The journalist in me is gushing at this picture as a piece of photojournalism, but that's not what i want to talk about.
Various folks are comparing this to the famous Tienanmen Square picture. I think the comparison is hyperbole, but it does come across very similarly. We have a peaceful protester who is very obviously not a threat to anyone standing opposite of police officers who are excessively equipped for the situation.
And yet, the response from the usual suspects is exactly what I knew it would be.
"She's blocking traffic!"
"She's breaking the law!"
"The cops need to protects themselves!"
"The cops told the protesters to disperse!"
And so on and so fucking forth. Because apparently I should be more worried about a 100 or so pound woman standing peacefully than the small army of cops wearing gear more akin to an invasion force than a police service, driving around armored combat vehicles, using a sound cannon that was designed for use in war zones, carrying military issue weapons (with tear gas probably prepared for use in a moment's notice) and being more heavily armored than soldiers in Iraq. Yup, these guys are totally there to keep the peace and prevent anyone from getting hurt. They're TOTALLY not there to quell the protest and shut it down to prevent them from being heard.
Has this fucking country learned nothing from Ferguson and Baltimore?