No, protesters, Phoenix police are not the enemy

We are not at war with one another. It just feels that way. The us-vs.-them mentality displayed at Wednesday’s Phoenix City Council meeting accurately reflects the anger and frustration of our times. But it does not strengthen our community.

It does not provide constructive criticism for the Phoenix Police Department.

It does not leave room for the kind of frank discussions necessary to accurately answer charges that Phoenix police used too much force Aug. 22 during antiTrump demonstrations.

It does not acknowledge the fact that police are not the enemy, and that videos released of the demonstrations suggest they were not the aggressors.

But, in simple truth: We don’t know yet if the police went too far in their crowd-control efforts.

Consider the context: It was a supercharged event with a high potential for trouble — particularly following the violence surrounding a white-supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Our local law enforcement carefully planned for the president’s visit, with public safety as the paramount concern.

During the long, hot day, police behaved reasonably and professionally. They were a calming, reassuring presence.

The protests were peaceful — remarkably so, admirably so — as people passionately expressed vastly different political views. They exercised their constitutional rights.

It wasn’t until later, after some protesters began provocations that included throwing things at officers, that police responded with smoke bombs, pepper balls, tear gas and foam projectiles.

The Police Department has released a video that shows protesters throwing objects at officers, including gas canisters with an unknown substance. They were coming from the area where far-left antifa protesters were circulating.

Did the police respond appropriately? Were people given adequate warning? Did the peaceful protesters in the crowd have time to disperse?

These are critically important questions, and the answers will shape future police conduct. In a free society, the police are held to scrupulous standards.

The Phoenix Police Department wanted to know the answers — which is exactly how a responsible police department should react.

Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams launched a review right away. That’s standard procedure, and Williams has given the community no reason to doubt that she is ready to do a fair-minded job of looking at how her officers performed. The review is ongoing.

Before it could conclude, Phoenix City Manager Ed Zuercher announced the city was going to hire an outside consulting firm to do an additional review “to ensure public confidence in our Police Department.”

His move, which could be seen as undercutting confidence in Williams’ ability to handle the situation, came with assurances that the outside review “does not diminish the professionalism of our Phoenix police officers.”

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton also called the review “the most objective and transparent way we can move forward.” He also praised Williams’ police force as “as one of the finest police departments in the country.”

The need for the outside review was debatable. But expressing confidence in the Phoenix Police Department was both appropriate and necessary.

Officers kept protesters on either side apart and safe during the demonstrations. The goal of these officers was public safety. Their behavior needs to be assessed in that context.

They were responding to provocation and attempting to keep a tinderbox situation from escalating into a full-blown riot, which might well have been the goal of some of the more radical protesters.

The peaceful protesters can be heard in the videos yelling at others to stop throwing things. Clearly, it was the peaceful protesters who were in the greatest danger if widespread violence broke out.

In recent protests in both Charlottesville and Berkeley, California, local police were accused of doing too little to protect peaceful protesters. In one case, the alleged perpetrators were white supremacists; in the other, they were leftists. In Phoenix, there were no serious injuries or property damage.

Nevertheless, at Wednesday’s council meeting, protesters yelled, name-called and railed against the police, saying that “the police attacked us” and their “use of force was excessive” and that “heads need to roll.”

Zuercher withdrew his recommendation for the outside review, though Stanton still thinks it is a good idea.

Among the estimated 200 people who took over the council meeting were a man who said he had been injured by the police action and a woman who said police issued a warning that they were going to respond, but did not give her sufficient time to clear the area.

These are important stories that need to be heard as part of a review of what happened. That review is ongoing.

If these stories are explored in an atmosphere of cooperation and a shared goal of increasing public safety, they can help the police do better next time.

If these testimonies are simply hurled to accuse and condemn, they lose their potential to make a positive difference in our community.

We are in this together. It is very easy to forget that these days. Failing to recognize the good work of our police and their largely successful outcomes during the Phoenix Trump rally is a mistake. It is as big a mistake as failing to speak up when law enforcement does not live up to its high standards.