Policing Protests

From the thesis abstract: "The study of a law enforcement response to a national movement is a homeland security issue. How America polices its population establishes the benchmark for how it treats the world and is worthy of exploration. What can the experiences of four major U.S. cities, in their response to the Occupy Movement, tell us about using emergent strategies for policing protest in the twenty-first century? In the fall of 2011, the Occupy Movement protests swept across the United States in a matter of weeks. Activists demonstrated against income inequality and the state of the economy, and they established camps in major urban areas, occupying public spaces. I conducted case studies of New York City; Oakland, California; Portland, Oregon; and Dallas, Texas, and analyzed the results. That analysis revealed common themes, including a lack of negotiated management, restricting access to traditionally open public spaces by the police and the use of emergent practice in the complex adaptive environment of demonstrations. From this analysis, I am able to provide strategic recommendations for city and police leaders in dealing with protests in the twenty-first century utilizing a sense-making framework that will assist leaders in strategic planning for protests for large and small cities alike."

From the Document: "During the spring and summer of 2020, protests in response to the death of George Floyd erupted in major cities across the country. Responding to a perceived failure by state and local officials to control the protests, President Trump threatened to take action by, for example, deploying the military into cities to restore order. Recently, in the midst of ongoing protests in Portland, Oregon, the Trump Administration deployed hundreds of agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Although, according to some, the Portland protests were largely nonviolent, DHS reported numerous instances of what it terms 'violent anarchists' committing crimes against federal property, justifying the presence of federal officers. Reports of unidentified federal law enforcement officers detaining protestors and transporting them in unmarked vehicles escalated tensions between local officials and the Trump administration. The federal law enforcement presence in Portland comes after federal agents were used to respond to similar protests in Washington, DC. [...] This Sidebar discusses the general legal authorities relied on by DHS to allow for the federal presence in Portland and explores the potential legal questions raised by the presence of federal law enforcement in Portland, including the constitutional implications of the various tactics used by the federal officers."

From the executive summary: "This COPS [Community Oriented Policing Services] Office Critical Incident Review (CIR) of the 18-day occupation of the front lawn and the street in front of the MPD [Minneapolis Police Department] Fourth Precinct, completed by the Police Foundation, provides a comprehensive overview of the occupation from the perspectives of the MPD, elected leaders, demonstrators, and community members. The CIR identifies findings and recommendations as they relate to the response in Minneapolis, but apply more generally to civil disturbances across the nation. While the authors understand the unique set of circumstances that surround the protests and occupation of the Fourth Precinct, they also understand that the decision-making framework for the police response to this incident can and should be reviewed within the context of other significant incidents to identify important lessons that can be applied if a similar event occurs in another city, as well as to critical incidents more generally. The findings and recommendations in this report center on leadership; command and control; response to civil disorder; accountability and transparency; internal communications; public information and media; use of force; intelligence gathering; training; equipment and tools for managing demonstrations; officer safety, wellness, and resilience; and community engagement and relationships."