Porter: When police stick to phony script (...G20 police tactics)

[arikara]

They call it the Miami Model.

But it could be called the Genoa model, the Pittsburgh model and, after this weekend, the Toronto model.

It refers to police tactics used in Miami seven years ago, during the Free Trade Area of the Americas summit, and, more importantly, the protests erupting on the streets outside.

Manny Diaz, Miami’s then-mayor, called the police methods exemplary — a model to be followed by homeland security when confronting protesters.

Human rights groups including Amnesty International called it a model of police brutality and intimidation.

...more...

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/TorontoG20Summit/article/828876

[Brundle_Fly]

1. I am ashamed of Toronto today.

this was not my city.

[rbixby]

3. What makes me sad

Is that there's always that element of people who destroy property, set police cars on fire, and essentially provide the justification for the ridiculous 'police state' that exists around these things. Why can't they practice peaceful civil disobedience? The same sorts of things happened at the RNC here a couple years ago. The peaceful rallies and marches go just fine until a few people start breaking stuff and then all hell breaks loose because there's plenty of tension between the cops and the protesters.

[Doctor_J]

4. The violent ones were very likely plants -

agents provocateur.

[Daveparts still]

2. The protesters

Time and time again use the wrong tactics. When your enemy is strong you attack him where his is weak.
the protests in Toronto should have been staged in Windsor. The police would still have to cover Toronto but would have to dissipate their ranks to protect Windsor.

Several years ago when the protests where in Pittsburgh I couldn't help but notice that Pittsburgh is between two rivers. 20,000 protesters divided by three bridges and you have shut Pittsburgh down. Where did the protesters go? Downtown! They wanted to dot the i instead of making a statement.

"All right everybody listen up! We're going to march downtown and make it as easy as possible for the police to arrest us. I want you to line up in an orderly fashion when the paddy wagons arrive.
Walk in line abreast and don't stagger yourself it only makes it harder for police to surround you."