For as many police videos that reach millions of eyes, the events that transpired in the last week show that there is yet hope for BJJ to be the answer everyone is looking for in combatting police brutality. In a viral video that has since reached 15 million views, Rener Gracie points out how a suspect in apprehended by a police officer, one with clearly very little grappling training, being assisted by a civilian that practices jiu-jitsu who provides support and direction.
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Specific pinning mechanisms, uncanny patience, and conspicuous terminology stood out about the civilian that clearly marks him as a BJJ practitioner to the trained eye. A challenge the officer has is the ability to put the suspects hands behind his back despite having the suspect in the prone position. Through use of the underhooks and leverage, the BJJ practitioner finds a way to make sure that a potentially violent encounter does not escalate.
Many bystanders choose not to help officers in witnessing a struggle the officer may have with a suspect. Attend one of Rener’s police training seminars and you will quickly find that officers overwhelmingly prefer that the public steps in, especially if the civilian has some semblance of knowledge in grappling. If you are reading this article, chances are you qualify as a good Samaritan that could assist in an arrest one day. Just heed these three pieces of advice straight out of Rener’s playbook:
1. ASSESS the threat to the officer and to yourself. Is your help really needed? Is it even safe for you to intervene?
2. ASK permission to help and identify yourself to the officer. An officer has no way of knowing which team you’re on, so let them know you’re there to help and wait for explicit permission to enter.
3. ACKNOWLEDGE the risks of intervention. There are safety risks and there are legal risks. Each jurisdiction has different laws regarding civilian intervention so make sure you know yours.
Rener is offering his 32 Principles program free for any person caught on film assisting in an arrest, just be sure it is safe and proper to do so.
The officer in the viral video has since made contact with Rener as of press time and is set to receive formal Survival Tactics training. Let’s hope this can be a catalyst to more officers being convinced that jiu-jitsu is an indispensable part of their arsenal in handling a street altercation without violence.
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