Cops bring assault rifles to evict homeless people from the beach:

[tblue37]

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Assault rifles. Assault rifles to evict homeless folks from the beach. Assault rifles.

Are we monsters?

[Maru Kitteh]

1. "Are we monsters?" Yes. Yes we are. nt.

[Yonnie3]

2. Without them they feel vulnerable

Inside the armor and behind the guns are often small, inferior feeling people.

[Baked Potato]

3. Yes, his X-Ray vision should tell him there's only a plastic butter knife. Nt

[jmbar2]

4. On the other hand...

They don't know what's in those tents. Some of those folks could be armed and crazy. If I were a cop these days, I'd be overly cautious in this type of operation.... They are probably also outnumbered.

[Aristus]

6. Once more, the misperception of the homeless as crazed dangerous monsters.

The homeless are infinitely more likely to be the victims of violent crimes than the perpetrators.

It’s interesting how we transform in our minds the most vulnerable in our society to the most ominous.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

7. This☝️

[iluvtennis]

19. This☝️ x 2.

[jmbar2]

8. I agree that the majority are harmless, and often sort of helpless

But some are also potentially dangerous when feeling threatened. And this sweep could trigger someone with a loose cannon.

[Zeitghost]

11. They are also

More likely to commit violent crimes. The two statistics are not mutually exclusive.

[Aristus]

14. Those homeless people who commit violent crimes usually do so

against other homeless people. One has greater cause to fear the police than the homeless.

[Zeitghost]

15. I'm not sure why the victims being homeless matter to you...

And the irony of making this argument in a thread on a story about cops responding to reports of a homeless person threatening people with a gun can't be missed.

[Aristus]

16. I work in a medical clinic that serves our homeless population.

I’ve worked with homeless people in one capacity or another for sixteen years. I’ve seen the realities of life in the homeless community close-up.

There is not a more misunderstood group of people in the country. I’ve seen cops threaten and harass my patients, steal their belongings, confiscate their medications, and visit a whole host of other unpleasant things upon vulnerable, frightened people who are just trying to make it through the day (and night).

[RKP5637]

5. Welcome to America. n/t

[demmiblue]

9. Venice Beach Cops Point Assault Rifles at Homeless ... Called for Man with Gun

Venice Beach is looking like a war zone -- this footage shows police officers armed with assault rifles detaining a group of homeless people, but cops say the tense incident was misrepresented on social media.

The video does seem rather menacing -- the heavily-armed LAPD officers were questioning 5 homeless people sitting on their knees in front of a makeshift encampment, with their hands in the air.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... this happened in the afternoon of July 25, when police got a call reporting a man brandishing a gun and threatening someone.

We're told police found a BB gun in the area, but no one was arrested because cops could not find a victim. Our sources say it's routine for cops to respond with heavy firepower when they get a call about a person armed with a gun.

https://amp.tmz.com/2021/08/03/police-assault-rifle-homeless-venice-beach-lapd/

[TreasonousBastard]

10. Why are they being evicted in the first place? It's Venice Beach, so did someone complain they...

didn't look the part of proper beach people?

While it looks terrible, and no doubt was, in this era of gun-toting assholes, how would the cops know there were no weapons in those tents?

Were the beach people warned to leave, or were the cops the first they knew of their displacement?

In Riverhead, Long Island, there is a large forested area, part of the Pine Barrens, where everyone knows there is a homeless "village". The cops and the town are OK with it. And camper parking in large parking lots is generally OK. Walmart is one place campers and vans congregate. Homeless usually don't want to live on the beach, anyway. Too far from food and stuff.

[SoCalNative]

13. They are being removed

because they have taken over the Venice boardwalk and surrounding neighborhoods and there have been many violent attacks that have happened and both the businesses and residents have had enough. They are all being offered shelter.

[XanaDUer2]

12. Yes, American culture and many Americans are monstrous nt

[ananda]

18. Absolutely... monsters!

This is our world now.

[quakerboy]

20. Cause you never know when theres gonna be a pet dog that needs shooting

Thats a police specialty. Along with shooting humans.

[NotANeocon]

21. They hate us for our freedoms - in the greatest country on earth!