Cop horse bumps another cop

hilarious

i only wish i could laugh about the reality of it all, but it's too bad.

Just before this occurred I overheard police talking about getting horses on the sidewalk to do something and one of the mounted officers said no we're not allowed to go on sidewalks. And then they had this big scene over on the sidewalk. One wonders whether they kept trying and found someone willing to violate the rule, for whatever purpose -- people were being beaten with batons, and pushed by horses.

But the horses really lost it following some imprisoned demonstrators who broke free. Once the horses start bounding about and slipping and sliding everywhere it just snowballs. The cops riding them appear to get really scared and the horses as well, and in the course of flailing out of control they charge lots of people down and scare lots of demonstrators. It's ridiculous that they're allowing this type of dangerous practice.

See the photos from the video for more on this,

http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/02/1575268.php

This was my first protest. I followed and stood near the cop horses on Market Street to bear witness to the actions of the mounted police officers. The officers faced their horses into the advancing breakaway protestors. All around people were shouting at the officers and when the officers did not respond, they began to provoke the horses. One of my fellow protestors grabbed my sign from my hand and started thrusting it into the horse's face to spook him. I had to grab back my own protest sign and yell at the ignorant jerk. Across the street, people started throwing firecrackers at the horses when it became apparent that the officers had no intention of attacking anyone and that the horses were too well-trained to move. Their only purpose was to form a wall to prevent the breakaway protestors from advancing down the street and destroying property. At any time the breakaways could have stepped up onto the sidewalk and rejoined the main body of the protest, then gone anywhere they chose, but they chose to literally attack the police horses with bottles, firecrackers, fists and feet. Finally the unrelenting attacks of the "peaceful"protestors against innocent animals started a chain reaction and the horses were forced up onto the sidewalks. Then, and only then, is when the mounted cops began using their lances--to protect their horses.

"Horses were attacked"

You are lying.

Firecrackers? Please, don't you think we would have heard them? Don't you think the reports would be on someone's video?

Going up and punching a horse? Good way to get a cracked skull.

Yes, a few plastic bottles were thrown that I saw, and not at the horses, but rather at the officers that were acting violent.

I think the poster of that comment is a lying provocateur.

Just look at the people in the march:

http://www.indybay.org/uploads/5_breakaway_size_large.jpg

They could be "destroying property" everywhere they went, but instead they're holding signs, and being peaceful but festive.

The police provoked the crowd repeatedly, then used the situation to their advantage to attack people. To claim it was different is to deny the overwhelmingly obvious facts of the day, as well as the pattern and practice of police behavior not just in San Francisco but throughout history.

not to mention, the email address provided,

"Firemare31 [at] yahoo.com"

Is provocative in itself. Give me a break, you just happen to be named after a war horse? Not just your name for the post, but your email address?

Anyone contacting this person should be very cautious about what they say. Sounds like a troll to gather information which "can and will be used against you".

no acception was made for the horses that were there. While kids attacked police and vice-a-versa, there was no trace of moral acomidation insofar as to maintain the saftey of those large creatures. Firecrackers were used- i heard them, and saw them. While I sympathize with kids being pissed off at cops, i find it absurd that we might be incapable of drawing a distinction between a police officer who has 'intention' driving his actions, as opposed to a non-human animal who has not choosen to be there. The horses will be there again, the police won't stop employing them, but I think it is our task to direct our anger at those who have actively chosen to represent the state rather than beings who are pasively there- and furthermore have no abstract understanding of the moral principals (the war, globalization, anticapitalism, etc...) that are being battled over.

I was at the Peace protest and can swear on a Supreme Court Bible that I eyewitnessed these protestors viciously attack Police Horses without provocation.

In one case, I saw a Blac Block Anarchist from Genoa City, Italy maliciously attack the hooves of one Police horse with his head. This protestor repeatedly smashed his head on the bottoms of this horses hooves without stop. It got so bad at one point that there was blood dripping from this protestor's face as he repeatedly rammed his head into the horse's hooves with reason. I was horrified to see such a display and example of Animal Cruelty in my life. Where is PETA when you need them?

In other instance, I saw many other protestors attack a Police horse using a little known but highly effective form of Blac Block tactic in which the protestors would lie on the ground with their hands over their heads and bait the Police horses into stepping on them. This is a very clever and diabolical tactic designed to bait the Police Horse Officers into tripping and falling over themselves as they are tricked into stepping on the supine protestors. These kinds of tactics are unconscionable and should be denounced by all Right Minded Patriotic Protestors regardless of political affliation and allegiance.

Protect Our Equine Police Officers. Four Legs good. Two legs bad.

i think both groups need more training. someone could have died.

You know i wasn't there but it seems to me that horses used for crowd control are intentionaly exposed to people likely to be hostile- in other words its par for the course. yes i think its lame to hit horses but its also lame to use them in the first place. But here's a thought- find a horse farm- find a mare in heat and get one of blankets or a bunch of them and just keep it in your pack to take out when faced by horses and see what happens- ok they're all prolly geldings or mares but still...

will a horse try and boink me? Getting stepped on was enough, I don't want no horse thinking I'm all sexy!

