CNN: Why Arrest Protesters for ‘Breaking Whatever Law?,’ Give Them Space to ‘Work it Out’
After a violent night of unrest around the country following the officer involved shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and the ambush on police officers in Dallas, CNN reporter Victor Blackwell asks the ridiculous on News Day Sunday, “How does the department get to that point of saying, “we just need to clear this road and arrest them for breaking whatever law?””
Blackwell’s concern was for that of DeRay McKesson a leader in the Black Lives Matter movement who, along with roughly 125 others, was arrest for “simple obstruction of a highway,” according to Blackwell. He pointed to how New York City police allowed non-permitted protesters to shut down streets, and disrupt the city, as the example for how police should respond.
CNN’s Law Enforcement Analyst Art Roderick blamed it on Baton Rouge PD’s inexperience in dealing with large protests as the problem, “New York is probably a lot more used to this type of protest. And they know how to handle this particular situation. Baton Rouge, maybe not so much.” He went on to argue that what the protesters really need is some space, “they’re going to learn through this process that, “you know, even though they might not be permitted, let’s let them protest. Let’s let them work it out.””
Roderick seemed to be channeling Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake whose administration infamously gave rioters “space to destroy,” following the controversial death of Freddie Gray.
ART RODERICK: Um hm.
BLACKWELL: When we watch the protests in New York, those are protests without permits. They are walking in the middle of the streets and officers are walking alongside them. So when we go to Baton Rouge, why arrests there instead of keep peace?
RODERICK: It’s different jurisdictions. And everybody— Every police department is going to handle these types of situations a little differently. New York is probably a lot more used to this type of protest. And they know how to handle this particular situation. Baton Rouge, maybe not so much. I mean, obviously now since the incident occurred down in Baton Rouge, the shooting in Baton Rouge, they’re going to learn through this process that, “you know, even though they might not be permitted, let’s let them protest. Let’s let them work it out.”
BLACKWELL: Take us into the decision making process. Because we see, as you say from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the protests — although there were arrests in New York last night. What we see over I guess over the last several years of these protests, is that often police in New York make sure that people are safe. They walk alongside them. They keep order. When DeRay McKesson or other people step into the road, they’re arrested for stepping in the road. How does the department get to that point of saying, “we just need to clear this road and arrest them for breaking whatever law?”
RODERICK: Well I mean, when you look at NYPD, you look at Baton Rouge PD, obviously there’s a disparity of experience in these types of situations. But let me tell you, I’ve been involved in mass arrestment situations. They’re an absolute nightmare for law enforcement. Because, not only are you physically making the arrest, but then you’ve got to process them, you’ve got to get them to the court system. It jams the whole court system up. So really, in these larger jurisdictions they don’t want to deal with these mass arrest scenarios. It just creates a nightmare not only for the police department, but the court system and the correction system. So, the whole judicial process gets jammed up when you make these mass arrests.