Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Nevilledog

(51,094 posts)
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:07 PM Aug 2021

But How Could Ashli Babbitt Have Known Climbing Through Broken Window To Attack Congress Was Wrong?




https://www.wonkette.com/officer-who-shot-ashli-babbitt-talks-insurrection-barricades-and-threatened-beheadings

On Thursday night, NBC's Lester Holt interviewed Lt. Michael Byrd, the Capitol Police officer who fired the shot that killed insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt. Byrd has been fully exonerated by both the Justice Department and the Capitol Police, largely because he did not actually do anything wrong.

"The investigation revealed no evidence to establish that, at the time the officer fired a single shot at Ms. Babbitt, the officer did not reasonably believe that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress and others evacuating the House Chamber," federal prosecutors said in a statement.

As horrible as it is for anyone to die in this manner, Babbitt was literally climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door during an attempted violent overthrow of the United States Congress and Byrd, who had never fired his weapon on the job before in his 28-year career as a police officer, was trying to protect members of Congress from potentially being killed. They didn't barricade the door for funsies.

Lt. Byrd explained to Holt his perspective of what was going on that day. He'd been hearing reports of violence over the radio from his colleagues, reports of pipe bombs, of an officer getting their fingertips blown off. He rushed to help members of Congress hide, telling them to remove their pins so they might pass as staff, to reduce the chances of getting killed by the mob. He and other officers barricaded the door to the lobby with whatever was available — desks, chairs, etc.

*snip*

68 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
But How Could Ashli Babbitt Have Known Climbing Through Broken Window To Attack Congress Was Wrong? (Original Post) Nevilledog Aug 2021 OP
Just a misunderstood gesture on her part - she wanted to shake hands with MaryMagdaline Aug 2021 #1
She was a tourist, doncha know n/t Fortinbras Armstrong Aug 2021 #20
The most astonishing bit of rightwank revision of January 6th: Grokenstein Aug 2021 #25
There were also bomb threat warnings around the same time I would have shot too uponit7771 Aug 2021 #2
This is why I'm not in law enforcement Effete Snob Aug 2021 #7
Me too I would have shot everyone of them trying doc03 Aug 2021 #14
Me too Traildogbob Aug 2021 #32
Me too Traildogbob Aug 2021 #34
NYT NEW YORK TIMES INSURRECTION VIDEO REPORT - June 30, 2021 CrispyQ Aug 2021 #3
Important to remember that mob TRAMPLED ONE OF THEIR OWN. They were there for murderous violence. nt Bernardo de La Paz Aug 2021 #12
After watching the entire clip.... SergeStorms Aug 2021 #28
Worth watching again! burrowowl Aug 2021 #29
Thanks for reposting this. JudyM Aug 2021 #43
"Babbitt was literally climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door during an attempted.. Botany Aug 2021 #4
Had she succeeded, the horde would've followed. displacedtexan Aug 2021 #5
She very well might have been part of coorodinated plan of attack. Send the woman in 1st. Botany Aug 2021 #10
I think she volunteered. She was hyped and raring to go. yardwork Aug 2021 #30
You're not "blood thirsty". SergeStorms Aug 2021 #33
Byrd's conduct certainly shut down insurrectionist activity at that location. Sneederbunk Aug 2021 #6
It was Nancy Pelosi's fault dontchaknow Nevilledog Aug 2021 #50
Mike Engleman sodomizes cows. Prove me wrong. elias7 Aug 2021 #54
Shouldn't Mike Engleman be fearing for his life then? StClone Aug 2021 #61
NO, Asshole.. "Prove" you're right. Cha Aug 2021 #68
Especially when "Gun, Gun, Gun" was shouted seconds before she climbed through GemDigger Aug 2021 #8
THIS SunSeeker Aug 2021 #63
Yeah, isn't that what tourists normally do there? robertpaulsen Aug 2021 #9
That's what terrorists normally do there. Vdizzle Aug 2021 #11
Don't you wonder how Lt. Byrd keeps from MyOwnPeace Aug 2021 #15
Because he is a professional bottomofthehill Aug 2021 #36
I agree - totally! MyOwnPeace Aug 2021 #37
The thought did cross my mind. bottomofthehill Aug 2021 #39
The mob should be lined up for public flogging too, in my estimation. ffr Aug 2021 #13
Wasn't it that part of the tour they were giving? ashredux Aug 2021 #16
Yeah, the "Capitol Obstacle Course" is a fun-filled activity for all tourerists! Beartracks Aug 2021 #64
She and others get through the window, move the barricade and the horde flows in we might have NoMoreRepugs Aug 2021 #17
Just a little sightseeing durablend Aug 2021 #18
It'll take many millions & deplete our store of historic wood and other precious materials displacedtexan Aug 2021 #47
I will always believe XanaDUer2 Aug 2021 #19
As a soldier she had been a part of air security at one time over D.C. She knew how serious emmaverybo Aug 2021 #21
I honestly believe she thought he wouldn't shoot her. displacedtexan Aug 2021 #48
+1, they All seem entitled uponit7771 Aug 2021 #56
She just wanted to hurry and get inside so she could yell, Mr. Evil Aug 2021 #22
If a policeman pointed a gun at you as you tried to climb through a broken window struggle4progress Aug 2021 #23
yeah Slammer Aug 2021 #24
By any legal use of deadly physical force, the police were justified in Historic NY Aug 2021 #26
I'm just happy it only took one. Demobrat Aug 2021 #27
They were cowards, that's why the backed down. Bullies and cowards. yardwork Aug 2021 #31
Yes, they were bullies and cowards.. mountain grammy Aug 2021 #65
If they shot the first few that came through the front doors Mr.Bill Aug 2021 #38
Just a sweet tourist going to meet up in DC with some friends luckone Aug 2021 #35
Her husband looks EXACTLY like I thought he would NickB79 Aug 2021 #44
No f**king loss drmeow Aug 2021 #52
She was a fucking nut case spanone Aug 2021 #53
She was just a tourist looking for the gift shop, right? ZonkerHarris Aug 2021 #40
Weren't we all raised to forcefully break into the US Capitol, roam the halls looking to commit... steve2470 Aug 2021 #41
Play big kid games... dvan Aug 2021 #42
hem. gimme a break. please . AllaN01Bear Aug 2021 #45
K&R Blue Owl Aug 2021 #46
She should've complied IcyPeas Aug 2021 #49
He didn't know that drmeow Aug 2021 #51
+1, the back the blue shit only applies to white officers uponit7771 Aug 2021 #55
Heck, in stand your ground states, climbing through a broken window in a garage can get you killed. appleannie1 Aug 2021 #57
Before naming him, the right wingers were intimating it would be a racial thing. keithbvadu2 Aug 2021 #58
I saw the video that day. LittleGirl Aug 2021 #59
Stupidity is not a valid excuse in court. Martin68 Aug 2021 #60
If a throng invaded your home you'd have the right of self-defense bucolic_frolic Aug 2021 #62
This is very wrong of me, but Ferrets are Cool Aug 2021 #66
Having a chickenshit leader who said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue.... KY_EnviroGuy Aug 2021 #67

