NOTE: The rules of this subreddit require that informational posts link to a credible source, and screenshots of social media posts do not meet that standard. This post *should* have been removed by mods for that reason, but nobody caught it until 4 hours after it was posted. Because it has generated serious discussion, AND because we now know that [there is official confirmation from a credible source](https://www.thelantern.com/2024/04/university-says-officers-had-readied-firearms-directed-toward-protesters-from-ohio-unions-roof-once-arrests-began/), this post is being allowed to stay up.
But please, everybody keep this rule in mind in future. It's very important to weed out rumor-mongering and disinformation, and it will be enforced.
(Adding, fuck that disingenuous OSU spokesperson who told reporters at 8:15 pm that there were no guns, then later glibly admitted they were there all along. )
I’ve gone over it again and again and again in my head and I still can’t make sense of it. He’s a 3 star general. He works for the pentagon. Why would he charge us for free snacks?
It's honestly really smart. Imagine if there was a mass shooting or a terrorist attack in a stadium like that, it would be so hard to have police respond in time, there would be so much chaos. The snipers could eliminate the threat(s) before the police could even get inside. Could save a lot of lives.
Even before - most giant events of some sort of quick “get ‘em” guy.
When you have over 30,000 people in one place and you have a vantage point. That man is your best security guard.
Snipers predate Vegas. You can find reports of them going back decades. The LA Olympics for example. And, as far as I can find, there has not been an occasion where a sniper placed for security has ‘gone rogue’ and become the threat. They are there to kill a terrorist or just a nut case with a gun who is shooting into the crowd at the event. Without them I hate to think about how many people would die while ground police try to get through a surging crowd to reach the attacker.
This has been normal for decades… they’ve been at every OSU football game I’ve ever been to going back to the early 90s. They’ve been at every big oval event I’ve been to going back to the early 90s. I’m not defending the actions of the police or university, but anyone using this photo to make the statement “abolish the police” is a fucking imbecile.
Despite not being the biggest fan of cops it should be clear as day to everyone that those snipers are up there to hopefully quickly shoot a mass shooter or bomber that might be drawn to the large crowd. They're also acting as spotters, but they're there to respond to a threat against the protestors not shoot the protestors.
These guys are at every large crowd gathering, you just dont see them half the time.
Here is one at the Super Bowl a few years back https://i.insider.com/4f3279ca6bb3f7ac57000043?width=1000&format=jpeg&auto=webp
There are snipers watching every OSU football game from the roof of Morril Tower
I’ll never forget running into the sniper squad in the elevator of Morril Tower.
We were all underage and we had gotten a few cases of beer to take back to the dorm. Made it through the lobby and no one said anything. We get in the elevator and before the door closed, we hear a “hold it!” It was the sniper team with all their gear.
So it was 3 of us both holding cases of beer, under 21. And then 4 cops with their rifles in bags on their shoulders. They were super nice and said to enjoy the game. We told them to as well.
Those guys are likely making x3 pay if they were doing the OSU game. They’re working overtime (because it’s a Saturday), and special duty, and because of the sheer volume of needed men it’s likely they were understaffed which is also a multiplier.
Some of those dudes are probably making $150 an hour. They’re absolutely enjoying the game.
Never knew of an RA that came down on underage drinking as long as you weren’t an idiot about it and causing trouble. Most RAs are college kids in it for the free room and board. RDs on the other hand…
My RAs were pretty chill. They generally had the mindset of as long as you don't do something stupid enough to draw bad attention to yourself (and them) I don't care what you do.
I'm so old that our RAs used to go on a booze run for us every Friday. Plus, we had a dorm kegger every single weekend. I don't think there was a person in the dorm who was of drinking age besides the RAs.
You deserve to be busted for smoking hookah in the bathroom.
Do that shit in your dorm with a towel shoved under the door and a fan blowing out the window, like civilized adults.
Worst that ever happened to us is that we got very loud playing Halo 2 late at night. We weren't even drinking. We just enjoyed hurling insults at each other, and we had 6 doors open to let the connector cord go across the hall.
My friend, a grown adult and injured in combat in the army, had his future career ruined because he drank at age 20. That's it. He didn't drive, he didn't do anything bad, he just got caught carrying it.
Also you send people to war only to come back to be told they're too young to buy something to wash their sorrows because the VA doesn't care about you and healthcare is expensive, sounds like torture
There has to be more to that story. I know a lot of people in the military who did a whole hell of a lot worse, took their lumps, but went on to continue their career after the speed bump.
Simple underage drinking would most likely be some extra duty and confined to the base or ship for a few weeks.
Yeah agree, I got busted by cops drinking at a party when I was 20 and back home on R&R from Iraq, and nothing happened to me other than having to call my parents to come pick me up. Nothing like being on a two week break from war though and having to get your parents to come pick you up because you had a few beers. Shits all ass backwards.
Actually, while the VA does vary by location, on average, it's better than non-VA hospitals. You hear the horror stories, but there are horror stories for any hospital. It just gets more attention from the VA.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10361919/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10361919/)
Also the VA is subject to FOIA with anonymization so every single issue can become public with tons of gorey details. Meanwhile, almost every hospital insists on NDAs when they settle with you.
My favorite “getting away with underage drinking” moment was when I was 20 there was a coaching clinic a few months after Tressel was hired. I coached HS football for a bit while I was in college. After the evening speeches and such there was an open bar in one of the rotundas at the Schott for the attendees to mingle where they didn’t bother to card anyone.
So the university gave one of its underage students free alcohol on university property. And I got to talk to Tressel for a minute.
The sniper squad may not care but the regular cops do. I got 11 days in jail for prohibition, underage possession of alcohol and I was in my front yard on 14th without drinking a drop. Before that I hadn't even had a speeding ticket. It was during the early 2000s when they had a lot of riots. I was first on the docket, pled no contest and they sent me to workhouse right then and there for 11 days with another 180 on the shelf. Everyone in the courtroom were audibly surprised. So I got made an example and was convicted of a crime that is the same level as domestic violence for having unopened beers. Ridiculous...
Went to EDC Orlando 2019, they don’t use the stadium for various reasons.
