Kettling: Why is this police tactic so controversial?

In any sufficiently large protest, police officers may "kettle" protesters. Critics say it violates human rights, while advocates claim its one of the few safe tools available to police during a protest.

Photo by Ben Koorengevel on Unsplash
  • "Kettling" is when police form a cordon surrounding a group of protesters, immobilizing them for hours or directing them to a single exit.
  • It's an effective tactic to control the movements of a crowd, but it also catches people indiscriminately — journalists, protesters, rioters, innocent civilians — and cuts people off from food, water, and toilets for hours.
  • Some police officers have taken advantage of kettles to abuse protesters, but its still seen as one of the few effective ways to control a potentially violent crowd.
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Politics & Current Affairs

5 ways you can personally fight the climate crisis

Step one, start the discussion.

As we watch the youth take to the streets over climate change, and read daily news reports on sea-level rise, glacier melt rates and the alarming amount of carbon in the atmosphere, many are left with a desire to act.

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Politics & Current Affairs

These are the world’s most fragile states in 2019

Yemen leads the list of the most fragile nations, with the U.S. and U.K. among the "most worsened."

MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images

There are some rankings no nation wants to lead.

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Politics & Current Affairs

20 states are attempting to pass 'heartbeat laws.' Georgia and Ohio just passed their own.

Roe who?

(Photo by Brendan Smialowski / AFP)
  • Four states have now passed "heartbeat laws," which ban abortions at about six weeks.
  • Ohio's new law prohibits rape and incest victims from having an abortion.
  • In Georgia, having a miscarriage could result in an investigation.
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Politics & Current Affairs

Free speech on college campuses: A bottom-up approach is best

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  • There are 2 different approaches to governing free speech on college campuses.
  • One is a morality/order approach. The other is a bottom-up approach.
  • Emily Chamlee-Wright says there are many benefits to having no one central authority on what is appropriate speech.
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