DC Mayor Muriel Bowser touring Washington D.C. with HUD Secretary Julian Castro. May 21, 2015. Photo courtesy of USHUD.
Was Wednesday’s police failure influenced by the anti-police sentiment fueled by BLM and Antifa demonstrations and destruction over last summer?
Mayor Muriel Bowser tweeted on Tuesday that DC “is not requesting other federal law enforcement personnel and discourages any additional deployment without immediate notification to, and consultation with” the Metropolitan Police Department.
By Thursday D.C. Mayor Bowser said she lacked authority to put officers at the Capitol, but the postmortem should also examine whether her directive contributed to the lag.
Throughout the summer, Americans watched city after city set afire, businesses destroyed, and statues ripped down as far-left radicals rioted (“demonstrated”) in many cities, including D.C. Across America, police officers were insulted and attacked and federal property damaged,” observes the WSJ.
Democratic leaders were slow to condemn this violence, and progressive prosecutors have been reluctant to press charges against many participants. All of this contributes to a culture of impunity around political violence and emboldens bad actors.
It’s tragic but predictable that far-right activists would take up the same destructive tactics. Law enforcement is now working to identify those who stormed the Capitol, and their prosecution can help send the message that political violence will not be tolerated.
