Posted on 08/30/2018 1:48:04 PM PDT by yesthatjallen
The chief of the police force in Chapel Hill, N.C. ordered officers to stand down as protestors toppled a Confederate monument at the University of North Carolina, according to a report from local station WRAL News.
“Let’s give them space,” Police Chief Chris Blue reportedly texted at 9 p.m. on the night of Aug. 20 as protesters gathered around the statue known as "Silent Sam," representing a Confederate soldier.
Moments later he wrote, “Yes but do not engage w Crowd at statue. Stay way out.”
The statue fell at about 9:30 p.m. Shortly after, the police began to form a small boundary around the statue, according to reports at the time from The Daily Tar Heel, a campus newspaper.
WRAL obtained 400 pages of chief Blue’s emails and texts from the days of Aug. 20-21 following a public relations request.
Law enforcement's handling of the protests and the toppling of the statue has come under scrutiny. Critics say they should have done more to prevent the statue from being taken down.
According to the WRAL, Blue kept a close eye on the situation developing around the statue, particularly the arrival of counter protestors.
He repeatedly asked about their location, according to the texts, and seemed to express concerns about a clash.
“Need to make sure our plainclothes guys are really looking out for counter protesters to arrive,” Blue reportedly texted at 7:35 p.m. “This thing is all over tv and internet. The longer they take with the statue the more time Folks have to arrive.”
Blue’s texts also seem to suggest that the UNC campus security force left the statue.
According to WRAL, Blue texted his officers that the UNC people were backing away from the statue.
An officer responded to the chief, texting “Copy our folks did as well.”
No one was injured in the protests but there face misdemeanor rioting or defacing public monument charges.
UNC had previously released a statement saying, “at no time did the administration direct the officers to allow protesters to topple the monument.”
“During the event, we rely on the experience and judgment of law enforcement to make decisions on the ground, keeping safety as the top priority,” the statement continued.
A member of the UNC System Board of Governors, Thom Goolsby, posted on Twitter last Thursday that the statue would be reinstalled as per state law.
Give them space. Really?? We give them space for criminal activity?
I think they did that in Baltimore also, gave rioters space?
“The longer they take with the statue the more time Folks have to arrive.”
Sounds like he had prior knowledge of what was going to
go down.
The state is officially the enemy of the people.
Chapel Hill is a leftist hotbed college town. Not surprising.
Here I thought he’d be yellow.
Thanks for doing the search.
What an SOB.
Stupid loser.
It’s only a matter of time until these idiots set their sites on public libraries and demand books they disagree with be taken off shelves.
The fact he works on Martin Luther King is not lost on me.
Where else would a liberal appeaser be except on MLK?
“The longer they take with the statue the more time Folks have to arrive.”
The Chief, and probably the University leadership, was “in on it” despite their denials.
They all must go for collusion with the howling mob of rioters and thug leaders - in other words, the enemy.
Clean that mess out.
“Here I thought he’d be yellow.”
I just saw his photograph.
From what I had read, I was expecting him to be a smaller man.
“Here I thought he’d be yellow.”
I just saw his photograph.
From what I had read, I was expecting him to be a smaller man.
Would have changed in a nanosecond if Proud Boys or others had decided to protect the statue.
mob riot or destruction or damage to public property in broad daylight
police on scene but their chief orders them to stand down
and let mob rule proceed
????????????
WTF is wrong with that guy? and, who needs a PD like that?
EVEN THE FOLKS WHO DIDN’T carry firearms before, now know that they HAVE to...since the police won’t even TRY to protect them or their property anymore
this is so sad, we hope that chief is quickly fired... and that the city can get a decent chief who will at least provide normal, competent leadership to the department
“to protect and to serve?” well, we see that the Protect part is dead gone died and buried. As for serving, just who is the chief serving, anyway? the CPUSA? SorozNazi? or?
When you drive east on I 40 and turn off on Exit 273 hiway 50/501 you enter the Blue Zone and immediately fill the chill
It was probably a call made weighing the backlash. Crimes against property are often viewed as being victim-less, so going in and giving some hickory haircuts would make the cops look like the bad guys. By standing back and hopefully video taping to identify the ring leaders, the university can now move against the perps without having to look bad in the news.
Not saying the decision was the correct decision, just speculating on the decision process.
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