On August 19, 2017, the Boston Police had a big job on their hands. In response to the demonstration that occurred in Charlottesville, Virginia and the subsequent fallout, demonstrations popped up throughout the country on both sides of the clash. In Boston, free speech protesters scheduled a protest, where authorities feared a repeat of the violence.
President Trump took to Twitter to support Boston Police, stating, “Looks like many anti-police agitators in Boston…police are looking tough and smart! Thank you.”
The president was quick to praise the police, siding with officials over the various anti-police agitators and groups such as Black Lives Matter. While the rally was only made up of 300 free speech activists, those protesting the rally numbered in the tens of thousands.
After the chaos broke out in Charlottesville, police in Boston were ready. As soon as the demonstration become a problem, law enforcement began disbanding the rally to prevent the type of violence that occurred in Charlottesville.
Once the rally was pulled apart, President Trump tweeted, “Great job by all law enforcement officers and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh”.
The United States continues to clash over free speech and racism, and the incident in Charlottesville, Virginia only shows how far the nation is from getting together on this issue. The two sides couldn’t be further apart, and President Trump continues to try to bring these two sides together.
The free speech activists in Charlottesville, Virginia, took to the streets in a rally that quickly became violent. The group promoted white supremacist views, and was seen as a rally for the alt-right. A woman was killed after a car driven by an individual at the rally raced into a crowd of counter-protesters.
Democratic and Republican politicians were fast to state that the violence was wrong, and condemn the white supremacist message being promoted. President Trump was not so fast to let anti-racism protesters off of the hook for the violence. While he stated that racist groups such as the neo-Nazis and KKK were wrong in their messaging, he also noted both sides played a part in the violence.
Charlottesville, Virginia is a microcosm for what could go on throughout the country if police don’t respond quickly when violence starts in any rally. By standing with police, President Trump is doing the country a massive service.
Ryan Kelly, a photographer from the Charlottesville Daily Progress, wrote “there were groups on both sides scattered. There were a few small fights that broke out from time to time. People were throwing stuff at each other. A few people were beating on each other.”
Other protesters stated that the white nationalists were well prepared for the event, coming in almost like military force with drills, marching and so on.
This was a riot, according to Washington Post Report Joe Helm, “Counter-protesters fought back, also swinging sticks, punching and spraying chemicals. Others threw balloons filled with paint or ink at the white nationalists. Violence was exploding everywhere”. He further stated that the police did not move to break up the fights.
One thing is clear: this is a battle that has been raging in the United States for many years, and it is far from over. While America needs to come together in a unified manner, the tensions appear too high at this time to do so.
President Trump’s praise of the Boston Police is a strong sign that he believes in enforcing the law and keeping chaos to a minimum.
Boston’s law enforcement should serve as a quality example to police officers around the country. This breakdown of law an order has been allowed to persist for far too long.
~ Liberty Planet
