Deëscalation tip #40

We can easily find a great deal of advice for police on how they should deëscalate, but where is the advice on how we can deëscalate the police? When they go bonkers they hurt people with a great deal of "qualified immunity" to pad them, legally, so they have little or no "window of exposure." 

On the Portland Peace Team, we deëscalate police at demonstrations by thanking them for not hurting protesters, or resisters. We remind them that they are doing well in public opinion and will continue to do so if they don't hurt people. If protestes start chanting inadvisable messages such as "All cops are bastards! All cops are bastards!" we apologize and thank them for their ability to see the trauma behind such chants. 

Will it always work? HTTFN (Hell To The F__k No). Almost nothing always works. But when it does, what if we "only" save one young one from getting smashed by a police baton? What if we "only" save one young Black woman from getting beaten or pepper sprayed? For some of us, that is worth it.