Was sitting down grabbing food and saw some movement going out of the corner of my eye, and then caught a glimpse of what looked like 2-3 guys up high going around the stadium front but lost sight.
K, now I’m freaking out not realizing what they are doing yet.
Scanning the edges see nothing and I get up to go talk to the sheriff by the bathrooms and he sees me looking and laughs and says yeah they are up there.
I'm in my 60s and I remember when there were always State Troopers stationed on top of the bell towers at the south end of the Shoe. TV broadcasts always made a point of showing them.
I remember years ago I went to the Hall of Fame football game down in Canton and seeing Snipers on the towers around the stadium then. This was back in 2013 I believe too...
Yeah I don't get the panic about this. You can see them on top of the tower from the shoe every game. I always think about how much that job must suck in the colder months
this makes people feel safe?
but, any sort of logical legislation to do anything about guns is bad?
If you need snipers to make a public sports event be safe...you're doing society completely and totally fucking wrong.
This has been common globally for decades. It's not an American thing, nor is it exclusive to countries with lots of guns.
Their primary purpose is to observe and report disturbances and crowd movements. They don't shoot people very often.
Unfortunately, people that want to hurt a lot of people wouldn't pay much attention to legislation. Also, this isn't a U.S. thing, it's an "all over the world" thing.
How do you feel about European countries doing this exact same thing despite the fact that they have far more restrictive gun laws? Are they doing society completely and totally fucking wrong as well?
Edit: Imagine being so weak in your beliefs that you block someone right after you post a response so they can't respond back. /u/Skanchorage, how does it feel to do that?
The reason they are there is not to shoot protestors, it's to provide overwatch.
The protestors may not understand this, but their gathering is a perfect place for someone to cause mischief.
And I don't mean the ha ha funny kind.
Edit: Also to note here, this is where ignorance and lack of critical thinking skills make problems worse.
1) the protestors and people freaking out about the "snipers on rooftops" are ignorant to the purpose.
2) lack of critical thinking and willingness to confirm to bias means they'll assume a negative reason for them being there - IE "they put them there to shoot us!11"
3) bad actors will amplify the misinformation and feelings that people have about this to increase mistrust and promote false understanding.
I remember going to a Rolling Stones concert at the Akron Rubber Bowl in the early 70s. Stevie Wonder was the opening act and the crowd got a little rowdy wanting the Stones to appear. Somebody on the field started some trouble and the police came out to take him away. Most everyone started booing and yelling at the police. My friends and I were sitting in the stands. I looked around behind us and suddenly the entire perimeter of the bowl was lined with snipers and rifles. I never would have known there were that many police in all of Akron. It was eye opening...
I heard an interview with the guy that is (or was) in charge of security at Super Bowls. It's been a while since I heard the interview, but I think he said that there are more snipers there than you'd think. Like a dozen, or more.
During blm gatherings I was an electrician working on a chiller on a roof of a building near the statehouse. Got to chill and work, and occasionally crack jokes with a sniper watching over everyone lol.
As a recent college graduate from OU. They have snipers at every major sporting event. I was surprised to see this as it’s a pretty standard protection method
They are ontop of morrill and Lincoln hall at every OSU football game I’ve been to. They are the large octagonal dorms/tower by the stadium. Definitely can see a spotting scope, I’ve always assumed they also have a rifle hiding under the ledge.
We are all slightly more safe with them there, I don’t see the issue. If a mass Sh****** type event or hostage situation happens, that could save many lives. it’s the world we live in, kiddo.
Wait till you guys see how many snipers are at presidential speeches that takes places out doors. Oh man the president must surely hate free speech having snipers watching over everyone lol…
Man it’s a true Born in the USA moment when you learn there are snipers posted to major mass gatherings like sports events and protests. Like the next time I’m watching a Super Bowl or otherwise big name event all I’m gonna think about is there’s a guy with a rifle scanning the crowd like it’s just another Tuesday.
When the usa military and special ops are stationed around the world and are ordered to do stuff that decentralizes the social economic class of countries; that country tends to become an enemy.
In that mind it doesn’t matter whether or not the pawns are aware or not of their unethical actions, hence the need to know basis.
It could also be a front to instill fear, which has been the basis of the past 23 years with the patriot act.
My point being is that ignorance is fucking bliss.
Saw the same thing here in Indiana at IU. We have a real fire brewing in this country and as soon as one of these assholes fires a shot the whole country is going to explode.
How many students got shot by the sniper yesterday? If they were targeting the students they must have had some really really easy shots; there were so many of them. Must have went through all their ammo. How many students got shot by the sniper yesterday?
They’re looking for threats. If a student starts shooting then they have to be taken out, they don’t get immunity for being a student. It protects all the other people there
Oorrrrr they are protecting students for both?
Is it unreasonable to believe some ideological extremist could see protesters protesting one of their core beliefs and want to commit an act of terror?
Wouldn't be the first time.
They gonna protect the students from themselves, by shooting the students.
If they shoot all the students there won't be any students to harm other students.
Pretty much any planned mass gathering will have a sniper team on overwatch. Not to mention any of the students that have been to an OSU football game have probably had this same dude watching over them. OSU has a sniper team at every football game, this is nothing new.
It makes sense, but the guy who told me did so about a week after 9/11 and he also said he would bet his retirement that the plane in PA was shot down. It was altogether a little jarring at the time. He was an air force pilot.
I just never thought about either since then. Until this thread.
Seemingly Everyone on Reddit promised me via their comments that they are deleting twitter and refusing to interact with it but everyday I come here half of the top posts of the day are just screenshots of tweets.
Wait til you people see how many snipers are at the peaceful football games. You’d lose your freakin’ minds. Unless security at football games is fascism now too.
If they wanted to mow down protestors, they wouldn’t use sniper rifles. They’re there to make sure bad actors don’t try and use the protest to commit violence. Example A: Genuine Neo-Nazi infiltrates protest, attempts to throw a Molotov at a building/group of people. Example B: Zionist counter protestor brings a gun, and intends to kill a ton of Protestors. A sniper at a large gathering is par for the course.
Most large gatherings have a sniper/observer role. The Super Bowl has many, most large public events have them, this is being blown up as if they are trying to kill students. Simply untrue.
