Plus use their own bodies as shields in case things go bad, like the Reagan attempt and maybe others that I am failing to remember because NA education.
Makes me wonder, aside from being the literal definition of badass, what kind of payment system/bonus system is there in place for someone throwing himself into a hail of bullets to protect a VIP?
I assume dying in the line of duty while using your body as a shield is in the ballpark of "my family will never worry for anything ever again" territory. At least I hope so.
People on my friends list were posting some meme about no one getting killed at the MAGA Insurrection, and how that was racist, but uh, I think this clearly illustrates the opposite. It shows how lucky the Portland rioters were that they let them attack the federal building with only tear gas, rubber bullets and loud noises as a response.
Those were kid gloves. This is what it looks like when they are being serious.
I think the big difference is that in case of the police stations, they were more or less just protecting a building, which then turned into an orderly retreat. If the building gets damaged, that's obviously bad, but in the Capitol, especially at the place where the chick was shot, I assume that was a hallway with politicians holed up, which would explain the use of deadly force.
Why does anybody have to die like this? There was no justification to use violence.
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Frankly, there was. She was about to jump through a door into a corridor protected by the secret service protecting politicians from a very clearly very angry mob that she was part of. The line had to be somewhere and it turned out to be that specific doorway. She died a stupid death, but it's her own fault. I can't really blame the police or secret service for drawing a line at some point.
Honestly were it not for the single erroneous shooting it would have been the perfect protest. They took the capitol over unarmed, sent a message, and were escorted out.
Without the shooting, I doubt they would have left that easily or quickly. I really think it was just a matter of time until shit escalates to some form of violence, at which point people would realize that... yeah... shit's fucky and twitchy cops with drawn guns isn't really something you want to face down while only holding a "No step on snek" flag. The moment that woman was shot, they understood that this is not a game, that they could be next and that their best chance to prevent that is to be cooperative and leave.