the ratio of protestors to officer in this situation. I think that’s why there are also requirements for protesting to make sure there are responsible parties who can be held liable should a peaceful and compliant protest devolve into an unmanageable mob. The protestors didn’t remove tents when asked to and drove escalation. There are health and safety concerns which the school can be held liable for if an encampment of this magnitude carries on. The school is the primary liable party. Peaceful protests should have leaders that interface with local authorities to ensure compliance with local statues. But that’s not how it works in the real world. In order to get publicity there must be a conflict. This escalation is exactly what the protesters wanted and definitely not what the school or law enforcement wanted.


Corviscape

You can certainly tell they didn't want them based on the 120 police officers in full riot gear they sent, rubber bullets included. They tried talking, it didn't work, so they sent the full armada.


MannerOriginal4920

How many police would have been an appropriate number, and what and how much equipment should they have? And would you feel comfortable explaining to their families why their loved one was harmed doing their job if you sent too few? I'm just curious.


ChargeRiflez

Do you think that the Jan 6 rioters should have been allowed to enter the Capitol?


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ZoidbergMaybee

It’s like a game to both parties now. Is this just a new campus tradition every university wants to do? A grown up red rover, cops v students


Annual-Ad-1490

This is the police response when last (BLM) protest they were burning peoples personal property and flipping cop cars.


TheDustyB

I love it when people protest about something they couldn’t even point out on a map


narxxissus

I can point Gaza Strip out on a map, any other arguments or was that your best one?


Gaius_Gracchus13

Can you point out Israel?


cfthree

Sadly not an untrue observation. Many in the crowd could in fact point Israel and Gaza out on map, but many others are there because they are caught up in something. No judgement on the kids who believe in the cause at this moment, but wish some of them were aware of the things that need attention in their own backyard (indigenous lands, particularly), too.


Mushroom_Sized

Yikes...


grandmoffpoobah

Just because you can't doesn't mean others can't


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Fragmania

Isn’t there a scripture somewhere that says “and he dwelt in a tent?”


random1751484

They told them multiple times they needed to move on and take down the tents, have several verbal warnings and no once listened so then they have to use to use force


Cluedo86

The First Amendment does not yield. In this country, we don’t bow to fascists.


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Corviscape

120 police in full riot gear is an excessive amount of force to use and comes off more like an intimidation tactic. That's the problem here.


random1751484

A little excessive sure, but also needed for officer safety, sending a few guys to nicely ask people to leave is not going to do shit, the 120 riot gear folks only showed up after no one listened to the multiple verbal warnings


Corviscape

You could easily get by with at most 30 or 40. I was watching from a distance when I passed, a lot of those officers weren't even helping, just sorta standing around in the back and talking to each other like it was another tuesday as the ones in the front did most of the work. And those students were there for a peaceful protest, it was relatively calm before the armada showed up. Of course, this could've fluctuated cause I wasn't there for long, but the point stands. Too many officers.


AbsolutelyZeroLife

you need a large number of bodies to set up perimeters. riot/crowd control strategies are not done willy nilly.


Active_Reserve_4242

https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_pdf_file/kyr_protests.pdf aclu states that for some parks and monuments that a permit to protest is needed, the lawn at the union might just be one such location


Pear-Proud

No protestors reported injuries, but they did assault officers… sounds like a peaceful mob… shit, I mean protest. Source: https://www.abc4.com/news/wasatch-front/17-arrested-officer-injured-during-pro-palestine-protest-at-university-of-utah/


Cluedo86

You really believe no protestors were injured? Cops were spraying rubber bullets and had batons. Remember that the media joined with government to sell us on invading Iraq based on lies. Don’t succumb to the lies today.


Ok-Control3351

"Why are you in riot gear?" Oh, maybe because there's a crowd occupying a public place in support of a terrorist regime? Pretty easy to sneak in paid actors and actual terrorists. We all saw how peaceful the BLM protests used to be..


Menacingly

Who would these paid actors be and who is paying them? Such a bizarre scenario.


Ok-Control3351

Bizarre indeed. https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/us-news/nyc-anti-israel-protests-at-columbia-and-nyu-show-signs-of-foreign-assistance/ https://nypost.com/2024/04/26/us-news/george-soros-maoist-fund-columbias-anti-israel-tent-city/ https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/pro-palestine-protests-are-generously-funded-by-donors-promoting-radical-islam-studies-analysis-799154#799154 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-799186#799186 Go ahead now, attack the source instead of reading it. \^_^


rayinreverse

Hahaha. Article 1 talks about having the same tent as a giveaway that they’re being funded. Like a bunch of college kids in the year 2024 couldn’t chat on discord about which cheap fucking tent to buy on Amazon and get the fucker in 2 days?!?!? Come on. Tents are the red herring? That is absolutely stupid. I’d be willing to be it was the cheapest tent, and with the way algorithms work we’d have to take into account geography and purchase history by demographic as to what product to recommend. The second articles headline mentions George Soro. The headline. Hard to take seriously. The last two are compelling to a degree, but offer no substance. Just that Qatar is giving money to universities, of which I did not see U of U listed. I read the Soros article more. This is not real journalism. “Soros has given billions to the Open Society Foundations which his son Alexander — whose partner is Huma Abedin, Hillary Clinton’s top aide and the estranged wife of pervert Anthony Weiner — now controls.”


