Pocatello, Idaho: Snipers on the Roof, But It’s “Just a Peaceful Protest”...

Pocatello, Idaho: Snipers on the Roof, But It’s “Just a Peaceful Protest”...

In an unbelievable display of excessive force, police in Pocatello, Idaho, decided to greet peaceful protesters with... snipers on the roof. Yes, snipers. For a peaceful protest. Why? Because a group of people dared to show up outside the police station after 17-year-old Victor Perez, a disabled autistic boy, was tragically gunned down by police. He was declared brain dead yesterday.

Let that sink in. The response to a peaceful protest calling for justice? Snipers. Not dialogue. Not de-escalation. Not even an attempt at understanding the community’s pain. Instead, they turned a peaceful gathering into a military operation. This is what tone-deaf policing looks like.

How far have we fallen when peaceful protests are met with militarized force? What kind of message does this send? The real question is—what happens when the police don’t listen? Because when the response to grief and outrage is snipers, it’s clear the real target isn’t just the protest—it’s the very right to protest.