Tea Party protesters in Quincy, Illinois who did not follow a Secret Service agent's orders were met with 15 police officers dressed in riot gear Wednesday, according to a local newspaper report.
The Quincy Herald-Whig reported that the tense moment happened when protesters, who were marching toward the location where President Obama was speaking, did not obey a Secret Service agent's orders to move to the other side of the street.When the crowd didn't move and began singing "God Bless, America" and the national anthem, Quincy Deputy Police Chief Ron Dreyer called for members of the Mobile Field Force to walk up the street.
The officers, mainly from Metro East departments near St. Louis and dressed in full body armor, marched from the east and stood on the south side of York facing the protesters.
There was no physical contact, and the officers did not come close to the crowd, but there were catcalls and more than a few upset tea party members, including a woman who shouted, "This is communism!"
Purse-lipped, conservative, prattle-box Michelle Malkin foamed at the mouth as if this were some display of Marshall law, but it was simply standard operating procedure consider the President was within proximity of the protest.
Here's the video.
Not a SWAT team, just police in riot gear. Nothing out of the ordinary, as they are dispatched in the same fashion and with the same gear everytime a situation like this ( or worse ) is reported. After all, the fire department isn't going to show up in khakis and a t-shirt if your ADT alarm goes off because of a small grease fire in your kitchen, why should we expect anything less from a police department.
While Malkin and the Fox"Nation" frame this as an orchestrated show of force from inside the administration against a few old ladies, I find that more than just a little difficult to swallow. But, such is the conservative message creation machine. We can't have the people receiving accurate information, can we. After all, when Bush was in office, the Secret Service and local law enforcement forced protesters to remain in caged areas several blocks away from where he was speaking.
Considering the hate and violent rhetoric from the Tea Baggers, I'm sure that the Secret Service isn't taking any chances, regardless of where they are and who is protesting.
2 comments:
I think what happened with this is there were a bunch of bored SWAT teamers who jumped at the chance to actually put on their cool suits and ballin' equipment and parade around; beats the usual drunks and traffic stops. It's hilarious that it's got Malkin et al worked up to their usual froth.
They should know better than to have a protest at the place a president is going to speak. Sorry, they wouldn't be allowed within shouting distance because you can't have the prez drowned out by hecklers. That's not special in this case. It's just one of those things. It kills me that they act like this is a NEW thing that Obama invented. Were they in a coma during the Reagan, Bush-daddy, and Bushie-boy years? Hecklers weren't allowed at their speaking engagements either. Unless it's a case of "do as I say, not as I do", either way, this is so sad.
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