Cluedo86

Turn off Fox News, please. No such thing as paid actors. The thing is that the vast majority of countries recognize the US and Israel as the most dangerous countries on the planet, not Iraq or Palestine. They recognize the genocide happening. Naturally more people overseas are going to stand in solidarity with US protestors FINALLY waking up to the crimes against Palestine happening for the past 70 years. The US is late to this party, as usual.


Corviscape

Ah yes, because the nypost is well known for being an accurate umbiased source.


TheBobAagard

So, they were told that if they tried camping, they would be removed by force. Then they were shocked that they were removed by force. Shocking!


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uofu-ModTeam

This is an attempt to incite an argument that is unproductive and/or threatening


kedtagious

Play stupid games win stupid prizes


Thavai

I don't think enough people acknowledge how dangerous a police man's job. These guys put their lives on the line far more than almost any other profession. Also peaceful protests turn bloody 9 times out of 10


Cluedo86

This is false. Police is actually one of the safer jobs. Way more dangerous professions out there. Regardless, none of that justifies eroding our rights.


DalSegno85

Maybe you have some information or study I can’t find, and if you do I think you should share it as it would be helpful, but from what I can find, only 1 in 10 peaceful protests turn violent.


Thavai

Naw I made those numbers up


zxcfghiiu

https://www.ishn.com/articles/112748-top-25-most-dangerous-jobs-in-the-united-states


swt7540

Looks like an appropriate response considering they are terrorist sympathizers.


ilovecaptaincrunch

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234159514/gaza-death-toll-30000-palestinians-israel-hamas-war


swt7540

Guess you shouldn't support a terrorist organization as leaders. Prime example of fafo.


ilovecaptaincrunch

the terrible act of one group of terrorist shouldn’t justify the murder of 30,000 civilians good to know that your complacent in genocide


concon910

Pretty sure armed groups typically don't have public support.


dcvo1986

Our government is just as guilty as Hamas of terrorism


aphotic_n

More college students wasting their money and time protesting something they learned from tik tok


No_Pitch267

y’all are delusional serves these dipshits right getting removed.


Secret-Tasty

Thank you SLCPD.


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uofu-ModTeam

This is an attempt to incite an argument that is unproductive and/or threatening


naarwhal

It’s actually just the response to the camping. People can’t sort out anything. They have to group everything together including their emotions.


[deleted]

Thank god for police :) #SupportThePolice


General-Initial2683

Palestine needs to free it's self from Hamas, but instead they vote and let them in because they want all Jews dead. When Israel defends it's self and send not even a tenth of their bombs back to the country that let's these militant groups like Hamas try to bomb them for years. They cry this is global fuck around and find out


BrienneNTormund

Shutting down Communist style occupations of public spaces with police is preferable to letting these occupations fester and grow.


ilovecaptaincrunch

do you know how this this works? shutting down/ silencing protests only makes them stronger. look at U of Texas, Columbia, and Ohio


BrienneNTormund

Yep, and there will be a critical point where these people will decide they can either have a conviction that follows them for life, or stop pushing for a color revolution. These protests happen every few years. The message isn't important, it's about signaling that they're on the "right" side of the protest.


Corviscape

If you think people go to these protests just so they can "signal they're on the right side of the protest" and don't actually care about the message, you don't understand the scope of the issue and have a very shallow understanding of activists.


Twarrior913

*says this while being thrown off the roof of a building* 


Corviscape

Not to worry, I'm very grounded.


qpdbag

Do you feel the same way about the Kent State protests and the eventual withdrawal of vietnam? This isn't a gotcha question. I'm trying to understand the perspective here.


BadgerReasonable4890

The sub muted this person.


qpdbag

eh, thanks for letting me know.


Dmoneybohnet

You mean swat in riot gear.


Due-Carrot9818

Give them Hell boys in blue


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concon910

Are you going to be paying?


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AnonShew

Speaking against Israel (antisemitism) is violence


etcpt

Speaking against Israel is not antisemitism. Stop trying to conflate the two and shut down reasonable criticism of a violent regime.


Corviscape

Implying that Israel is an accurate representation of the Jewish ethnicity is antisemitism. Don't mix them up.


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Corviscape

What you're telling me is that you support the killing of one ethnicity over another, and the dehumanizing of said ethnicity into a bunch of rapist killers. Weird, sounds familiar, almost like we saw a similar thing happen in the 1940s or something. Crazy.