General Discussion

Of course they couldn't just ignore the call. I used to be a police dispatcher (not for the NYPD) so I'm very aware of how police operate in general.

The point is that I've yet to see the start of the interaction. Maybe the officers threw their weight around as cops sometimes do and that provoked the crowd to become antagonistic. Maybe they didn't and they were super nice and the crowd just acted like clowns because that's what people in crowds sometimes do. Jury's still out on that one. So either or both of the parties here could be the asshole.

I agree that it wasn't necessary. It was stupid and petty and childish. But it also looks pretty dumb for the NYPD to say officers were transported by EMS after getting hit with snowballs. The department would've been better served just ignoring this incident if possible and, if they couldn't just ignore it, kick out a statement to the press and move on. So again, both sides look pretty childish here.

Believe me, I'm well aware that a significant chunk of the left (and also DU) is pretty anti-police. I've seen the "ACAB" and "FTP" nonsense on the regular around here. I've seen the rush to judgment when there's an officer-involved shooting, facts be damned. I would dare to say there's no "looks like" about it when it comes to disrespecting the police and the job they do. That kind of silliness makes it easier for the right to lay claim to the "law and order" and "pro-police" labels.

It'd make a lot more sense to me to condemn the bad cops and respect the good cops. But that's not where the left is these days.