Katelyn

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:22:49 -0800

I do think that the rioting students were "just plain wrong", if well-intentioned. As all the reports come in, it looks increasingly like the police responded appropriately. I'm still glad to see any attention being called to police accountability, though, and if this unfortunate riot is what leads to some actual changes being made in that regard, then it's been at least partially redeemed in my book. Thanks for commenting!

Euromutt

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 13:35:52 -0800

Frankly, what leaves a bad taste in my mouth are mealy-mouthed "all sides are equally guilty" platitudes in a lame, misguided attempt at even-handedness, prompted by the absence of any substantial knowledge about the events in question. Sometimes, one side is just plain wrong, and in this instance, it's not the cops. Available evidence indicates that the members of various law enforcement agencies made repeated efforts to de-escalate the situation, to which the majority of the crowd were simply not receptive. This video is not helpful in any way. Aside from being made by people who are not part of the Evergreen/Olympia chapter of the Congress, and who therefore cannot be assumed to have any special insight in the events of 02/15, it's a transparent attempt to divert attention from the role of the Hip Hop Congress by piling blame on the various law enforcement agencies involved. Apart from being unnecessarily inflammatory (but hey, the makers of the video aren't part of the Evergreen community, and they don't live in Olympia, so they won't have to live with the possible fallout from their propaganda piece), it's also completely unnecessary, since as far as I can ascertain, the Hip Hop Congress in general, and the Evergreen chapter in particular, bear no culpability for the occurrence of the riot to begin with.

Seattlest: Fallout From Evergreen Riot Draws Attention To Police Accountability

Katelyn

Euromutt