Good show by the Police

The Victorian police did it well.

I've been pretty down on the Victorian cops lately because of my past experiences, but they seem to have handled the GS20 protestors admirably. From all newspaper accounts, a few cops were manhandled and injured, but none of the protestors were harmed in any significant way.
There's not much I can say for these nutcases who think violent protest is the only way.
Angry people roiled to hate do stupid things and then try to justify them out of guilt. In trying to justify their own guilt, people are drawn into doing more stupid ugly things.

Violence only causes others to turn away in disgust, never listening to the issues and concerns of the protestors - valid or not. You'd think after a half-century of successful non-violent protest movements, the organizers of such things would would catch on.

For the cops who were injured, my condolences, respect and appreciation. You did the right thing. I'd hate to think that it was only because there were cameras present, but for whatever reason: Good show!


It saddens me that because of the actions of other police officers, and officers of the court, I cannot give my unqualified appreciation.

There's not much that would make me join in a rally or mob protest. Mobs are not my style. I'm more the walk up and say what I mean type.
About the only thing I can think of would be a Men's Rights rally. I'd stand up to be counted there. You won't find me throwing any bottles or bins at the police though. In fact, I'd probably take the bottles away from any idiot throwing them, and turn them over to the police.

It's not easy holding your principles and training when people are attacking you from all sides, I know.
My experience with the Victorian police was that they joined in the mob mentality, and even encouraged it.

Intervention Orders are supposed to protect everyone. The Orders are meant to go both ways.

They are not a ticket for one side to intimidation and abuse. Yet that is exactly what I was told by one police sergeant on the phone.
A/Sgt Clark in Frankston told me flatly: "They can do anything they want to you - argue, scream, threaten, even assault - and if you do anything in response, I'll send a car out to arrest you." - I even made him repeat it.
He was the desk sergeant at the time, dispatching calls.
I was absolutely flabbergasted (aussie: gob-smacked), yet he delighted my ex and her daughter with his words - and they took them to heart.
They had already come over with a mob to jeer and threaten me from my backyard.
My ex and the other conspirators taught me an ugly lesson about what it means to be Australian: mob rules only. And the sergeant backed them up completely.

I noticed recently that I had no momentoes of that time. I was talking to one of the life guards at the local pool about it, and he asked about my walking stick. He wanted to know if I would keep it to remember how hard it was. And he congratulated me on how hard I had fought to walk again.
I realized that the scum had kept it, along with all the other household goods.
Things like that, coupled with A/Sgt Clark's words, only make me wish the stick ends up somewhere the sun doesn't shine - with either my ex or A/Sgt Clark apprehending.