We've seen how, since the Democratic Party takeover of Virginia's state government almost two years ago, the administrative apparatus of state and local governments has been deployed - in some cases, weaponized - against conservative causes.
Now comes the clearest example yet that the progressive left will not allow the law to come between them and what they want. When it does, they act to suppress it.
Portsmouth, Virginia Police Chief Angela Greene has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation just weeks after announcing felony charges against Democrat State Senator Louise Lucas, local NAACP President James Boyd, and 12 others in connection with a June 10th attack on the city’s 144-year-old Confederate monument.
While the department has yet to release details surrounding the investigation, City Manager Lydia Pettis Patton claims that Greene should have never been investigating the case due to an undisclosed “conflict of interest,” presumably that the case involves some of the city’s elected officials and representatives. In response, Greene said that her department had exhausted efforts to have an external group conduct the investigation and that no conflicts of interest had been revealed.
Greene has been under intense scrutiny since announcing the charges last month, with local clergy members, operating under the umbrella of the “Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Steering Committee” holding an August 19th press conference demanding Greene’s immediate firing or forced resignation. The group was joined by Portsmouth Vice Mayor Lisa Lucas Burke – the daughter of Senator Lucas – who demanded to know “who is running the God damn city.”
As previously reported by National File, Senator Lucas played a pivotal role in the attack on the monument and was caught on camera ordering law enforcement personnel to stand down and allow the attack to happen – all while shielding her face from view behind Antifa-style masking.
. . .
In addition to Lucas’s caught on camera actions, an investigation conducted by the Portsmouth Police Department found that Lucas had conspired with local NAACP leadership in an effort to orchestrate the monument attack.
. . .
Supporters of Greene held a rally outside Portsmouth City Hall Saturday, with a group of over 200 people coming out to show their support for the chief, wearing the color green in her honor.
“She didn’t do anything wrong, they suspended her because she charged people that are in power,” said attorney and gun store owner Chris Anderson, who organized the showing of support. “They’re fabricating things against her and it’s wrong. The chief of police is experienced and if that means it’s Lydia Patton that needs to be fired, so be it. The City Council, which meets here on Tuesday, needs to get our city manager under control and reinstate the chief of police for doing her job.”
There's more at the link.
The latest developments are still very fluid. The city manager has resigned and one of the city attorneys has been dismissed, but there are still two power blocs fighting for what each considers to be right. Here's a video report from the city yesterday evening. If you prefer text, the report may be read here.
In so many words, Portsmouth, VA is a microcosm of the state at present, and of much of America. Two opposing views, two opposing groups, neither of whom is prepared to concede that their opponents have any right on their side at all. It's a recipe for conflict without any solution. In this case, I'm entirely on the side of the Chief of Police, who appears to have done her job without fear or favor. Sadly, that's only recognized by part of the community - the part that has some respect for law and order. The other part wants to remake "law and order" into what they think it should be.
In how many other communities across our nation is the same dynamic being played out? Pretty soon now, the whole country will be voting for our shared future - but will all of our divided citizenry accept the outcome as binding on them? I fear not.
Peter
There is no law, there is only power.
ReplyDeleteWhen one side plays in good faith while the other side cheats at every opportunity to win, only a fool continues to play by the rules. Life is a game played for keepsies.
Someone - actually many someones - much smarter than me, has/have said "War is coming". It seems we can count the days now. The loss of electricity will be downfall of everything.
ReplyDelete@McChuck: Spot on. As Bill Whittle said in several different videos, when faced with an honorable foe one acts honorably. When faced with a dishonorable foe, one must - for survival's sake - descend to that level as well. (OK, I'm paraphrasing.)
ReplyDeleteI saw a very interesting article (at least, I thought so):
Here's How to Tell Within 5 Minutes If Someone Isn't as Smart as They Think
https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/heres-how-to-tell-within-5-minutes-if-someone-isnt-as-smart-as-they-think.html
In virtually every "engagement" with someone on the Left, there's precisely ZERO curiosity.
Give you an example. I was having it out with a lib about the Second Amendment. They said, definitively, that the Second Amendment was originally intended as a "state right". So I provided chapter-and-verse references, including quotes from early 20th century history books and a Constitutional scholar showing otherwise.
They vanished.
There was no "Wow, I didn't know that" or "That's interesting" or even "You know, that's a good point". They disengaged from the debate rather than admit they might be mistaken.
This sounds like grounds for a federal complaint, since we know the state won't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteI feel like they are showing their hand too early - their hold on power, especially in states like VA, is still pretty tenuous AND the federal administration is not held by their party. personally, if I was in their shoes I would have been a little more circumspect at this point - are they expecting Biden to win this fall, or have they not thought as far as the federal level?
Time for the vigilantes yet?
ReplyDeletei'm still waiting for any of them to tell me what this racism is that they feel. I've challenged several and none can tell me....its not that the "right" thinks the left has no right to their opinion, its that the left wants to destroy us for having our opinion. they fight for dominance, we struggle for survival.
ReplyDelete