My friend and I were walking around watching the aftermath of the Sunday morning riots and I thought it an interesting fact that I heard people complaining, mostly while walking down High Street, but even upon entering my dorm lobby.

These people, who were obviously somehow involved in the riots, were complaining about being shot with kneeknockers (big wooden bullets) and tear gas. If you’re in the crowd of rioters, you are part of the problem. No innocent people were in that clump of drunken humanity Sunday morning. If you were in the crowd, you got what you deserve.

I heard others say they didn’t do anything and they got shot. Upon asking further, I was informed they walked past a line of cops in riot gear, on their way to only they know where. The cops maced them, and they say they were innocent.

These people were obviously too drunk to realize that if they were in a veritable war zone, they may get mugged, beaten, or killed. Maybe without any malice, they get hit in the head with a stray beer bottle. I’d rather have mace sprayed in my face and burn for a day, than be in the hospital for a week. People don’t realize that the cops, although they may hurt you, are protecting you.

One young drunkard told me of a female cop going along Norwich looking for open doors. When she found an open door, she shot a tear gas canister into it. Perhaps this is because if there is a riot in your front yard, it is unsafe to be in your house. Your house may get looted, and you may get raped or beaten in the process. If there were people in those houses, they needed to get out. If there weren’t, no one got hurt.

Upon hearing my theory, my anarchist friend quipped that the “pig was on a power trip.” Maybe she was simply perturbed. Perhaps she was hit with a beer bottle and she went off. No one reading this letter can say that they haven’t ever snapped.

Cops are humans, not “pigs.” They have possibly the most stressful job, especially when a crowd of ingrate, drunk, rich college kids take up their time with throwing things at them, threatening the lives of cops, and destroying innocent people’s property. If you were within range of the tear gas, you got what you deserved.

Shane Cullen,Freshman,Fine Art Photography