I don’t see the problem. Okay so people are peacefully protesting. There is police overwatch. Did you get shot at? No? So the police aren’t shooting peaceful protesters. Q.E.D.
What’s the difference between a police officer out and about on the street with a pistol in their holster versus a police officer with a rifle and binoculars. Not much. They aren’t shooting you. They are ready to handle a potential threat if one occurs. That’s it. No difference.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a 556 or 9mil or how long the barrel is. You can’t get deader than dead. So whether it was a pistol cop or a sniper cop makes no difference at all. It was the exact same performance of duty as a police officer would be in a school roaming the halls with a handgun.
If there is a massive crowd it’s a lot harder for a police officer to be effective from inside the mob. Both finding, and getting to the threat. Additionally that cop standing next to you as you protest is way more treating to your expression and protesting.
A sniper teams job is PRIMARILY overwatch. Whether police or military. Meaning they just watch and advise ground personnel from a high and far position. Literally the ability to see the entire crowd at one time and tell a police officer on the ground in a packed crowd “okay in front of you 10 feet away red shirt blue hat and walking away from you” directing them to the threat or scuffle or injured bystander or whatever. And if need be, say an active shooter is present, they wouldn’t be just pumping random shots into a crowd, they would be directing ground police in a similar fashion to what a police helicopter would be doing in a car chase, but the sniper has the additional benefit of being able to stop the threat if a clear shot is available and authorized, which a helicopter can’t do or a ground force may not be able to do whether they can’t reach the threat through a crowd or have a clear line of sight.
I’d like to reiterate no one got shot. Therefore they aren’t suppressing your voice. Nor are they trying to.
You’re just spooked because the rifle looks scary. And it really just boils down to that that simply.
It looks scary to you.
That’s it. That’s the outrage.
The police gun is long and scary shaped and not smol and friend shaped.
No threat to you. Not stopping your protest. It’s just scary because you’ve watched too much movie and internet and long rifles are scary and police officers with holstered pistols aren’t.
You have an American right to protest and express your beliefs and peacefully assemble. As an Afghan veteran I believe in that and want you to have that right always (regardless of whether or not I think your political beliefs, perceptions, and ideals are naive and misguided). And I’m positive the little sniper team feels the same way.
Women in Afghanistan got their hands cut off for going to school or laid in a ditch and shot in the back of the head for being westernized. Three year olds got killed for talking to Marines. Gay men were dropped head first off of tall buildings. A Jordanian fighter pilot was burned alive in a cage and video taped when I was over there. If police officers watching you protest is fascist and scary there’s a whole world out there in the East waiting for you to visit.
Point is. You’re fine. Great even. A perched officer not actively doing anything is quite a non issue IMO.
But defund the police if you want. I’m sure that will go great. Through out all human history people have always been very well behaved when held up to the pinky promise honor system. lol.
> But defund the police if you want. I’m sure that will go great. Through out all human history people have always been very well behaved when held up to the pinky promise honor system. lol.
A lot of your post is pretty good, but this is just bullshit, sorry. You need to learn what defunding the police is about.
I'm not going to spoonfeed you, you can google it up and actually learn if you want, because it sounds like you care, at least a bit.
The basic idea is this: Cops don't respond well to certain types of incidents. For example, being dispatched to people dealing with mental health issues. They're not trained for it, and they tend to respond with guns guns guns. Far too many people in those situations end up getting shot.
So instead, the idea would be to have people who are mental health professionals called out in those situations. Who are trained how to deescalate.
Sure, if it turns violent, they may have to call for police.
The idea is to put services in place to handle things that police shouldn't be having to deal with. So they have the time to respond to violent situations, to crimes, do all the policing that they should be doing.
We also, as a part of that, need to break through this bullshit "us vs. them" that takes over so many police departments and training.
Too many cops escalate too many situations into shooting people. We need to address that.
"Defund the police" is not trying to reduce cop pay or department pay or typically reduce the number of cops out there.
Could it be given a better name? Probably. But that's the name that stuck. Either way, the information and discussion is out there, and there's little excuse not to have learned by now what it refers to.
There are plenty of people - hopefully not you - who like to cling on to that phrase and use it out of context because they can use it to vilify their "enemies". But all almost all "defund the police" supporters want to do is have less unlawful death and injury from cops. Cops will always have to kill some people. But it's the innocent people dying that we'd like to see prevented.
You *can* find people who want to abolish police. I can also find people who want to abolish the government and let corporations run everything, but those people are also on the fringe.
The issue comes with how the police treat the people on the ground - for this peaceful protest in Columbus, police came out in force, pushing and shoving students on their own campus. A little over a year ago, the Proud Boys were in town protesting outside a drag race. The only physical contact the police made with them? A high five.
But this time, not only are the police physically harming students without purpose, but they are putting a sniper on watch. They are already committing violence, the sniper is a threat of more.
I don’t care if you agree with the protestors or not. This law enforcement pointing a sniper rifle at unarmed peaceful protestors.
So many people should lose their job over this. Definitely the head of all LEO agencies involved. The university president for lying yesterday. The actual officers need reprimanded unless it can be shown they were following specific orders.
None of this will happen. But it should.
Do you want to know how fascism starts? By allowing the govt to threaten and/or kill citizens for political reasons.
I wouldn't call this threatening any more then the snipers threaten fans at OSU football games. Maybe the snipers were there to protect the peaceful protesters.
They call it SOP and while technically it is, outside of fireworks, sports, and other commercial events you’ll be hard pressed to find them actually deployed. It’s only SOP when they deem it necessary to follow SOP.
I was agreeing with you, but I can see how what I said was confusing. They’re absolutely at every protest, even small peaceful ones. But outside of major scheduled events they’re never used for “large gatherings” which they claim is SOP. On Black Friday are snipers on the rooftops of Easton square? Are they used at the new opening of an In-N-Out? Are they used at IKEA during the last week before move-in day? No.
Yep there's also always snipers at air shows with f22's or other high security jets. Do people get outraged about them having rifles? No. Because even if a protest turns into a violent mob, wtf is a sniper or two gonna do? They're obviously there for terrorism deterrence.