And yes, that FireMare individual is a provocateur. FireMAre, love, horses had no business being there. Whay aren't you mad at the cops for abusing them? Running them into people, riding them so hard they had sparkes coming off their hooves... the horses should not be responsible for doing pig dirty work. Spooking the horses was a peaceful way of saving them-- they got taken out of there. Horses out=good thing for horses. I wonder why you don't care that the horses were used to trample people...? What about the people?
sfPD your post rocked. I needed that smile-- thanks.

I was in the restaurant doorway with my newborn baby when the cop charged into the doorway. Everyone was screaming there was a baby but he didn't listen and THEN someone threw the bottle at his head and stopped his charge. The horse came within inches of us and we were simply walking home from the rally.

I totally believe that the crowd intended to provoke the police, then went after the horses when they didn't get a response. You people are something else...I thought you were for PEACE?!!! What a bunch of idiotic hypocrites you are. God bless the SFPD Mounted Unit and Mounted Police everywhere around the world. You know, if you're afraid of getting trampled-STAY HOME. By the way, did it ever occur to you that all the money being spent on the Police, who have to guard your sorry asses and protect public and private property while you rant and rave could be spent to feed the homeless? You are so selfish and clueless...Get a life!

There is no better crowd control device than the mounted police. Horses were used successfully for warfare for thousands of years before tanks took over, and the fact that they're still being used today is a tribute to this animal's courage and versatility. Those of you who provoke and attempt to hurt them should be ashamed of yourselves...Some of your comments about horses are so ignorant, they're almost funny...Ridem Cowboy!!!

"all the money being spent on the Police ... could be spent to feed the homeless"
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Not likely, in San Francisco in the early 1990's the police were paid lots of overtime to prevent people from serving the homeless. That has stopped, but the criminalization of homelessness hasn't. The City's elite don't want to feed the homeless, they want to get rid of them.
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"Horses were used successfully for warfare for thousands of years ... Those of you who provoke and attempt to hurt them should be ashamed of yourselves"

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So the police are using a tool of war on us but <i>we</i> should be ashamed for defending ourselves? Whose health and lives do you value more, horses or people?

you could also use the money used to guard willie brown or a number of other squandered resources to feed the homeless. Or the police could just leave us the hell alone. The police were there to control and, sorry, it's just not gonna happen.

Disband the SFPD before they kill again

My flag's color's are red, white and blue, and I'm proud of what it stands for. What does your black flag stand for? The police are not the enemies; as I said, they are there to protect private and public property only. I wrote in response to the fact that people went after the horses when they realized the officers were not going to respond to them. They are doing a job. What do you do for a living?

The horse cops were provoking the protestors. For starters, they charged onto the sidewalk, where they are not allowed to be.

About flags:

http://www.banksy.co.uk/15stencil.html

How were the police "using a tool of war on you?" Let's see, they stood in a line tried to remain calm and do their job. Then they were assaulted by signs on sticks and firecrackers. The cop in the above photos was obviously rushing on to the sidewalk to help the lone foot officer, who I doubt minded being bumped. I definately value the lives of humans over animals, and wouldn't join PETA for all the oil in Kuwait. If you would act like humans instead of animals (sorry, insult to animals), you could protest peacefully and make your point without risking lives on either side...

Cowgirl said such horses were used successfully for warfare. Ergo, they are a tool of war. There is video elsewhere on the site (maybe someone can find it and link to it?) which shows a regular cop asking a mounted cop to go on the sidewalk. The mounted cop said no, they're not allowed to do that. A couple minutes *later*, a horse is on the sidewalk. Looks like they shopped around for a mounted cop willing to break the rules.

As far as "protest peacefully and make your point", the point is not to make a point. The point is stop the war. The point is prevent hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Iraqi deaths. This will require more than obedient, symbolic protest. Tell us, Lady Mountie, what have you been doing lately to stop the pending mass murder in Iraq? Hmm?

I'll tell you what I've been doing, I've been praying. Let me guess-you don't believe in God-He's just a tool used by the racist, war-mongering government to control your morality, right?
Millions of Iraqis will not be killed-unlike their own leader, we go out of our way to prevent that from happening. He rushes to put his people and these pitiful "human targets" in harms way (a war crime, by the way). I thank God we have have a thoughtful man who prays for guidance in the White House, and I can tell you that we had better get rid of these crazy dictators. If you need to be reminded of what ignoring them can result in, I recommend the series "Band of Brothers". God Bless the French, they're always there when they need us (sign seen recently at one of the MANY Rally For Americas around the country, which have been virtually ignored by the liberal media...)
I have so much respect for Tony Blair-he's destroying his political career because he believes he is doing the right thing, not making choices after careful review of the polls...The Iraqi people are not our enemy-Saddam Hussein definately is. He's sneaky though-he's got you and Dan Rather fooled, and he's laughing all the way down the hall to his chemical weapons-proof bunker...GET REAL

FYI, the horses can go anywhere in the city. Do you really think cops are going to stand around and argue aout going on the sidewalk? OOhhh, he was breaking a rule-wow! That rule's only there because people don't like to walk through horseshit-don't look any deeper...