# Did pro-Trump protestors get off easy yesterday in Washington protests? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 7, 2021, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926 "2021-01-07T15:46:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2021, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/62 "2021-01-08T23:50:37Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > Just chalk it up to a “dress rehearsal” of “defunding the police”. If the police are literally letting the bad guys in the front door maybe some questions should be asked don’t you think? No one is going to “defund” the Capitol Police but it seems clear some are not doing their jobs. Why would anyone want to keep them on the payroll? ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/63 "2021-01-09T02:46:12Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > Some security experts disagree with some of what you suggest: Not that I think my opinion is better than theirs, but if you do a worldwide trawl you’ll always find an expert with an opinion which fits the article you are writing. And > “These are not subtle principles” for managing demonstrations, “and they transfer to every situation,” seems like a ridiculous oversimplification and doesn’t take into consideration making wrong predictions for the size and nature of a demonstration. And if you’re biased and sympathize with the message and the protestors, making those wrong predictions is more likely. Then again, maybe I’m wrong and the Capitol police deliberately set themselves up to fail despite correctly assessing that might lead to some of them having their heads bashed in with heavy objects. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/64 "2021-01-09T03:19:04Z")
> [@naita](#): > > Not that I think my opinion is better than theirs, but if you do a worldwide trawl you’ll always find an expert with an opinion which fits the article you are writing. If that is your objection then by the same token, in a worldwide trawl, you should be able to find an expert with an opposite opinion. So…find one. And we can then argue whose expert is better. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/65 "2021-01-09T09:29:18Z")
> **[DC police made far more arrests at the height of Black Lives Matter protests...](https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/dc-police-arrests-blm-capitol-insurrection-invs/index.html)** > > Washington, DC's Metropolitan Police Department made roughly five times as many arrests during the height of last June's Black Lives Matter protests compared to the US Capitol insurrection on Wednesday, a CNN analysis of the police department's data... ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/66 "2021-01-09T14:03:26Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If that is your objection then by the same token, in a worldwide trawl, you should be able to find an expert with an opposite opinion. You realize there’s a difference between a journalist looking for a quote as part of their job and **contacting** various experts, and me participating in an internet discussion, yes? But here’s an article on the response where at least two US police officials echo pretty much what I wrote: [Capitol Police reject federal help](https://apnews.com/article/capitol-police-reject-federal-help-9c39a4ddef0ab60a48828a07e4d03380) The claim of “interference” by the anonymous French police official seems implausible to me compared to complacency and sympathy with the protestors. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/67 "2021-01-09T17:06:15Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > But if you were going to conduct a coup, would these guys be your storm troopers? No. But they could be a cover band for the Village People, verdad? 1. I believe it was an attempted coup—a feebly attempted one, mostly by cosplayer types who weren’t doing anything else that day. Not a well-organized strike force, but it’s still like playing with your dad’s gun—dangerous. I don’t want to underestimate the enemy. I wonder if the place was swept for electronic listening devices, if any sensitive documents went missing, etc. They say if your house is burglarized, it’s common to feel violated. That’s how this feels. That reminds me that I should take photos and such of things around here in case. > [@naita](#): > > A mix of sympathy for the rioters and “we fucked up the preparations and are now outnumbered anyway”-sentiment led the Capitol police to open the gates instead of risking a full on gun battle. From last June: > **[Washington DC mayor calls on Trump to pull troops and federal forces out of city](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jun/05/washington-dc-mayor-trump-withdraw-troops-muriel-bowser)** > > Muriel Bowser objects to hotchpotch of unidentified forces – from Green Berets to prison guards – operating outside police chain of command Another article said she had plaza renamed for BLM, like giving him the finger. So I figured there’s a pissing match and this struggle for jurisdiction or whatever. Once the NG was needed how long did Trump wait to send them? He said “immediately” but [This says that wasn’t true.](https://www.theverge.com/2021/1/7/22218794/trump-twitter-ban-lifted-unbanned-realdonaldtrump) > [@Riemann](#): > > (1) They are pushing a narrative that the worst of what went on here was attributable to antifa infiltration. So is he pardoning antifa? I like the way you think. I’ve known parents who say “Before you give your answer, make sure it’s not a lie because it’ll take two lies to cover that one,” at which point kids will admit the truth. Apparently that’s never happened to DJT. At some points these lies have to contradict and I hope that’s brought up, in bold letters. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I think deadly force was absolutely justified. But I also know the police were outnumbered, and I think I’ve seen photos of insurgents bearing pistols and long arms. I _ **really** _ wanted to see them bust some heads. But they were outnumbered…and some of the mob had guns. Maybe more had **concealed** guns. How many rounds did the PD have? What if the mob starts shooting back? Probably wise to keep the guns holstered. If I’m a cop that day, I’m wondering who sold us out, putting us in a dangerous situation without sufficient backup etc. Later, my second thought, would be that possibly we had major incompetence, and it wasn’t intentional. But my first answer is usually my best one. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I’m reading there is now a manhunt underway, and I’m reminded that (ironically enough), Trump passed an EO mandating 10 years for anyone who vandalizes federal property. That would be epic. “Mr. President you were all full of outrage then, but now you want to pardon these folks?” > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > It was an insurrection. Not a coup. I’ll google definitions. Insurrection: a violent uprising against an authority or government. Coup: a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. ISTM these people wanted to get control of the vote, which would determine the leader, keeping their guy in power. Rather than knocking out a leader, they’re trying to pre-emptively knock out the leader-elect, but they’re still aiming to select a leader by force. Po-tay-to, Po-tah-to? Or do you think they wanted to force another election? > [@snowthx](#): > > The whole world saw a unorganized mob take-over the nation’s Capital with minimal supervision - suppose someone with a backpack or suitcase sized bomb decided to blend-in - someone like that nut in Nashville. He coulda just walked-on in with the rest of the mob, had he waited a week. Yep. Nashville crossed my mind as well and I bet the cops considered it. I’m reading article that @Whack-a-Mole posted. If the Cap Police knew they were overrun, why did they refuse help? For instance: > The Justice Department’s offer for FBI support as the protesters grew violent was rejected by the Capitol Police, according to the two people familiar with the matter. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2021, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/68 "2021-01-12T20:10:52Z")
FWIW PolitiFact thinks the responses were notably different: > **[PolitiFact - Black Lives Matter protests faced a more militarized response...](https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/jan/11/sherrod-brown/black-lives-matter-protests-faced-more-militarized/)** > > In remarks to Ohio reporters, Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said there was a big difference in police response between wha ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/69 "2021-01-14T22:39:29Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > > [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > > It was an insurrection. Not a coup. > > I’ll google definitions. > Insurrection: a violent uprising against an authority or government. > Coup: a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. Therefore, an insurretion and perhaps an attempted coup. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/70 "2021-01-14T22:57:04Z")
> [@SCAdian](#): > > Therefore, an insurretion and perhaps an attempted coup. They said they were trying to “stop the steal,” and they were looking for Pence, right? So they hoped to change the election by force. Granted, many were bumbling and a lot acted like tourists, so we were lucky in that respect. Then there’s this… > WASHINGTON — On Dec. 8, someone made a simultaneous transfer of 28.15 bitcoins — worth more than $500,000 at the time — to 22 different virtual wallets, most of them belonging to prominent right-wing organizations and personalities. > > Now cryptocurrency researchers believe they have identified who made the transfer, and suspect it was intended to bolster those far-right causes. U.S. law enforcement is investigating whether the donations were linked to the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol. > **[Exclusive: Large bitcoin payments to right-wing activists a month before...](https://www.aol.com/exclusive-large-bitcoin-payments-wing-181954427.html)** > > On Dec. 8, someone made a simultaneous transfer of 28.15 bitcoins — worth more than $500,000 at the time — to 22 different virtual wallets, most of them belonging to prominent right-wing organizations and personalities. U.S. law enforcement is... I don’t assume they went for a “one punch” solution where they’d get everything they wanted from one blow. Maybe it didn’t change the outcome but it garnered attention, possibly drew new converts, put their enemies on the defensive, makes some officials in Congress think twice before impeaching, etc. They’ve certainly stirred the shit. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/71 "2021-01-14T23:06:33Z")
