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Some of us who are critical of police are critical because they've failed us when we called them in to do their job. As a teen I called the police because a neo-nazi was banging down my door screaming racial and sexual epithets and the cops, when they eventually arrived, took one look at my "freaky" hair and style and told me that I should expect to be treated this way. So no, I don't trust the police to protect everyone equally and I am critical of their tactics when dealing with protesters. Still others are critical of police tactics because they have personally had their rights or persons abused by said "protectors of the peace."

This isn't about "us good, them bad." There was a small element of "protesters" who broke off and wreaked havoc. They are responsible for their actions. There were also gross abuses on the side of the police. Peaceful protesters shot at with plastic bullets and even journalists assaulted and arrested. It would be nice if we lived in a world where the cops and the legal system truly and consistently served the ends of peace and justice but we don't and to claim otherwise is to deny the experiences and truths of thousands of people who have been under-served or outright mistreated by that system.