By Aaron Kesel
We have seen a lot of police brutality and crazy rioting over the past week. As a sign of potential escalation, video has emerged of Humvees with machine gun turrets mounted on the top driving down the streets of DC, while a black red cross medical helicopter was used by the National Guard to show force against protesters at the capitol. And if that’s not enough, there is news of protesters disappearing in Chicago.
U.S. President Trump vowed to use force against protesters and to deploy the U.S. military to DC, the nation’s capital. He also expressed he would do the same elsewhere if the protests didn’t die down and rioters didn’t stop the vandalism and looting that occurred in some places. Trump also said he had dispatched “thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers” to Washington, D.C.
The view coming down 14th St. #WashingtonDCProtests #washingtonprotest #MartialLaw2020 Be safe at the protests after curfew everyone. #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd #JusticeforBreonnaTaylor @DCist @PoPville @washingtondc pic.twitter.com/dlE12GnhzO
— Mari (@mariselapenny) June 2, 2020
A former Marine, Luke Thomas, commented on the video asking “Why HMMWV’s rolling through DC city streets with their gun turrets mounted?”
Why are the HMMWV's rolling through DC city streets with their gun turrets mounted? https://t.co/Dh10FY5X9X
— Luke Thomas (@lthomasnews) June 2, 2020
Although we can speculate what’s going on here with these Humvees and the horrible things they could be used for, it’s best to instead deal with the facts as they stand.
The Associated Press reports that approximately 200 active duty troops that were brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in the nation’s capital will return to their home base. However, we have no way of knowing whether or not these troops returning home are the same that were seen driving down D.C. streets with turrets attached to their Humvees.
The official who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Associated Press, also noted that there were a total of 1,300 troops in the capitol region early this week as protests turned violent. Protests became violent in the aftermath of the death in Minnesota of a black man, George Floyd, who died after a white police officer pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for several minutes causing asphyxiation.
If Humvees with mounted turrets wasn’t enough to wet your police state whistle, a medical military helicopter was used to disperse protesters in D.C. as well, while the police on the ground kettled them and beat them. Even a CNN journalist was beat up by brutal riot cops. This all showcases that our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly is being threatened in many cases.
The incident occurred on Monday night after protesters failed to disperse during the curfew at the capitol at 7 p.m. EST. The helicopter flew low to the ground and was positioned just above those violating the curfew. The chopper sent gusts of dust and trash into the air near the demonstrators seen in the video below.
Since the event, it was announced today that the District of Columbia National Guard launched an investigation into the low-flying maneuver by one of its helicopters over protesters, CBS reported.
“I hold all members of the District of Columbia National Guard to the highest of standards,” Major General William Walker said in a statement Wednesday. “We live and work in the district, and we are dedicated to the service of our nation.”
Thus far there has been no investigation announced for why U.S. military were driving around Humvees with gun turrets still attached to the top.
It was also just reported by the Associated Press that the previous call by the Pentagon to have some of the troops return to home base has now been abruptly reversed by Defense Secretary Mark Esper in what they are calling a “dynamic situation.” Shortly after, buses arrived with military personnel:
BREAKING: > 10 Buses carrying US Military Forces descended on #WashingtonDC near White House pic.twitter.com/cd6shGAax8
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) June 3, 2020
If all of that wasn’t bizarre enough, Chicago is being accused of “disappearing protesters,” Vice reported. Chicago, Illinois is the same state that had a CIA-like black site torture prison at Homan Square. This is the same black site that The Anti-Media previously reported had detained thousands of Americans illegally. With that said, are they back to being operational? It seems very strange that protesters are vanishing again in Chicago.
What does all this highlight? As Jeremiah Mostelle wrote for the Charles Koch Institute, “the increased use of military equipment has coincided with an increased use of military tactics, such as SWAT teams and no-knock raids.”
As a result of all these actions and the various videos being seen online of police using excessive force against innocent unarmed protesters, we can surely expect massive lawsuits, maybe even class action lawsuits to commence.
Activist Post colleague Derrick Broze, in fact, was among those arrested last night in Houston while he was covering the protest as media. He stated that he will be fighting the charges. In the video below, Derrick provides more details of the arrest and the police behavior that he witnessed.
**By [@An0nkn0wledge](https://hive.blog/@an0nkn0wledge)**
Aaron Kesel writes for Activist Post.