28.15 bitcoins are worth more than a half a million? Sure be my lucky day to find a few of _those_ on the curb! ---
**Author:** ![Portlandia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6de8d8/32.png) [@Portlandia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Portlandia)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/72 "2021-01-14T23:28:07Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Three years late and $7 trillion short. Fuck every Republican who only now is jumping on the “Reject Trump” bandwagon after riding the Trumpster gravy train for the last four years. Amen! They are using this opportunity to cleanse themselves of the Trump stench. Now that corporate America sees a potential disturbance in their profits they are turning their backs on Trump. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/73 "2021-01-15T00:27:56Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > 28.15 bitcoins are worth more than a half a million? Sure be my lucky day to find a few of _those_ on the curb! [Googled it](https://www.google.com/search?q=current+value+bitcoin&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS798US798&oq=current+value+bitc&aqs=chrome.0.0i324i457j69i57j0j0i22i30j0i22i30i395l4.12113j1j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8) Today it’s quoting $39,500 per. Multiplied by 28.15= $1,111,925. Holy shit! ---
**Author:** ![Crane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crane/32/3495_2.png) [@Crane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crane)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2021, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/74 "2021-01-15T15:55:08Z")
Prior to November people carrying Trump signs were citizens expressing themselves. After the election carrying a Trump sign to ‘stop the steal’ is insurrection. A protest to overthrow the Biden government is sedition and not a Constitutional Right. Our only recourse is to use the right-wing ‘Patriot Act’, declare all participants in the march enemy combatants and strip them of citizenship. Transport them to Guantanamo and keep them in separate cages from their children. Torture them to determine the ‘facts’. We must also purge the Congress of Fellow Travelers. Defending Trumpists is sedition. Sadly our only defense may be to become them. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/77 "2021-05-31T08:49:52Z")
> [@VikingWolf](#): > > I was there, albeit not AT the Capitol, and the rowdy ones that I saw/met were actually Antifa-types in Trump get-up. If they were to fight, then being OUTSIDE the Capitol showed that the Antifa-types were not willing to fight nor help on the so-called “setup” INSIDE the Capitol. So, it was not likely that they were Antifa. This also follows when one realizes that when the FBI (Still with the same Republican director appointed by Trump) posted the pictures of the guys that did go inside or attempted to get in, they were not assigned any allegiance in the captions of the pictures, and yet all the ones that were identified turn to be… Trump followers. [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-senate-fbi-extremists-new/no-evidence-u-s-capitol-rioters-belong-to-antifa-movement-fbi-chief-wray-testifies-idUSKCN2AU22P](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-senate-fbi-extremists-new/no-evidence-u-s-capitol-rioters-belong-to-antifa-movement-fbi-chief-wray-testifies-idUSKCN2AU22P) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/78 "2021-05-31T09:01:21Z")
> [@VikingWolf](#): > > I was there, albeit not AT the Capitol, and the rowdy ones that I saw/met were actually Antifa-types in Trump get-up. How did you see them if you weren’t actually there at the Capitol? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/80 "2021-05-31T09:43:41Z")
> [@VikingWolf](#): > > The media is “on the take” and is NOT to be trusted, in my opinion. Well, that would include FOX and OAN, so who _do_ you listen to? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/81 "2021-05-31T10:34:54Z")
> [@VikingWolf](#): > > “Reuters”? Believable? The media is “on the take” and is NOT to be trusted, in my opinion. MSM is a JOKE. Killing the messenger is the joke so stop that, do you have any reply of what they relayed about what FBI director Chris Wray told the Senate under oath? I have to note also that you are not willing to look at how flawed was your logic by putting Antifa OUTSIDE the Capitol. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2021, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926/82 "2021-05-31T10:55:25Z")
> [@VikingWolf](#): > > The whole damned thing was a setup. Man Oh Man! Trump and his supporters wouldn’t recogonize personal responsibility if it cuffed their hands behind their backs and read them a Miranda warning. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-pro-trump-protestors-get-off-easy-yesterday-in-washington-protests/929926.md?page=3)