Blog 1: Volunteers Observe Police Engagement of School Occupations

Last year in Santiago, Chile, students occupy their schools in protest for improved, more adequate public education. Protests began to erupt recently from school to school in the past month. That is why this year; the Chilean government gathered a special task force to clear out occupied buildings. In reaction to this response team, small groups of volunteers with various backgrounds begin to gather at these occupations to observe and document police actions. These volunteers aptly named the "helmets" for the hardhats they wear to be recognized, do not intervene with the protests, but are there to record any misconduct with the police's treatment of the students. The article I chose this week is "Volunteers Keep Watch on Protests in Chile" by Pascale Bonnefoy. In this article, Pascale explains how a community came together to help protect the students human rights from the possibility of police brutality.

There have been numerous cases of police brutality as well as other forms of police misconduct all around the world. The misuse of authority in law enforcement is an important topic as it relates to the well-being of the community that the police are sworn to protect. There is obviously something wrong when the community has to interject and point out the wrongdoings of their protectors. I thought it was interesting how the DDHH, the Observers and Defenders of Human Rights, and the other volunteer groups used their various skills as ordinary citizens to help the students anyway they could. For instance, Pascale notes a new group that was formed last month that consisted of law students that gave legal aid to students detained by the police.

All of the reports that the observers work on tirelessly are compiled and sent to various human rights protection agencies and organizations that can put them to good use. One of the observers explained how their reports are also available as evidence in court. Pascale writes that "protest organizers now have the habit of calling the helmets beforehand". The observers findings are crucial to the well-being of the detained students. Every day, the "helmets" grow in numbers as the community bands together to provide an important human rights service to society. Unfortunately, there may be some forms of corruption in law enforcement, but the observers make sure that corruption doesn't affect their community. 

Police misconduct is an important social issue in developed or developing societies. Authority can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Steps must be taken to ensure that an individual will abide by certain guidelines and protocol. In the U.S. for instance, police cadets are put through rigorous training and psychological evaluations. Even then, some get past the tests and are let out onto the streets. The use of excessive force on civilians could alter the psychosocial state of a community and cripple the foundation of society.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/27/world/americas/helmeted-volunteers-monitor-student-protests-in-chile.html?_r=1&ref=freedomandhumanrights