Have you seen this intense outtake from Children of Men, showing riot police blasting "fugees" with some sort of horrible "sound cannon"? Oh, actually, this isn't from a fictional movie about a dystopian police state; it's from last week in Pittsburgh, where G20 protesters had dared assemble without a permit from the government. For that, they were dispersed with the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which some fear is loud enough to damage eardrums and even cause fatal aneurysms. Like Freedom Rock, you really need to turn it up, man:
This is the first time police have used the LRAD against civilians; it was developed by the military and previously deployed against Somali pirates and Iraqi insurgents. And Pittsburgh police bureau chief tells the New York Times, "Other law enforcement agencies will be watching to see how it was used. It served its purpose well." Better bring some earplugs to the next Critical Mass ride.
But the Daily Show's Jon Stewart wasn't too impressed by the LRAD, and wondered whether protesters would be dispersed, or merely forced to cover their ears: "They're anarchists; do you know what kind of music these people listen to? That cannon is probably their ringtone by now!" Maybe authorities need the pain ray to really make a dent? Below, the full Daily Show segment on the G20 summit, and another disturbing video showing laughing Pittsburgh cops gathering for a trophy photo with a kneeling, handcuffed protester. [Via Boing Boing, Animal]
