Freedom ain’t free. Sometimes flash-bang grenades are involved. We were reminded of this yet again on May Day 2013, when marchers took to the streets of downtown to display their disdain for The Man and a handful crossed the line of protest decency—tussling with riot gear–clad cops and inciting a briefly scary scene that involved plenty of hot tempers and what seemed like an equal number of unnecessary flash-bang grenades. As unruly protesters hurled bottles and rocks at police, the boys in blue returned the favor by chucking war-zone-style shock-and-awe devices that still have my ears ringing.