Breaking down the city’s settlement with the rioters

About that $9.25 million giveaway to people who may have been hurt by police who tried to put down the social justice protest riots following George Floyd’s murder in the summer of 2020:

I see the big picture as a triad, with three elements.

Before looking at the protestors, let’s look at the cops, the first element of the triad. Not just the ones on the front lines, but anyone wearing the blue.

There were loud marches in Center City in which no one was hurt. The city practically invited the protest marches, as the city should have, because peaceful protest is a guaranteed American right.

Remember the smacked ass named Chris Cuomo who asked on air, “Who said protests have to be peaceful?” As if to justify violent behavior.

Answer: The First Amendment, Chris. Here it is, for your edification: 

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

Clear?

Protest became a national part-time and while most protestors actually were peaceable, some were not and our irascible and Woke Mayor Jim Kenney refused to call on the National Guard to anticipate disorder. It is well-known in policing that a strong show of force can intimidate crowds into peaceable behavior. Kids rarely act up when Daddy is home.

He dithered as stretches of Walnut and Chestnut streets were put to the torch, or to the looters’ crow bar. Kenney smelled the coffee among the burning stores, calling for the National Guard 24 hours too late. Once the guys in camouflage took up positions, order was restored.

In the midst of chaos, the police were a thin blue line called upon to restore order.

No one in an orderly march was attacked by police, as far as I know. If you were a cop, you were sent out to protect the innocent and to arrest the law breakers.

You used the lawful, nonviolent tools you were sent out with — tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets. 

Some were misused, such as directing pepper spray directly into protestors’ eyes. As was overuse of tear gas. That was bad, no doubt about it. That may be why Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw, who gave the order to use gas, sidestepped responsibility for it and allowed a subordinate to fall on his sword and accept blame. With Outlaw, the buck does not stop here. 

The majority of cops did their jobs according to the rules of engagement, then found themselves excoriated, and called everything from racist to fascist.

And you wonder why there are massive retirements among law enforcement? And some cops wonder why they should bother enforcing the law when the public, some of them anyway, criticize them, and the D.A. won’t prosecute the criminals.

Can you blame them for thinking, “If they don’t give a f–k, why should I?”

The second and third parts of the triad were two separate sets of riots — I-676, and the 52nd Street corridor.

Protestors, who were offered all major thoroughfare for their demonstrations, were ordered to stay off the interstate. Pedestrians are not allowed there by law, not permitted for reasons of safety.

But a large group of social justice warriors just had to do it, as if to earn their anti-Establishment spurs. 

The second triad was I-676, where hundreds of protestors broke the law and stopped traffic on the expressway. The cops waded in to break up the illegal protest using the legal weapons they were given.

The pepper spray and tear gas was unpleasant, as it was intended to be, and it worked. Some protestors complained a fence made it hard to escape the gas. They took no responsibility for their lawlessness and they teared up. Some people were arrested and some of them had plastic ties put on their wrists too tightly. One protestor claimed he needed surgery. 

The people with serious injuries deserve compensation, but the city solicitor issued a carte blanche with the average protestor walking away with $30,000 for some temporary unpleasantness. Not a bad day’s work — break the law, make money off it.

I was not on 676, but I saw the protestors and I saw video of the ones on 676.

They were overwhelming white. A manifestation of white privilege?

Our bozo mayor had access to the same information, but in written remarks about the settlement, he had this to say:

“The pain and trauma caused by a legacy of systemic racism and police brutality against Black and Brown Philadelphians is immeasurable.”

Support for police? No. Criticism of rioters? No. Dredging up “systemic racism” and “police brutality” suffered by white rioters? Yes. That’s where this Wokester’s head is at.

The third triad, the riots along the 52nd Street corridor, was different. That is a Black neighborhood and the stores being looted were Black owned.

To quell the looting, the cops fired off a lot of tear gas and some clouds wafted over innocent bystanders, standing and watching the riot as picnickers used to pack a lunch to watch Civil War battles.

Innocent people harmed should get an apology, but $30,000? And a half million to community groups to offer counseling to people “traumatized” by events that day?

Please.Just how fragile are we?

The reality of the settlement is that the city figured it would be cheaper to throw money at the protestors than to spend years in court fighting them.

I can understand that. I can’t understand the abject apologies by the mayor and the police commissioner, without a single word of defense for the cops.

Kenney isn’t the only one who can’t wait for him to no longer be mayor.