Observations
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer equally shared the responsibility for protecting protestors and counter-protestors.
The next time, we must be ready. We cannot condone their actions; we must condemn their efforts, but America is bigger than thugs with shields.
More demonstrations from hate groups are coming. The publicity gathered from Charlottesville is the fuel they thrive on.
Author
Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.
Thirty-five years of speaking for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed multiple times by every national news outlet. Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Post-Masters’ Certificate of Advanced Study-Johns Hopkins University
Article
Yep: Neo-Nazi’s, the KKK and white supremacists are scumbags; the lowest form of humanity. Anyone judging groups as a whole need to be sterilized.
Yep: President Trump needs to apologize for not saying the above the day of the riots. For a President who criticized others for not using the term, “Radical Islamists terrorists,” his desire not to offend a few on the far-right was cowardly.
But We Celebrate the Moronic
But in America, we celebrate tolerance of stupid, hateful speech; see Skokie, the ACLU and the right of Nazi’s to march, ACLU.
Our second President, John Adams, defended British troops after the Boston Massacre at great risk to his law practice and reputation based on the principle of law. He felt that America had to show the world that we are a country based on speech, fairness, and adherence to legal decency. John Adams
But legal decency is impossible to enforce if the police are not there to keep the peace.
Impending Violence Was Obvious
Neo-Nazis, the KKK and white supremacists are guaranteed to inflame emotions.
Counter-protesters brought their own forms of violence.
In Charlottesville, the mix of groups was volatile. It was an obvious public safety emergency.
What was also obvious was the lack of a police presence and a failure to barricade adjacent streets. The lack of traffic control (barricades, police vehicles blocking access roads) led to an assailant with a car deliberately plowing into counter-demonstrators.
The Mayor and Governor Should Resign
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and Charlottesville Mayor Michael Signer equally share the responsibility for protecting protestors and counter-protestors. They failed. They need to resign.
How do I know they were responsible for decisions? I worked as the Director of Public Information for the Maryland Department of Public Safety for 14 years. I was on the Secretary’s personal staff. The Governor’s office and local politicians guided every major law enforcement or correctional decision that involved critical issues. In many cases, I was the one who did the briefings.
The mayor and the governor criticized Donald Trump for his inappropriate statement immediately after the death of a young woman and the deaths of two Virginia State Troopers when their helicopter malfunctioned.
But their criticism was nothing more than an attempt to cover their own malfeasance by not doing enough to keep the peace.
When is a Large Police Presence Necessary?
There is an endless discussion as to when a massive police presence is necessary. There are those who feel that too many police officers inflame protests.
In Baltimore, the riots after the death of Freddie Gray were strongly influenced by a lack of law enforcement, and the situation deteriorated to the point that it will take Baltimore decades to recover.
In Charlottesville, media reports indicate an appalling lack of police presence as endless fights broke out.
Even the media is conflicted as to what happened that day and who is to blame, Associated Press.
We are still unsure as to who the participants were and the roles they played, Neiman Lab.
From the New York Times:
“One crucial preventative technique is to keep opposing sides apart, which the police tried and failed to do in Charlottesville. In the hours leading up to the rally, people fought in full view of police officers. “Charlottesville turned into a riot,” said Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. “Both sides were able to connect.”
“In our city, we will do everything we can that those two sides never connect.” John Eterno, a former New York City police trainer who teaches at Molloy College…”
“The Charlottesville police have faced a hailstorm of criticism. Witnesses said officers did little as violent confrontations unfolded in front of them,” New York Times.
There Will Be More Demonstrations
More demonstrations from hate groups are coming. The publicity gathered from Charlottesville is the fuel they thrive on.
The smartest move for opposition groups is to stand in peaceful protest. Fifty haters surrounded by five hundred or a thousand good citizens chanting as one tells everyone that hate speech is unacceptable.
It also deprives hate groups the violence-laden publicity they seek.
The next time, we must be ready. We cannot condone their actions; we must condemn their efforts, but America is bigger than thugs with shields.
Free speech, however disgusting, must be protected. The more light we shed on hate groups, the less their impact. Let them speak.
The Virginia founding fathers would not have it any other way.
Contacts
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