As a REACTION. She’s not going around throwing shit at someone for no reason.
I wouldn’t throw my bike. It’s too expensive. But, if I’m doing what I can (which she apparently was) to move as fast as I can (she was right behind the guy in front of her), I’m going to defend myself if that happens blindly like that. I wouldn’t know it’s a cop doing it. All I’d know is I’d be pissed, and I’d throw something like a fist instead. 'Cept I’d stop as soon as I turned and saw it was a cop, and I’d hope someone got what they did on video. Then it would be fun times in court.
However, if I did turn as a reaction and throw anything, and my face was then in the pavement because of it, then so be it. I understand the consequences, and don’t fault the police that handled her after she threw the bike.
I fault the cop who pushed the club in to her from behind while she wasn’t doing anything but trying to move at the speed those around her would let her.
If the cops want to push someone, go to the people in front who were slowing everything up.
If there is no physical provocation, and the girl IS moving out as fast as she can (which isn’t for the cop to judge when people are directly in front of her), then the cop has no reason to use physical force on an unarmed (other than the bike) hippie chick. I don’t care if she’s screaming fuck you to their face. There have been enough cases won by people who’ve flipped off or swore at officers. They can’t retaliate for verbal abuse.
She was wrong in her reaction once she saw it was a cop. But it never would’ve happened if the first cop didn’t do anything in the first place.
All I know is if I’m moving out like asked, and I got blindsided from behind, I’m not concerning myself if it’s a cop or not, I’m reacting to defend myself. But I wouldn’t be an idiot protester in the first place, and I’d sure as hell think once I turned around and saw it was a cop.
The fact that it’s on video gives her a real strong case, though.
What does having enough time to turn and throw have anything to do with how fast she was moving? She had enough time because no one in front of her was moving fast enough for her to move any faster.
I’m not a bleeding heart bitch. The rest of those shits deserve a beat down if they provoke it by not dispersing at all or come at the cops physically. If the crowd doesn’t disperse, fuckin arrest them. But don’t fuckin push a club in to a chick’s back who appears to be doing exactly what she was supposed to at that time. Key words are “at that time”. Sure she shouldn’t have been there in the first place and should have left earlier. But at the time the video was shot, she wasn’t doing anything but moving out like she was supposed to at that time. And if the cop has a problem with that, then arrest her then, not shove her.