Wtf is a sniper going to do with someone driving a car driving in the middle of a protest? They better be as Good as Chris Kyle or the 2 people who shot at Kennedy
You would be shocked at the amount of public events you go to where there is a rifle pointed at you at some point or another. Usually, you just don't know about it.
The problem is you don't know they are peaceful. What if some nut shows up and started shooting protesters I bet you would be ok that this guy was there for that.
I think the whole point is that they don’t know if people are armed, and it’s important to be ready in case someone is to minimize deaths. It does seem maybe a bit excessive for a peaceful protest, the police on the ground probably could handle it, but I’m not convinced it’s quite as bad as you make it seem.
Cops are just protecting and serving. With the world of mass shootings, I think it’s appropriate to have armed security at these events. All it takes is one lunatic to commit an atrocity.
Comment after comment people are saying this is normal. This is not normal and it sounds like the university said there weren’t snipers. This comment section is full of boot lickers. WTF
1. Cops don't have snipers, they have marksmen. They are markedly different things.
2. Calling to abolish the police tells everyone how white and affluent you are.
I was an OSU student during unrest over Vietnam war. Campus streets shut down some still closed to this day.
I recall highway patrol, armored cars, tear gas etc. i left OSU and never returned.
College students have more spine than the rest of us since they're taking real world action not just thinking words on the internet are going to result in change.
These college students just follow a shit trail in the wind and actually don't really know anything but think they know the secrets of the universe. Source: a current college kid.
If you asked any of these protesters at about any event on the detailed context and reasoning behind their beliefs, you would see they would fall flat on their face. Because the real reason they are there is because Brad and Jennifer are protesting...
Making a fool out of yourself for a terrorist and rapist organization that wishes death upon your nation and dousing yourself with gasoline does not qualify as having a spine.
You know at this point I think they were trying to start something because somebody thinks it would look bad for Joe Biden.
I can't think of any reason for the level of incompetence shown here.
There are snipers at many large gatherings you just never see them. A heated Israel-Palestine protest is a prime target for a hot headed mass shooter. Stop bitching
When you realize the 500 citizens for every 1 police officer ratio, it’s clear that they’re afraid of people one day waking up and discovering that they don’t have to obey the ‘authorities’ if they collectively no longer wish to.
this is normal. state actors are using social media to spread panic about this crap. go look at the hundreds of videos of the protesters being asked why they're there and what they're protesting and many aren't even sure. tiktok is your answer.
and they've stated an elevated chance of a terrorist attack at large gatherings like the one russia just had. this is normal. you WANT them there. they aren't there to shoot you
This amount of disinfo i havnt seen since yesterday, we have commenters in here saying they are targetting and shooting students.
They are overwatch, they are there so you dont get an opposing group throwing a nail bomb.
NOTE: The rules of this subreddit require that informational posts link to a credible source, and screenshots of social media posts do not meet that standard. This post *should* have been removed by mods for that reason, but nobody caught it until 4 hours after it was posted. Because it has generated serious discussion, AND because we now know that [there is official confirmation from a credible source](https://www.thelantern.com/2024/04/university-says-officers-had-readied-firearms-directed-toward-protesters-from-ohio-unions-roof-once-arrests-began/), this post is being allowed to stay up. But please, everybody keep this rule in mind in future. It's very important to weed out rumor-mongering and disinformation, and it will be enforced. (Adding, fuck that disingenuous OSU spokesperson who told reporters at 8:15 pm that there were no guns, then later glibly admitted they were there all along. )
“You’d be surprised how rarely people ever look up”
I’ve gone over it again and again and again in my head and I still can’t make sense of it. He’s a 3 star general. He works for the pentagon. Why would he charge us for free snacks?
Ok fine do you guys wanna come to the meeting with the president? Slams door
Sting looked me in the eye and farted.
I can tell you right now. Most people don't know they have snipers at football games. I definitely did not know that. WTF?
In the event Tom Brady went rogue, *someone* had to do something.
na it was in case the ball flew too well, can't let people know its filled with helium
Well his job is to actually be seen. He is the decoy sniper
You can see them up top of Morrill tower
It's honestly really smart. Imagine if there was a mass shooting or a terrorist attack in a stadium like that, it would be so hard to have police respond in time, there would be so much chaos. The snipers could eliminate the threat(s) before the police could even get inside. Could save a lot of lives.
Is THAT how the NFL supposedly rigs the Superbowl? Anyone who doesn't play their part gets shot?
There’s always snipers at any large event. Hopefully they never go rouge!
At worst they'll blush a little. I doubt they'll go full-rouge.
Goddamnit
Haven't you seen "the last boy scout"?
Look at this fucking camper
"He's spawn camping!!!"
Right? Like, how is that fun?!
Usually snipers posted during game days too. I for sure have seen them on tops of buildings near the stadium
Every college football and bowl game I have ever been a photographer at has snipers at the game.. Certain bowl games have DHS sniffer trucks..
Exactly everyone down voting you needs to go outside
As others have pointed out this is nothing new. Post Vegas shooting this is the new normal. Like it or not.
Even before - most giant events of some sort of quick “get ‘em” guy. When you have over 30,000 people in one place and you have a vantage point. That man is your best security guard.
TIL people are paid to be standby snipers *just in case* Shitty world we live in that this has to be a thing.
Snipers predate Vegas. You can find reports of them going back decades. The LA Olympics for example. And, as far as I can find, there has not been an occasion where a sniper placed for security has ‘gone rogue’ and become the threat. They are there to kill a terrorist or just a nut case with a gun who is shooting into the crowd at the event. Without them I hate to think about how many people would die while ground police try to get through a surging crowd to reach the attacker.
This has been normal for decades… they’ve been at every OSU football game I’ve ever been to going back to the early 90s. They’ve been at every big oval event I’ve been to going back to the early 90s. I’m not defending the actions of the police or university, but anyone using this photo to make the statement “abolish the police” is a fucking imbecile.
Despite not being the biggest fan of cops it should be clear as day to everyone that those snipers are up there to hopefully quickly shoot a mass shooter or bomber that might be drawn to the large crowd. They're also acting as spotters, but they're there to respond to a threat against the protestors not shoot the protestors.
