The police force sent to handle the ICE protests has been anything but pro-citizen, especially officers facing off against those demonstrating in Austin, Texas. In a video uploaded to r/Austin by Valuable-Junket9617, a group of cops can be seen violently arresting a protestor, causing a crowd of onlookers and bystanders to gather about the scene. Suddenly, several officers approach and begin to push away those who have gotten too close, triggering panic within the crowd. Suddenly, without any warning, one cop pepper sprayed every nearby citizen, causing them to scream in pain as their eyes burned.
“What the f*** was that pepper spray for?! You burned my eyes!” yelled the Austin resident taking the video. Of course, the police stood there like NPCs, staring at the crowd as if nothing happened while yelps of pain sounded from the gatherers. One could say some of the victims’ screams were over the top and unnecessary, but getting pepper sprayed when you did nothing to deserve it would likely get you upset, too. That said, Redditors reacting to the clip had nothing good to say about the cops involved, considering how the Austin PD barely did anything prior to the ICE protests, according to comments.
“Oh there is the Austin Police Department finally back from the 4 year sabbatical,” joked a top commenter. A reply claims not to have seen the police force since 2020. “I know! They donโt respond to anything. Ever,” chimes in another. “Not murders, DV, B&E, car theftโฆ nothing. Letโs also not forget what an absolute s*** show the driving has gotten around here too. But THIS, this gets them crawling out of from under their hate rock.” A fourth responded with a story about how a friend got their car totaled in a hit-and-run, but the police did nothing to help, calling it a “civil matter.” “What a load of a**holes,” the user remarks.
“Iโm surprised they showed up,” agrees another user. “But the idea of beating up innocent people probably got their whites too tight to turn a blind eye like they usually do.” One user asks, “Where are all these officers when citizens genuinely need assistance? Do they only clock in on first amendment participation days?” While there are undoubtedly trolls among these commenters, a vast majority seem to share a strong sentiment that Austin PD is not doing its job properly. What’s the point of having a police force and paying taxes to have them employed when they do nothing for citizens besides appear at protests?
Something definitely needs to change, and it’s likely the ones in charge who are accountable. Good and bad cops do exist, but every officer would be doing their job correctly if the higher-ups better manage them.
