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‘People showed up looking for a fight’ Fort Collins Chief to announce more charges in weekend brawl
KDVR ^ | Aug 10, 2020 | Alex Rose

Posted on 08/11/2020 6:25:25 AM PDT by real saxophonist

‘People showed up looking for a fight’ Fort Collins Chief to announce more charges in weekend brawl

by: Alex Rose

Aug 10, 2020

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swodoba spent the weekend looking at viral videos of a dozen men brawling in a ditch about a block away from his station’s headquarters.

“These weren’t kids after a high school game that were just excited and getting into a fight, these are grown men you know getting in a fight,” Chief Swoboda said. “It’s sad for the community. Sad for individuals who do that kind of stuff.”

What started as a pro-police rally on Saturday got heated, as counter protestors and rally goers escalated conversations into confrontations.

The chief says there were aggressors on both sides.

“You do see one group pushing another group, telling them to leave and they can’t be there, well that’s not their place,” Swoboda said. “They’re not the arbiters of who can be there and who can’t.”

So far, three people have been arrested, and another cited for the incident, but the chief says more charges are coming after people came forward with information and video to help investigators in the case.

“People showed up, they were looking for a fight. They show up with brass knuckles, knives, guns, fireworks, OC Spray, they got a Kevlar vest on,” Swoboda said.

Multiple sources tell the Problem Solvers a counter protestor pepper sprayed a disabled veteran, which triggered the brawl. The chief confirms hearing those reports, but can’t confirm that’s exactly what happened.

The department is still investigating what triggered the scuffle.

The chief says safety for his officers was a top priority during the rally, and they responded as soon as they heard reports of the fight.

“Standing with our backs to people who are armed, who are showing up to these events with bulletproof vests, it’s not safe to go in there and do that,” Swoboda said.

Event organizers are planning another pro-police rally in Fort Collins this Friday. Swoboda hopes the focus is more on productive conversations between rally goers and protestors, which did take place last Saturday, before the fight broke out.

“Simply putting on a t-shirt that says I support police, and then going out and breaking the laws and getting in fights, we don’t want that kind of support,” Swoboda said. “We don’t need it. Don’t come.”


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: antifa; colorado; fortcollins; ftcollins; policerally; propolicerally
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1 posted on 08/11/2020 6:25:25 AM PDT by real saxophonist
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To: real saxophonist

Keep your mouths shut. Don’t say a word to the cops.

Not one word.

L


2 posted on 08/11/2020 6:26:25 AM PDT by Lurker (Peaceful coexistence with the Left is not possible. Stop pretending that it is.)
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To: real saxophonist

If the police & gubmint will not protect citizens & property, the people will.


3 posted on 08/11/2020 6:28:43 AM PDT by NativeSon ( What Would Virginia Do? #WWVD)
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To: Lurker

Because no matter what you say, there’s a bureaucrat or other opportunist hiding behind them waiting to sucker punch you for political gain.


4 posted on 08/11/2020 6:29:32 AM PDT by P.O.E. (Pray for America)
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To: real saxophonist

The anti-police are the troublemakers.


5 posted on 08/11/2020 6:30:13 AM PDT by \/\/ayne (I regret that I have but one subscription cancellation notice to give to my local newspaper)
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To: real saxophonist

Maybe if the cops had bothered to show up at the “protest” one block from the precinct in the first place.....


6 posted on 08/11/2020 6:31:24 AM PDT by zipper (In their heart of hearts, all Democrats are communists.)
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To: NativeSon

Plus the jerkwad “protestors’” future plans will most likely not include Fort Collins. Notice how that even in red states they pick the most liberal areas to throw their tantrums.


7 posted on 08/11/2020 6:32:57 AM PDT by Hillarys Gate Cult (Free the TVs!)
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To: real saxophonist

Look who politically controls Fort Collins. Democratic politicians protect Antifa and as in all places the “police chief” is a political creature.


8 posted on 08/11/2020 6:33:27 AM PDT by allendale
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To: Lurker
I was laughing at the people in this thread praising Ft. Collins for being a 'conservative community'.

Denver, Boulder and Ft. Collins are the reasons Colorado has become the trash heap it is today.

9 posted on 08/11/2020 6:33:42 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Masks are not about controlling a virus. Masks are about controlling people.)
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To: real saxophonist
And if the antifa/blm terrorists were tearing up the neighborhood the police would just stand back and let them.

I don't know why anybody at this point still believes cops are the good guys.

10 posted on 08/11/2020 6:33:53 AM PDT by Sirius Lee (They are openly stating that they intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live.)
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To: real saxophonist
"putting on a t-shirt that says I support police, and then going out and breaking the laws and getting in fights, we don’t want that kind of support,” Swoboda said. “We don’t need it. Don’t come.” Put that man on a jury! At least he hasn't made up his mind about guilt, eh?
11 posted on 08/11/2020 6:40:53 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (mohammed was a slaver: Burn the Koran!)
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These are the three that were arrested:

They look more like Antifa than pro-police.

12 posted on 08/11/2020 6:40:58 AM PDT by real saxophonist (Masks are not about controlling a virus. Masks are about controlling people.)
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To: real saxophonist

Maybe I’m reading him wrong, but it sounds like the chief can’t tell his friends from his enemies. I’m guessing the antifas won’t be the ones who end up in trouble.


13 posted on 08/11/2020 6:41:18 AM PDT by cdcdawg (Biden has dementia.)
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To: real saxophonist

“Swoboda hopes the focus is more on productive conversations between rally goers and protestors, which did take place last Saturday, before the fight broke out.“

Somebody get the memo to this guy that the time for “productive conversation” is long gone.


14 posted on 08/11/2020 6:44:22 AM PDT by cld51860 (Volo pro veritas)
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To: real saxophonist

The police are there to enforce the law.
They are not there to judge.
Fort Collins is one of the towns Obama visited back in 2012.
You would have thought the GOP-e was on vacation considering their response.

Businesses were waiting for Romney-Ryan to show up.
They never did but for sure they hit us up for donations.


15 posted on 08/11/2020 6:44:41 AM PDT by Zathras
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To: real saxophonist

I’ll take the one in the middle please.


16 posted on 08/11/2020 6:45:52 AM PDT by bankwalker (groupthink kills ...)
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To: real saxophonist
Fort Collins Police Chief Jeff Swodoba

Why don't you stand up for rule of law. First, who had criminal intent here? Why don't you go after those guys. It's easy if you put principal above trying to go with the flow when you get run over by a tornado.

17 posted on 08/11/2020 6:48:05 AM PDT by AndyJackson
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To: real saxophonist
Simply putting on a t-shirt that says I support police, and then going out and breaking the laws and getting in fights, we don’t want that kind of support,” Swoboda said. “We don’t need it. Don’t come.”

Well, there you have it. As far as the police are concerned, the pro-police people are the problem.

18 posted on 08/11/2020 6:49:28 AM PDT by Texas Eagle
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To: cdcdawg

And that’s the main reason why I steer clear of such events. If one enters the fray the cops won’t necessarily err on the side of “but I had the best of intentions” would-be allies.


19 posted on 08/11/2020 6:50:07 AM PDT by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
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To: real saxophonist

Yes they do. Maybe the whole thing was staged?


20 posted on 08/11/2020 6:50:52 AM PDT by Texas Eagle
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