from the gang-on-gang-violence dept
While Donald Trump was trying (and failing) to cheer himself up with a self-congratulatory birthday parade — I mean, just look at this sad boy:
— the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriffs Department were busy turning peaceful protests in violent protests.
Throughout the nation, millions gathered peacefully to protest Trump’s military parade. The “No Kings” protests were only interrupted by violent acts of interlopers.
In Los Angeles, the ongoing protests against ICE intermingled with “No Kings” demonstrators. Everything was going fine until the cops decided that they’d have to riot if no one else was going to do it. This isn’t a narrative being pushed by protesters seeking cover for their own violent actions. This is something that was confirmed as it happened by multiple reporters on the scene.
Whether this is God showing his sense of humor or karma being the bitch it is doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is that it happened, it’s verifiable, and it’s pretty fucking funny.
“Training and expertise.” After escalating things by firing flashbangs, rubber bullets, and tear gas into crowds of people who were, at best, refusing to immediately respond to a dispersal order (although that’s still a point of dispute), the only people engaging in actual violence mainly managed to hurt each other. (That being said, plenty of protesters were still in the middle of this friendly fire exchange, as it appears the LAPD and LASD were both trying to keep separate groups of protesters from joining forces.)
As amusing as that is, it’s still cops instigating conflict, rather than seeking to de-escalate it. And it still means other horrific things happened, like the deliberate shooting of a NY Post reporter by an LA law enforcement officer.
Again, there’s some cruel irony to partake in here, given that the NY Post is firmly pro-cop and has published plenty of cop propaganda while covering anti-ICE protests.
Never mind the narrative being pushed by Trump and some members of law enforcement. The reality is that cops are provoking confrontations and using any excuse possible to engage in violence. And they’ll do it even when they know their actions are being recorded:
There are plenty of violent people at these protests. But most of them are wearing badges.
Filed Under: ice, lapd, lasd, los angeles, mass deportations, no kings, police are rioting, protests
