Hong Kong protesters orderly, polite in push for democracy

A student protest organizer digs her hand into ice water to pull out cool drinks for protesters in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2014. (AP / Wally Santana)

Mass demonstrations are often characterized by rage and violence that sees cars trashed, shops destroyed, and people injured.

But things look a lot different in Hong Kong, where tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in pro-democracy rallies that, despite a police crackdown involving dozens of canisters of tear gas, demonstrators and reporters are sharing numerous examples of actions that show humanity at its best.

Protesters have been seen helping police officers over barricades, setting up a recycling system, and even sharing free food and water.

And they are said to be minding their manners, constantly saying please and thank you.

Demonstrators spent an evening in a torrential downpour, but that didn't stop some from using their umbrellas, previously deployed to repel tear gas, in order to keep police officers dry.

British journalist James Legge saw people going to McDonalds, where they gave away free burgers, and he posted the following two tweets about it. The first is a note on a van that reads "Sorry, I don't know who did this but we are not anarchists – we want democracy."

Demonstrators have taped signs in many different locations encouraging people to separate trash and recycling.

They are picking up every bit of trash to make the protest site as clean as possible and are helping load garbage into trucks.

Friendly supporters have donated so much food, that many demonstrators are asking them to stop.

They even apologize for any disruptions they may be causing.

The ranks of the protesters are filled with university students who, despite skipping classes, are still learning something.