This is where the obsession with “communities” gets you.
What more proof do some need? Here is a West Midlands Police officer admitting that there was no police present in Birmingham yesterday because the “community leaders” said there would be no trouble.
When police presence is optional for some communities, it’s two tier policing. pic.twitter.com/Xk4KCiMfys
It all becomes so much safer and more cuddly when it’s a “community” – The Community of violent enraged men told us we didn’t need to worry about them today, so that’s why we didn’t. Thanks, bro.
1. If he’d said this a week ago–before the riots started–he could at least argue best effort, best judgment, best intelligence, no one was expecting a riot (no one was). But now? Dude, they’ve been rioting for a week. How can you not see this?
2. Talking to “business and community leaders” beforehand is all good and well. But here’s the thing: business and community leaders hardly ever riot. And rioters hardly ever sit down beforehand with the police to announce their intentions. cf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_bit
“Community leaders, Vimes thought. There”d been a lot of talk about community leaders lately, as in “community leaders appealed for calm, a phrase the Times used so often that the printers probably left it set in type. Vimes wondered who they were, and how they were appointed and, sometimes, if “appealing for calm” meant winking and saying “Do not use those shiny new battle-axes in that cupboard over there … No, not that one, the other one.” Hamcrusher had been a community leader.”
Thud! and Jingo seem particularly relevant right now…
Oy.
1. If he’d said this a week ago–before the riots started–he could at least argue best effort, best judgment, best intelligence, no one was expecting a riot (no one was). But now? Dude, they’ve been rioting for a week. How can you not see this?
2. Talking to “business and community leaders” beforehand is all good and well. But here’s the thing: business and community leaders hardly ever riot. And rioters hardly ever sit down beforehand with the police to announce their intentions. cf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_bit
Hahaha good point.
“Community leaders, Vimes thought. There”d been a lot of talk about community leaders lately, as in “community leaders appealed for calm, a phrase the Times used so often that the printers probably left it set in type. Vimes wondered who they were, and how they were appointed and, sometimes, if “appealing for calm” meant winking and saying “Do not use those shiny new battle-axes in that cupboard over there … No, not that one, the other one.” Hamcrusher had been a community leader.”
Thud! and Jingo seem particularly relevant right now…