JAYFORCE

Okay, even if you have NO idea what happened before the cam started capturing this action… you can tell the officers got this wrong. Like pepper-spraying-an-innocent-bystander wrong! Then rough-handle him wrong… then whisk him away, retreating into a “private” building wrong.

Demonstrators protest the violence in Gaza during a pro Palestine rally in Seattle. As protestors lined the sidewalks in Westlake Park, a pro Israel supporter walks by, harassing the demonstrators, yelling in peoples faces, screaming obscenities, and racial slurs. After crossing the street and harassing another group of demonstrators, the man tore off his shirt and began walking towards the group with fists clenched. As someone who wasn’t a part of the demonstration walked by, the pro Israel supporter turned and said something as he passed. The man then turned around as if he was going to swing, but thought better of it. The pro Israel supporter squared off with him, but a Westlake security guard who was watching the interaction pulled out his pepper spray, and sprayed the innocent passerby, grabbed him by the arm and tried to wrestle him to the ground. He was eventually led off into Westlake Center as SPD arrived on the scene.

A subset of the photos taken documenting the moments before the video are included after the jump (source). THEN go back and watch the video again. Let it sink in. Then Google this phrase: quis custodiet ipsos custodes? And watch it again.

I thought I’d make a crack about out of control security officers being frustrated for not being ‘real’ cops; not having real guns. Then I thought:

1. I don’t hate on anyone doing her/his job (and some security officers actually do their jobs)
2. I am SO glad that ALL the officer had was pepper spray (another gun on another authority figure could’ve meant another Black man dead in this case).

Shout to @Carmen_Breezy for dropping this lead in the inbox!

– @ojones1

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