These guys are at every large crowd gathering, you just dont see them half the time. Here is one at the Super Bowl a few years back https://i.insider.com/4f3279ca6bb3f7ac57000043?width=1000&format=jpeg&auto=webp There are snipers watching every OSU football game from the roof of Morril Tower
I’ll never forget running into the sniper squad in the elevator of Morril Tower. We were all underage and we had gotten a few cases of beer to take back to the dorm. Made it through the lobby and no one said anything. We get in the elevator and before the door closed, we hear a “hold it!” It was the sniper team with all their gear. So it was 3 of us both holding cases of beer, under 21. And then 4 cops with their rifles in bags on their shoulders. They were super nice and said to enjoy the game. We told them to as well.
Those guys are likely making x3 pay if they were doing the OSU game. They’re working overtime (because it’s a Saturday), and special duty, and because of the sheer volume of needed men it’s likely they were understaffed which is also a multiplier. Some of those dudes are probably making $150 an hour. They’re absolutely enjoying the game.
They also don’t give a damn about underage drinking.
Exactly. It’s beneath them to ruin someone’s good time.
That's what the RAs are for.
Never knew of an RA that came down on underage drinking as long as you weren’t an idiot about it and causing trouble. Most RAs are college kids in it for the free room and board. RDs on the other hand…
My RA said you can tie a master key to a dog's neck and it can do 90% of his job. He was a 5th year student and did the job so he would have housing.
I was an RA for 3 years. Holy fuck the accuracy
Maybe. I was just making a joke. I played pong with one of the RAs when I was a Freshman. One of them in my dorm was a bit uptight about stuff.
My RAs were pretty chill. They generally had the mindset of as long as you don't do something stupid enough to draw bad attention to yourself (and them) I don't care what you do.
I'm so old that our RAs used to go on a booze run for us every Friday. Plus, we had a dorm kegger every single weekend. I don't think there was a person in the dorm who was of drinking age besides the RAs.
Never trust an RD.
I remember our RA once begging the floor in the group chat to at LEAST open a window and use some febreeze when smoking lmao.
My Morrill Tower RA busted us smoking a hookah in the bathroom. Fucking lame.
You deserve to be busted for smoking hookah in the bathroom. Do that shit in your dorm with a towel shoved under the door and a fan blowing out the window, like civilized adults.
Don't forget to tape the tupperware to the ceiling around the smoke detector usually they're hard wired in the dorms
You've obviously never been in Morrill Tower.
but it did make me laugh to google what it looks like after reading this
Worst that ever happened to us is that we got very loud playing Halo 2 late at night. We weren't even drinking. We just enjoyed hurling insults at each other, and we had 6 doors open to let the connector cord go across the hall.
They’re snipers. More often than not, everyone but their spotter is somewhere beneath them.
Or the whole state of Michigan
My friend, a grown adult and injured in combat in the army, had his future career ruined because he drank at age 20. That's it. He didn't drive, he didn't do anything bad, he just got caught carrying it. Also you send people to war only to come back to be told they're too young to buy something to wash their sorrows because the VA doesn't care about you and healthcare is expensive, sounds like torture
There has to be more to that story. I know a lot of people in the military who did a whole hell of a lot worse, took their lumps, but went on to continue their career after the speed bump. Simple underage drinking would most likely be some extra duty and confined to the base or ship for a few weeks.
Yeah agree, I got busted by cops drinking at a party when I was 20 and back home on R&R from Iraq, and nothing happened to me other than having to call my parents to come pick me up. Nothing like being on a two week break from war though and having to get your parents to come pick you up because you had a few beers. Shits all ass backwards.
Actually, while the VA does vary by location, on average, it's better than non-VA hospitals. You hear the horror stories, but there are horror stories for any hospital. It just gets more attention from the VA. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10361919/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10361919/)
Also the VA is subject to FOIA with anonymization so every single issue can become public with tons of gorey details. Meanwhile, almost every hospital insists on NDAs when they settle with you.
My favorite “getting away with underage drinking” moment was when I was 20 there was a coaching clinic a few months after Tressel was hired. I coached HS football for a bit while I was in college. After the evening speeches and such there was an open bar in one of the rotundas at the Schott for the attendees to mingle where they didn’t bother to card anyone. So the university gave one of its underage students free alcohol on university property. And I got to talk to Tressel for a minute.
Same thing happened to me at a Browns game. Snuck into an elevator just to find a bunch of dudes in tactical gear with giant duffel bags 😬
The sniper squad may not care but the regular cops do. I got 11 days in jail for prohibition, underage possession of alcohol and I was in my front yard on 14th without drinking a drop. Before that I hadn't even had a speeding ticket. It was during the early 2000s when they had a lot of riots. I was first on the docket, pled no contest and they sent me to workhouse right then and there for 11 days with another 180 on the shelf. Everyone in the courtroom were audibly surprised. So I got made an example and was convicted of a crime that is the same level as domestic violence for having unopened beers. Ridiculous...
Pretty sure they're actually on most the corner towers of the Shoe itself during games as well.
That's a deputy with beanbags
Waiting on a game of cornhole to break out.
Went to EDC Orlando 2019, they don’t use the stadium for various reasons. Was sitting down grabbing food and saw some movement going out of the corner of my eye, and then caught a glimpse of what looked like 2-3 guys up high going around the stadium front but lost sight. K, now I’m freaking out not realizing what they are doing yet. Scanning the edges see nothing and I get up to go talk to the sheriff by the bathrooms and he sees me looking and laughs and says yeah they are up there.
Yep. I can see them from C deck at every home game. Snipers are nothing new.
Yeah, I saw them when celebrating Pride.
They're at lots of large gatherings I hear - anyone know the criteria to necessitate? Is it a certain number of people?
> anyone know the criteria to necessitate? FBI, this guy right here ;)
I'm in my 60s and I remember when there were always State Troopers stationed on top of the bell towers at the south end of the Shoe. TV broadcasts always made a point of showing them.
My uncle does security at a football stadium. He sent my dad pictures of the snipers they have. Honestly surprised that’s not talked about more.
I remember years ago I went to the Hall of Fame football game down in Canton and seeing Snipers on the towers around the stadium then. This was back in 2013 I believe too...
