Purchases of riot gear by police departments are surging across the country as civil unrest grows, with fears that major American cities could see more violence this summer.
According to an investigation by Muckrock which is based on Freedom of Information Act requests, numerous different police departments have spent six figure sums on things like “bean bag launchers, smoke grenades, pepper spray launchers, to plated body armor, helmets with protective visors and throat guards, and aluminum batons,” in the last five years, and the total outlay is increasing.
Take Denver for example; Spending on riot gear by the Denver Police Department has increased every year since 2012, with a $32,409 outlay on
“less lethal” weaponry in 2012 surging to $136,538 in 2016, while spending on “protective gear” spiked from $162,920 in 2012 to $282,947 in 2016.
“less lethal” weaponry in 2012 surging to $136,538 in 2016, while spending on “protective gear” spiked from $162,920 in 2012 to $282,947 in 2016.
“Most of this equipment really has very few applications beyond large protests,” comments MuckRock’s Curtis Waltman.
Rubber bullets, gas masks, tear gas and flash bang grenades are also in demand.
As we reported last year, manufacturers of riot control products saw an uptick in demand that coincided with the election campaign, including requests for surveillance drones and new systems that deploy water canons to “handle large crowds and demonstration(s).”
As we document in the video below, the establishment’s effort to portray Trump as illegitimate by pushing the idea of impeachment will embolden violent demonstrators who have already caused mayhem on numerous occasions, including immediately after Trump won the election and on the day he was inaugurated.
Explosive clashes between far-left agitators and Trump supporters could also intensify if Trump’s base feels that he is being sabotaged by deep state entities that are attempting to bring about a coup de’tat.
Leftist demonstrators are also set to attend summer “resistance camps”generously funded by the DNC where they will learn tactics to prolong the “resistance” to Trump that began on November 9.
It’s set to be a long, hot summer of simmering tensions and police departments across America are getting ready for all eventualities.
Meanwhile, back on the North side, a street naming for a convicted FALN terrorist who sentence was commuted by Obama. As reported in the Sun Times:
ReplyDeleteAfter more than three decades in prison, Oscar Lopez Rivera was met with raucous applause during his return to Humboldt Park on Thursday.
He was convicted in 1981 for his role as a leader of the FALN, a Puerto Rican nationalist group that claimed responsibility for dozens of bombings all across the country, including in Chicago. He was initially sentenced to 70 years in prison, but former President Barack Obama commuted his sentence after 35 years.
And this is a president whose actions merit a Presidential Library in Chicago.....this city has really gone to the dogs....literally.