Failure to anticipate possible violence
The BBC is also asking pointed questions about the abject failure to stop the attempted coup on Wednesday.
Criticism centres on preparation by police and their failure to anticipate possible violence, despite evidence that radical pro-Trump supporters and other groups were openly discussing their plans online.
And despite the fact that it is apparently standard procedure to police-up heavily for a protest or march that could get violent. This one wasn’t even a case of “could get”; the coup plotters were openly shouting that it would get violent.
The Washington Post, citing sources close to the matter, says that Capitol Police charged with guarding the building and its grounds did not make early requests for help from the city’s main police force or the National Guard nor set-up a multiagency command centre to coordinate response to any violence.
And yes we are going to point out how different this is from the way the BLM protests were treated last summer.
Even hours into Wednesday’s violence, protesters were filmed being escorted or guided out of the building without arrest – even appearing to be helped down the Capitol stairs and having doors held open for them to exit. Another viral clip appeared to show a police officer posing for a selfie with a man inside.
…
Aside from the clear lack of preparation, confusion mounted during the violence about when and if other security forces were being deployed to help.
According to the Washington Post, Pentagon officials had placed strict operational limits on the DC National Guard ahead of protests and remained concerned about the “optics” of armed military personnel at the Capitol.
Defence officials on Thursday sought to defend the speed in which they authorised and mobilised Guardsmen to respond to the violence.
Multiple US media outlets, citing senior sources, have suggested that President Donald Trump allegedly showed reluctance for the National Guard to be used to quell the unrest.
Naturally. He wanted the “unrest”; he summoned and cheered on the unrest. He was hoping the unrest would overturn the election for him.
Some radical supporters have responded with disbelief and frustration at the concession video shared by President Trump on Thursday following the violence.
Don’t worry! He’s taking it back already!
Also? He’s not going to attend your damn party.
There was no failure to anticipate. It all went as planned but for the woman who got shot and the cop who shot her, the only one who was effectively a cop, will probably lose his job for it.
Stop the presses! Fox News is reporting that there was a BLM activist in the Capitol*, so all those “patriots” are clearly exonerated.
*I won’t link.
There were more than a few cops there doing their duty and for that they deserve the same amount of respect anyone who does their duty deserves. Unfortunately there weren’t nearly enough police in total. They were set up to fail and that was only exacerbated by the traitorous shits helping the mob.
I’d feel more comfortable drawing that conclusion if there were more than a few shot if not dead invaders.
Think of it this way in terms of the facts:
*There were dead terrorists (four or five)
*There were cops evacuating members of Congress and their staff
*There are injured (and one dead) cops
*There are no injured/dead members of Congress as far as we know
*The tactical situation on the ground was utter shite; even if those on the scene had been 100% on board with doing their jobs it was extremely dangerous to be there (which means some combination of gross incompetence and deliberate sabotage). A hail of gunfire with their numbers would probably have gotten them all killed (and potentially members of Congress)
*There were definitely some/many cops helping them or otherwise not really interfering (and at least six members of Congress)
So at least a barely adequate number of officers were fulfilling their duties, possibly even valiantly… others most certainly were not.