It's hard to tell what these police officers are doing to these passive protesters at UC Santa Cruz (who set up a tent city to protest the university withholding millions of dollars from University funding to pay themselves large bonuses). It looks like they are using some kind of special pinch under the protesters' jaws that causes a great deal of pain. I think the police are also pinching the protesters' earlobes. Link (Thanks, Ryan!)
Reader comment: George says: "I may be wrong here, but the photo on BoingBoing looks like something
I've seen before. From back in the day when I used to do a lot of
martial arts, I remember one instructor saying police can press their
thumbs on a nerve and muscle cluster at the back of the jaw (where the
earlobe meets the cheek) to cause extraordinary pain without leaving
visible marks. Try pushing around there yourself. When your eyes start
to water, you've found the place. It's just "behind" the jawbone and
slightly under your earlobe."
"I've heard of, and in some cases seen, this tactic used
inappropriately in group homes, prisons and mental hospitals too.
"It's use is the shock of the extreme pain. It works like a taser in
some ways. You can't really do anything else but flail when it's being
applied. Apparently the logic is: when they let go, you quit
fighting… because you don't want it to happen again. It's that
painful. But again, the real advantage, as far as police are
concerned, is that it doesn't leave marks. It's brutality without the
bruises."
Reader comment: Don says: "A commonly taught pain based 'come-a-long' involves placing a ball point pen or other slender object in the palm of the hand and using it to pick someone up by the back of their ear or ear lobe. I believe that is what the officer pictured is attempting to do. During my training it was recommended as a way to get passive, uncooperative people to stand up when they refused."
Reader comment: Nick says: "What those cops are doing are pressure point grabs. What looks like an
earlobe pinch is a pressure point submission; I had heard of its use in law
enforcement but hadn't seen it until now. You can do it to yourself by
pushing your thumbnail directly up into the space where the underside of
your ear connects to your jaw. The harder you do it, the more it hurts, and
you feel it after you remove your thumb. Now, if someone else were to do
that to you, and with considerable force, you would not only experience
shooting pain, but also find yourself somewhat unable to move. If performed
on someone standing up, it causes them to bend forward towards the floor. I
don't know why these cops are doing this to protestors who are already on
the ground. I learned this, believe it or not, in a shiatsu massage class. I
didn't learn anything about that fingers-under-the-jaw thing, but performing
it on myself just now, I find that it does, as expected, hurt very much."
Reader comment: Trigg says: "I am a Naval officer I have done some military law enforcement training with the US Navy Master-at-Arms trainers and we learned this technique, along with other pressure points. There is actually a chart of pressure points created by a law enforcement supply company called Monadnock – here is a link to the chart. (I think the guy looks a lot like Victor Garber – the guy that plays Jack Bristow on ALIAS.)
"Anyway, these tactics were taught as "Soft Control" techniques. The purpose of these techniques are to "bring a subject under control which have a LOW probability of causing soft tissue damage, skin lacerations or bone fractures" as opposed to hard control techniques with a baton which might be used against someone who is actively resisting. Anyway, I DO NOT believe that what George of Bookninja says: "But again, the real advantage, as far as police are concerned, is that it doesn't leave marks. It's brutality without the bruises." is the case, though I suppose if the technique is abused . . . This technique is only used if people fail to respond to verbal commands and are endangering themselves, others, and/or they are breaking the law. Again, I am not necessarily commenting on the situation with the protestors (i.e. – whether or not they were breaking the law), just trying to clarify the technique and why it is employed."
Reader comment: Drew says: "It is slightly disturbing to see this event posted on boingboing with such a strong focus on the techniques being used by the police rather than the fact that said techniques were actually performed upon peaceful students. I witnessed these events last Monday night, reporting for a campus publication, and was startled by the excessive force used on students.
"If you could please post this link, which provides basic information concerning the student and police actions, I would greatly appreciate it."
