California Police held back, anti-Trump violence escalates

California Police held back, anti-Trump violence escalates March 6, 2017


More violence erupted in Berkeley, California over the weekend at a rally in support of President Trump, occurring just one month after violence shut down a speech by Milo Yiannopoulos at UC Berkeley.

And just like previously, these rioters brought pipes, bats, bricks, and 2x4s to “counter protest” the pro-Trump crowd. Ten people were arrested on Saturday, but according to the Marin Independent Journal, campus police “held back:”

Some anti-Trump protesters threw things at Trump supporters. Berkeley police made occasional forays into the crowd, but mostly held back. Protesters spilled out into Martin Luther King Junior Way and were fighting in the middle of the street, and there were people punching each other on the sidewalks. Some people had bloody faces. One pro-Trump supporter was apparently sprayed in the face with Mace.

And there you have it: exactly what I’ve been warning about. Cops are paralyzed by their department chiefs who tell them to “hold the line” instead of take control. The officers are just following orders, but I keep saying it: the order should always be to advance at the first sight of violence and disperse the crowd with less-than-lethal means. The only thing these thugs are going to listen to is bean bags, rubber bullets, or tear gas. That’ll get their attention and send them on their way. They have a right to be there if they’re going to be peaceful, but they don’t get to infringe on others’ rights.

For those who think that’s going too far I ask: How did holding back keep the elderly gentleman you see in the above photo safe? It didn’t. These rioters were allowed to rule the streets.

I’m glad there were arrests made but the message from the police was loud and clear: Protesters can pretty much get away with committing crimes so come on back whenever you’d like.

And believe me, this isn’t just happening in California. There were rallies nationwide and similar incidents played out in Tennessee and Washington, as TruthRevolt noted:

In Nashville, two people were arrested as protesters clashed with Trump supporters at the Tennessee Capitol. In Olympia, Wash., four demonstrators were arrested at a support of Trump rally, accused of assaulting a police officer.

We can expect a lot more of this, and for it to worsen, unless we give police officers their legs back and allow them to do their jobs.


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