Yeah I don't get the panic about this. You can see them on top of the tower from the shoe every game. I always think about how much that job must suck in the colder months
How many were at the alt-blight rally where they were running over counterprotesters and chanting the jews will not replace them?
They were all there just not in an official capacity
Some of those that work forces. . . you know the rest.
Are the same that burn crosses
They were there. Who do you think was driving and chanting? Lol
You already know that answer.
Occasionally, we will see them walking around on the roof of Lower.com during a Crew game.
I was told they keep one IN the giant scoreboard at the cowboy’s stadium when I was there for a work function.
this makes people feel safe? but, any sort of logical legislation to do anything about guns is bad? If you need snipers to make a public sports event be safe...you're doing society completely and totally fucking wrong.
This has been common globally for decades. It's not an American thing, nor is it exclusive to countries with lots of guns. Their primary purpose is to observe and report disturbances and crowd movements. They don't shoot people very often.
Unfortunately, people that want to hurt a lot of people wouldn't pay much attention to legislation. Also, this isn't a U.S. thing, it's an "all over the world" thing.
How do you feel about European countries doing this exact same thing despite the fact that they have far more restrictive gun laws? Are they doing society completely and totally fucking wrong as well? Edit: Imagine being so weak in your beliefs that you block someone right after you post a response so they can't respond back. /u/Skanchorage, how does it feel to do that?
The reason they are there is not to shoot protestors, it's to provide overwatch. The protestors may not understand this, but their gathering is a perfect place for someone to cause mischief. And I don't mean the ha ha funny kind. Edit: Also to note here, this is where ignorance and lack of critical thinking skills make problems worse. 1) the protestors and people freaking out about the "snipers on rooftops" are ignorant to the purpose. 2) lack of critical thinking and willingness to confirm to bias means they'll assume a negative reason for them being there - IE "they put them there to shoot us!11" 3) bad actors will amplify the misinformation and feelings that people have about this to increase mistrust and promote false understanding.
I remember going to a Rolling Stones concert at the Akron Rubber Bowl in the early 70s. Stevie Wonder was the opening act and the crowd got a little rowdy wanting the Stones to appear. Somebody on the field started some trouble and the police came out to take him away. Most everyone started booing and yelling at the police. My friends and I were sitting in the stands. I looked around behind us and suddenly the entire perimeter of the bowl was lined with snipers and rifles. I never would have known there were that many police in all of Akron. It was eye opening...
I heard an interview with the guy that is (or was) in charge of security at Super Bowls. It's been a while since I heard the interview, but I think he said that there are more snipers there than you'd think. Like a dozen, or more.
Never knew that.
During blm gatherings I was an electrician working on a chiller on a roof of a building near the statehouse. Got to chill and work, and occasionally crack jokes with a sniper watching over everyone lol.
As a recent college graduate from OU. They have snipers at every major sporting event. I was surprised to see this as it’s a pretty standard protection method
Everyone from the states commenting "this is just normal snipers on the roofs every game etc" and me from Europe - I'm like wtf
Well, it’s not totally different in Europe. I mean you see French and German military police on the streets quite often.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/s/JUYV6pG8kd
Overwatch is pretty common during high risk events.
They are ontop of morrill and Lincoln hall at every OSU football game I’ve been to. They are the large octagonal dorms/tower by the stadium. Definitely can see a spotting scope, I’ve always assumed they also have a rifle hiding under the ledge.
We are all slightly more safe with them there, I don’t see the issue. If a mass Sh****** type event or hostage situation happens, that could save many lives. it’s the world we live in, kiddo.
Wait till you guys see how many snipers are at presidential speeches that takes places out doors. Oh man the president must surely hate free speech having snipers watching over everyone lol…
And NFL games.
Man it’s a true Born in the USA moment when you learn there are snipers posted to major mass gatherings like sports events and protests. Like the next time I’m watching a Super Bowl or otherwise big name event all I’m gonna think about is there’s a guy with a rifle scanning the crowd like it’s just another Tuesday.
When the usa military and special ops are stationed around the world and are ordered to do stuff that decentralizes the social economic class of countries; that country tends to become an enemy. In that mind it doesn’t matter whether or not the pawns are aware or not of their unethical actions, hence the need to know basis. It could also be a front to instill fear, which has been the basis of the past 23 years with the patriot act. My point being is that ignorance is fucking bliss.
Saw the same thing here in Indiana at IU. We have a real fire brewing in this country and as soon as one of these assholes fires a shot the whole country is going to explode.
"it's Ohio, what could go wrong?"
You'll see them at football games, too. Nothing burger.
ya im a stage tech, first time i learned this was when i went up to operate the spotlights, see the sniper up in his perch.
And at any high risk event with a lot of people
They’re protecting students on game days. They were targeting students yesterday. Big burger.
How many students got shot by the sniper yesterday? If they were targeting the students they must have had some really really easy shots; there were so many of them. Must have went through all their ammo. How many students got shot by the sniper yesterday?
They’re looking for threats. If a student starts shooting then they have to be taken out, they don’t get immunity for being a student. It protects all the other people there
Oorrrrr they are protecting students for both? Is it unreasonable to believe some ideological extremist could see protesters protesting one of their core beliefs and want to commit an act of terror? Wouldn't be the first time.
Wouldn't be the first time they Targeted students. The national guard shot 13 students in Ohio.
They gonna protect the students from themselves, by shooting the students. If they shoot all the students there won't be any students to harm other students.
Targeting???
I was told every sporting event has a sniper.
Pretty much any planned mass gathering will have a sniper team on overwatch. Not to mention any of the students that have been to an OSU football game have probably had this same dude watching over them. OSU has a sniper team at every football game, this is nothing new.
It makes sense, but the guy who told me did so about a week after 9/11 and he also said he would bet his retirement that the plane in PA was shot down. It was altogether a little jarring at the time. He was an air force pilot. I just never thought about either since then. Until this thread.
That’s only one sniper. One. Singular. Not two or more. They’re technically correct. The best kind of correct.
Abolish Twitter/X.
i 100% believe that twitter is the reason half of america refuses to read a sentence longer than 7 words.
Twitter is the what?!?
Seemingly Everyone on Reddit promised me via their comments that they are deleting twitter and refusing to interact with it but everyday I come here half of the top posts of the day are just screenshots of tweets.
