just turning this idea over in my mind. Obviously the images of selfies being taken with cops and things of that nature paint quite a different picture to what we were seeing during the Northern hemisphere summer, but let’s not forget they did also kill one of them, and they did bust out the tear gas and stuff.
Was this just another strategic retreat type of tactic, where the cops figure “let them come in and bust up the furniture, they’ll tucker themselves out”? Has the difference in police response been exaggerated? I think it’s obvious on its face that a significant portion, if not a majority, of cops share sympathies with the protestors cause, but that doesn’t necessarily equate to mass dereliction of “duty”.
I’m not particularly trying to advance this argument, more just trying to get a discussion going and see what everyone thinks.
IMO MPD abandoning their precinct was on purpose.
https://twitter.com/webster/status/1267575768801918976
So, I do think both incidents are similar, but in a different way than you are implying. They are similar because both events were allowed to happen because they were useful to power. But I'm also very stupid and cynical so probably completely off base.