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  • Los Angeles Times

    Hong Kong's police were once revered. Now they're just a blunt tool, ex-cop says

    by David Pierson, Los Angeles Times Jan 02, 2020 8 minutes

    HONG KONG - On Oct. 1, as the People's Republic of China celebrated its birthday, Canaan Wong and his friends were dodging tear gas.

    Adherents of the pro-democracy movement that has convulsed Hong Kong for months, they approached a pedestrian bridge in the central district of Wan Chai, part of a throng of marchers. Suddenly, a police officer heaved a garbage can the size of a beer keg over the side of the span, sending it crashing down about 15 feet onto the head of one of Wong's friends.

    "The police don't seem to have any rules anymore," said Wong, a 29-year-old teacher's aide, who escaped arrest that afternoon by finding refuge in a nearby apartment building, where residents waved protesters over to hide. "They don't train you to throw a rubbish bin at people."

    Criticism of the Hong Kong Police Force - historically one of the most respected in East Asia, esteemed for its professionalism and restraint - has been mounting. In Wong's case, though, the criticism comes from an unusual source: He is a former beat cop, and not long ago donned the same olive-green uniform worn by police officers he is now evading. As a police trainee, he spent months learning about the appropriate use of force. Now, as a protester, he

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