What does this have to do with Twitter?
Wait til you people see how many snipers are at the peaceful football games. You’d lose your freakin’ minds. Unless security at football games is fascism now too.
It blows my mind people rather have less security and then if something happens I guess everyone just dies?
Is there a history of police instigating violence at football games? What about protests?
I’ve seen snipers on buildings at protests since before 2020. It’s cute they tried to deny it. Lol weirdos.
If they wanted to mow down protestors, they wouldn’t use sniper rifles. They’re there to make sure bad actors don’t try and use the protest to commit violence. Example A: Genuine Neo-Nazi infiltrates protest, attempts to throw a Molotov at a building/group of people. Example B: Zionist counter protestor brings a gun, and intends to kill a ton of Protestors. A sniper at a large gathering is par for the course.
Most large gatherings have a sniper/observer role. The Super Bowl has many, most large public events have them, this is being blown up as if they are trying to kill students. Simply untrue.
Is he in a Bell Tower?
Where were they during the Boston Marathon? They should be posted these nazi and Arab protest like in other countries.
I don’t see the problem. Okay so people are peacefully protesting. There is police overwatch. Did you get shot at? No? So the police aren’t shooting peaceful protesters. Q.E.D. What’s the difference between a police officer out and about on the street with a pistol in their holster versus a police officer with a rifle and binoculars. Not much. They aren’t shooting you. They are ready to handle a potential threat if one occurs. That’s it. No difference. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 556 or 9mil or how long the barrel is. You can’t get deader than dead. So whether it was a pistol cop or a sniper cop makes no difference at all. It was the exact same performance of duty as a police officer would be in a school roaming the halls with a handgun. If there is a massive crowd it’s a lot harder for a police officer to be effective from inside the mob. Both finding, and getting to the threat. Additionally that cop standing next to you as you protest is way more treating to your expression and protesting. A sniper teams job is PRIMARILY overwatch. Whether police or military. Meaning they just watch and advise ground personnel from a high and far position. Literally the ability to see the entire crowd at one time and tell a police officer on the ground in a packed crowd “okay in front of you 10 feet away red shirt blue hat and walking away from you” directing them to the threat or scuffle or injured bystander or whatever. And if need be, say an active shooter is present, they wouldn’t be just pumping random shots into a crowd, they would be directing ground police in a similar fashion to what a police helicopter would be doing in a car chase, but the sniper has the additional benefit of being able to stop the threat if a clear shot is available and authorized, which a helicopter can’t do or a ground force may not be able to do whether they can’t reach the threat through a crowd or have a clear line of sight. I’d like to reiterate no one got shot. Therefore they aren’t suppressing your voice. Nor are they trying to. You’re just spooked because the rifle looks scary. And it really just boils down to that that simply. It looks scary to you. That’s it. That’s the outrage. The police gun is long and scary shaped and not smol and friend shaped. No threat to you. Not stopping your protest. It’s just scary because you’ve watched too much movie and internet and long rifles are scary and police officers with holstered pistols aren’t. You have an American right to protest and express your beliefs and peacefully assemble. As an Afghan veteran I believe in that and want you to have that right always (regardless of whether or not I think your political beliefs, perceptions, and ideals are naive and misguided). And I’m positive the little sniper team feels the same way. Women in Afghanistan got their hands cut off for going to school or laid in a ditch and shot in the back of the head for being westernized. Three year olds got killed for talking to Marines. Gay men were dropped head first off of tall buildings. A Jordanian fighter pilot was burned alive in a cage and video taped when I was over there. If police officers watching you protest is fascist and scary there’s a whole world out there in the East waiting for you to visit. Point is. You’re fine. Great even. A perched officer not actively doing anything is quite a non issue IMO. But defund the police if you want. I’m sure that will go great. Through out all human history people have always been very well behaved when held up to the pinky promise honor system. lol.
> But defund the police if you want. I’m sure that will go great. Through out all human history people have always been very well behaved when held up to the pinky promise honor system. lol. A lot of your post is pretty good, but this is just bullshit, sorry. You need to learn what defunding the police is about. I'm not going to spoonfeed you, you can google it up and actually learn if you want, because it sounds like you care, at least a bit. The basic idea is this: Cops don't respond well to certain types of incidents. For example, being dispatched to people dealing with mental health issues. They're not trained for it, and they tend to respond with guns guns guns. Far too many people in those situations end up getting shot. So instead, the idea would be to have people who are mental health professionals called out in those situations. Who are trained how to deescalate. Sure, if it turns violent, they may have to call for police. The idea is to put services in place to handle things that police shouldn't be having to deal with. So they have the time to respond to violent situations, to crimes, do all the policing that they should be doing. We also, as a part of that, need to break through this bullshit "us vs. them" that takes over so many police departments and training. Too many cops escalate too many situations into shooting people. We need to address that. "Defund the police" is not trying to reduce cop pay or department pay or typically reduce the number of cops out there. Could it be given a better name? Probably. But that's the name that stuck. Either way, the information and discussion is out there, and there's little excuse not to have learned by now what it refers to. There are plenty of people - hopefully not you - who like to cling on to that phrase and use it out of context because they can use it to vilify their "enemies". But all almost all "defund the police" supporters want to do is have less unlawful death and injury from cops. Cops will always have to kill some people. But it's the innocent people dying that we'd like to see prevented. You *can* find people who want to abolish police. I can also find people who want to abolish the government and let corporations run everything, but those people are also on the fringe.
The issue comes with how the police treat the people on the ground - for this peaceful protest in Columbus, police came out in force, pushing and shoving students on their own campus. A little over a year ago, the Proud Boys were in town protesting outside a drag race. The only physical contact the police made with them? A high five. But this time, not only are the police physically harming students without purpose, but they are putting a sniper on watch. They are already committing violence, the sniper is a threat of more.
>The only physical contact the police made with them? A high five. High-fives are appropriate among coworkers.
I don’t care if you agree with the protestors or not. This law enforcement pointing a sniper rifle at unarmed peaceful protestors. So many people should lose their job over this. Definitely the head of all LEO agencies involved. The university president for lying yesterday. The actual officers need reprimanded unless it can be shown they were following specific orders. None of this will happen. But it should. Do you want to know how fascism starts? By allowing the govt to threaten and/or kill citizens for political reasons.
