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.”
Colorado ping.
People have to gain the mind set that when an official stands with Antifa they become Antifa and need to be treated as such
Exactly. The cops follow the orders of politicians, and the politicians are largely on the same side as antifa. Staying away from these things is still a valid strategy ... for now. It’s when they come to you that is tricky.
Bye, bye Chief.
I’m old enough to remember Dan’s Bake Sale in Ft. Collins back in Rush Limbaugh’s heyday.
Productive conversation? Ha! Chief is a funny guy in need of a healthy dose of reality.
Thinking this encounter was very productive.
Go talk to them yourself Chief . . . before you bend the knee that is . . . and after they spit on you and tell you they are going to defund you.
I watched the video. There was some taunting from the pro-police folks, but the Antifa a-holes were the ones who brought weapons and committed the violence. I guess it is okay in the police eyes if the lefties taunt and antagonize our side can't do the same? The cops are acting like complete asshats.
So which side was that Chief?
No, they’re acting like they are following orders, and they are, they are coming from their democrat bosses. They have houses, jobs, and families they don’t want to lose. It seems toppling a nation is quite easy after all ...
Looks more like Celebrities Without Makeup starring Woody Harrelson, Alyssa Milano and Cher.
It's because cops in key cities are literally hiding that citizens (e.g., Fort Collins) are frustrated to the point of vigilantism.
Me too.
Want to bet?
When push comes to shove we used to be confident that the cops and military would fight on our side. Not any more. Now the cops look for excuses to arrest their supporters and excuses NOT to arrest their enemies. The military is not far behind.
This police chief obviously sides with the left. Scumbag!!!
my bet is that all those who were arrested were among those supporting the police, not the Antifa scum.
I wouldn’t touch her with your hand.
“No, they’re acting like they are following orders, and they are, they are coming from their democrat bosses. They have houses, jobs, and families they don’t want to lose. It seems toppling a nation is quite easy after all ...”
Yep, the old “I was just following orders” defense. Ugh.
It was a lot better in the 70’s, but a city of 170K with a university having 33K students - you don’t need a PhD to figure out where the power base is and who calls the shots.
The front range of CO is blue. Go 50 miles north to Cheyenne and the outcome would be very different.
Typical thinking in the Socialist State of Colorado.
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