Much is made of Trump’s events being private, not technically open to the public. Quasi invitation only if you will. Most municipal police departments engage their officers in these events by offering them supplemental duty pay or overtime, and it’s voluntary. Except for the traffic situation outside the event, on city streets, the additional security an event requires inside the venue isn’t something the police are required to monitor and control. Why isn’t Trump made to contract out his security?
A city has to know it’s placing its officers in peril and at risk of litigation due to the provocations Trump directs to the crowds. I’d like a city to tell Trump “You’re on your own, you and your staff and Secret Service detail. We decline to place our officers in the arena for your event. Here’s a list of phone numbers of local private security companies. Have a nice rally.”
Most of the cops are KKK.
In Fayetteville and Cumberland County… Most of the cops are black.
I know nothing about this sheriff other than his handling of this incident. And I have no idea if his words and actions are sincere, or just public relations moves to head off trouble. But his words and actions have been the right ones. I especially like how he made a point of noting the cowardice involved in this assault.
“No one should be subjected to such a cowardly, unprovoked act as that committed by McGraw. Regardless of political affiliation, speech, race, national origin, color, gender, bad reputation, prior acts, or political demonstration, no other citizen has the right to assault another person or to act in such a way as this defendant did. I hope that the courts will handle this matter with the appropriate severity for McGraw’s severe and gross violation of this victim’s rights.”
Totally cool avatar BTW.
That is awesome. Not every cop secretly wants to be a brownshirt.
My avatar eats your avatar for breakfast. And then sleeps for a couple of days.
Ha! Like your avatar could catch my avatar.
Right? Or a suspension with pay. Am I right?
I’m betting that, just as with the arrest of the assailant, the availability of the video evidence was crucial in being able to investigate and discipline these deputies. I’m guessing that’s what enabled the sheriff to determine that his deputies must have seen the assault take place, despite their initial claim that they must have all been looking down at the same time, so they wouldn’t trip on the steps. No, seriously, that seems to have been their claim:
The victim of the assault was being escorted out of the Coliseum as a result of a disruption of the candidate’s speech and rally when McGraw edged his way to the end of the row and while deputies who were escorting Jones were looking down to secure their steps so as not to fall as they followed Jones up the stairway toward the exit, and while the deputies eyes were cast in the direction of the steps, McGraw punched the victim, striking him about the head and face. The deputies who did not see the assault continued up the steps with the victim, who was ultimately escorted from the Coliseum.
If there was no video, what are the chances the assailant would have been arrested?
If there was no video, what are the chances the negligent / lying deputies would have been suspended and demoted?
Does anybody seriously believe that Trump fans would have reported this assault to law enforcement, and backed up the victim’s version of events?
Video is the worst enemy of violent cowards like this McGraw guy. Thanks to the video, they’ve got him dead to rights on assault charges. Not sure his subsequent threat to murder the victim at a later time is specific enough to prosecute the guy for making a death threat (whatever that charge is in NC), but if I was on the jury, it wouldn’t be hard to persuade me.
Edited to add:
It turns out he has been charged for the threat:
Detectives conducting the criminal investigation, while reviewing video that was take at the Crown Coliseum during the event found that McGraw made statements to threatening Jones stating that he enjoyed hitting “that loudmouth . . . who was “not acting like an American,” and threatening next time “to kill him.”
After seeing this video the detective charged McGraw with the offense of Communicating Threats.
It will all get pled down to probation and a no-pology from McGraw and the cops.
Their discipline includes free weekends for each family at the nearest TrumpDump…or so I heard.
Maybe Trump’s next thing is banning recording devices of any sort from his rallies.
That is the one that kills me.
There was a cop in my area, who was suspended with pay for some kind of corruption. He threw up every delaying measure he could and managed to postpone his hearing for four years, then the day before his hearing with the police services board he quit the force and was therefore no longer required to go before the disciplinary board and left with an unblemished record. During that four years he worked another job so he was making out like a bandit.
I feel like in those situations they should be suspended, and any pay put in an escrow account. If they are innocent, they get it, if not they don’t. If survival is difficult for them during their suspension then the police union can help them out and try and recover the funds themselves after the verdict.
Yea but 78 year old white men remember when it was obligatory to rough up black folks.