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Comment by ianleeclark | Hacker News Reader

> A non trivial number of the protesters are advocating for complete elimination of the police though.

This categorically isn't defunding police, this is police abolition, and getting them confused is likely why you think it's a luxury belief because I fail to see what's luxurious about getting tear gassed every Friday/Saturday night or having the cops stand aside letting groups like the Proud Boys brutalize protestors and journalists. There's nothing luxurious about getting tear gassed for 3 months straight, it's a genuine struggle.

What's luxurious is you and I.

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>There's nothing luxurious about getting tear gassed for 3 months straight

Why are you being tear gassed so often? I've been in US many times, for many months, I have never been tear gassed by police.

Have you gone to any protests?

I got teargassed holding my hands up and chanting. Twice.

Were you gassed before or after the protest was deemed an unlawful assembly?

If the protest was deemed an unlawful assembly you were participating in civil disobedience where a police response should be expected.

If not, you should file a civil rights lawsuit.

SPD routinely started firing into crowds prior to making any such announcements, including the first time I was hit. The second time, they announced it and then immediately started firing at the crowd.

Announcing an unlawful assembly is not carte blanche to dole out collective punishment or violence, either.

There's already lawsuits ongoing. They won't go anywhere in terms of reforms because individual cops are virtually always indemnified, difficult to identify in these situations (many covered their badge numbers and nametags with tape), and the city will absorb the cost without the department taking any real hits.

There are people who absolutely mean "defund the police" as "defund the police to 0:"

https://www.8toabolition.com/defund-the-police

Now, do they represent the majority of the people calling for defunding the police? I don't know. But it's not "categorically" different.

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