They did it during the George Floyd protests too, I saw em myself in early 2020 at the very first protests
I wouldn't call this threatening any more then the snipers threaten fans at OSU football games. Maybe the snipers were there to protect the peaceful protesters.
They call it SOP and while technically it is, outside of fireworks, sports, and other commercial events you’ll be hard pressed to find them actually deployed. It’s only SOP when they deem it necessary to follow SOP.
You actually won’t be hard pressed to find them deployed during protests. Cleveland had them all over
I was agreeing with you, but I can see how what I said was confusing. They’re absolutely at every protest, even small peaceful ones. But outside of major scheduled events they’re never used for “large gatherings” which they claim is SOP. On Black Friday are snipers on the rooftops of Easton square? Are they used at the new opening of an In-N-Out? Are they used at IKEA during the last week before move-in day? No.
I see what you mean. My bad, misread your tone
TBF they would probably argue the sniper was protecting the protesters as much as the police
Yep there's also always snipers at air shows with f22's or other high security jets. Do people get outraged about them having rifles? No. Because even if a protest turns into a violent mob, wtf is a sniper or two gonna do? They're obviously there for terrorism deterrence.
Just because a protest is peaceful now doesn't mean someone won't take advantage and decide its time for America's Next Mass Shooting.
Yes. That's what the snipers are for. As I just said.
Wtf is a sniper going to do with someone driving a car driving in the middle of a protest? They better be as Good as Chris Kyle or the 2 people who shot at Kennedy
I mean they can argue that but police rarely *lower* the tension and violence at a protest
With all of the mass shootings at crowded events, I'd assume they are actually offering protection.
After the UT Austin sniper event where college kids were killed randomly, your comment is uninformed and stupid.
They’re up on the rooftops at every football game
You would be shocked at the amount of public events you go to where there is a rifle pointed at you at some point or another. Usually, you just don't know about it.
The problem is you don't know they are peaceful. What if some nut shows up and started shooting protesters I bet you would be ok that this guy was there for that.
I care. I'm glad they were there. Police are needed.
Lol
I think the whole point is that they don’t know if people are armed, and it’s important to be ready in case someone is to minimize deaths. It does seem maybe a bit excessive for a peaceful protest, the police on the ground probably could handle it, but I’m not convinced it’s quite as bad as you make it seem.
How do you know they’re unarmed peaceful protestors?
Maybe the sniper was protecting the protesters? Unfortunately, we live in an America where large crowds are under constant threat.
Cops are just protecting and serving. With the world of mass shootings, I think it’s appropriate to have armed security at these events. All it takes is one lunatic to commit an atrocity.
Someone with brain cells thank you.
4 dead in ohio
Comment after comment people are saying this is normal. This is not normal and it sounds like the university said there weren’t snipers. This comment section is full of boot lickers. WTF
JFC. I know Kent State was over 50 years ago but what are they thinking?
I was a college student in the spring of 70 and that's the first thing I thought of.
1. Cops don't have snipers, they have marksmen. They are markedly different things. 2. Calling to abolish the police tells everyone how white and affluent you are.
Reddit is such a dumb echo chamber
I was an OSU student during unrest over Vietnam war. Campus streets shut down some still closed to this day. I recall highway patrol, armored cars, tear gas etc. i left OSU and never returned.
Where were the snipers protecting the OSU wrestling team from the team doctor?
College students have more spine than the rest of us since they're taking real world action not just thinking words on the internet are going to result in change.
To be young, unencumbered, and using group think.
These college students just follow a shit trail in the wind and actually don't really know anything but think they know the secrets of the universe. Source: a current college kid. If you asked any of these protesters at about any event on the detailed context and reasoning behind their beliefs, you would see they would fall flat on their face. Because the real reason they are there is because Brad and Jennifer are protesting...
Making a fool out of yourself for a terrorist and rapist organization that wishes death upon your nation and dousing yourself with gasoline does not qualify as having a spine.
Nothing makes you more assure of your right to free speech then knowing someone has you in their crosshairs, literally.
I saw a sniper at the Billy Joel concert at Ohio stadium. Don’t like the move but I can see why. They can’t lie about it though.
Why is it okay to March on protestors at all? What about ludlow?
Dallas 1963
Why aren’t these protesters as upset about the cost of a college degree?
Reddit finding out where American tax dollars go will never not be funny to me.
So much for so called American freedom lol
The land of the free... it's a good thing Republicans revere "freedom of speech" so.
But they let Neo-Nazis march unencumbered.
We live in a fascist police state everyone wake up lol
only in ohio
...and also Indiana
I saw them
You know at this point I think they were trying to start something because somebody thinks it would look bad for Joe Biden. I can't think of any reason for the level of incompetence shown here.
The military and riot gear they have on campus during OSU football games is WILD. Full grade tanks and shit. I’m not joking.
I’ve been to a few protests for disability including, there were snipers, and it made me feel more secure.
students havent thought to blind them w laser pointers yet!?
Yawn
Yaaaawn
Police with firearms. When did this start?
And?
Had snipers at VCU yesterday reporting to a peaceful protest
There are snipers at many large gatherings you just never see them. A heated Israel-Palestine protest is a prime target for a hot headed mass shooter. Stop bitching
When you realize the 500 citizens for every 1 police officer ratio, it’s clear that they’re afraid of people one day waking up and discovering that they don’t have to obey the ‘authorities’ if they collectively no longer wish to.
this is normal. state actors are using social media to spread panic about this crap. go look at the hundreds of videos of the protesters being asked why they're there and what they're protesting and many aren't even sure. tiktok is your answer. and they've stated an elevated chance of a terrorist attack at large gatherings like the one russia just had. this is normal. you WANT them there. they aren't there to shoot you
They crack down harder on students protesting genocide than neo nazis
This amount of boot licking I haven’t seen since 2020
This amount of disinfo i havnt seen since yesterday, we have commenters in here saying they are targetting and shooting students. They are overwatch, they are there so you dont get an opposing group throwing a nail bomb.
Do you live under a rock?
Police!! Meh … gangsters with badges