Grokenstein

(5,722 posts)
25. The most astonishing bit of rightwank revision of January 6th:
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:30 PM
Aug 2021

"Police literally invited these unarmed peaceful protesters inside and then ambushed them!! Ashli the Angel just wanted to put daisies in their gun barrels!!! (fart fart fart)"

doc03

(35,328 posts)
14. Me too I would have shot everyone of them trying
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:46 PM
Aug 2021

to break down the doors. That seemed to be the turning point when they finally got the message.

CrispyQ

(36,461 posts)
3. NYT NEW YORK TIMES INSURRECTION VIDEO REPORT - June 30, 2021
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:23 PM
Aug 2021

This was posted when it came out in June, but it's worth posting again. The video is 40 minutes & is a compilation of video collected from that day, from various sources. They include a map of the Capitol grounds with graphics of where the rioters were & where they breached the building. It's so worth the 40 minutes to watch the entire video. I noted some key events, below, including when Ashli Babbitt got shot. She was clearly warned not to proceed.

No paywall for this NTY INSURRECTION VIDEO REPORT, released June 30, 2021

Day of Rage: An In-Depth Look at How a Mob Stormed the Capitol
https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000007606996/capitol-riot-trump-supporters.html

=====

8:55 - Map of the outside of the Capitol Building & where the rioters were gathering.

14:14 - Floor plan of inside of Capitol Building & then fans out to the entire grounds.

19:17 - Floor plan of Senate side of Capitol Building. Rioters have broken into the Capitol building by this point.

20:44 - Officer Goodman lures the rioters away from an unguarded door & into a line of fellow officers.

21:33 - Layout of the Rotunda & Crypt & House side of the Capitol Building.

22:22 - A copy of the tweet Trump sent out at 2:24pm as the Capitol Building was being stormed by angry MAGA.

22:50 - Rioters breach the other side of the Capitol Building & look for House chambers.

27:16 - Ashli Babbitt arrives at the place where she will be shot.

28:20 - Ashli Babbitt is shot trying to breach the House chamber.


29:49 - Map of outside Capitol Building & where the crowd is. Continues into stunning footage of how the police were overwhelmed, & calls for backup were ignored.

33:00 - "Law respecting" trumpers beating police as they storm the Capitol Building.

34:06 - Trumpers trample one of their own, after she collapses & her friend's cries for help are ignored.

34:55 - Map of the Capitol Building & an overview of all the places it was breached. If you don't watch any other part of this report, watch this. It shows the scope of the breach.

SergeStorms

(19,200 posts)
28. After watching the entire clip....
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:46 PM
Aug 2021

it's never been more obvious that these Trump cult members were nothing more than tourists, who were treating the Capitol Police and the Capitol Halls as respectfully and and dignified as possible.

Botany

(70,501 posts)
4. "Babbitt was literally climbing through the broken window of a barricaded door during an attempted..
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:24 PM
Aug 2021

... violent overthrow of the United States."

Botany

(70,501 posts)
10. She very well might have been part of coorodinated plan of attack. Send the woman in 1st.
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:38 PM
Aug 2021

I might be blood thirsty but they should have shot more of them they were trying to violently
overthrow the US Government so Trump could declare martial law and stay in power. You can
notice after they shot Babbit the MAGAs fell back PDQ.

yardwork

(61,599 posts)
30. I think she volunteered. She was hyped and raring to go.
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:51 PM
Aug 2021

In the videos I saw it looked like she couldn't wait to attack.

SergeStorms

(19,200 posts)
33. You're not "blood thirsty".
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:54 PM
Aug 2021

They were told repeatedly to stop, to not go any further. They knew guns were pointed at them, and they should have taken that as a sign that the Officers would use them.

Babbit was a belligerent idiot, with nothing but evil intent in mind. She paid for her stupidity with her life. Oh well.

If you're blood thirsty, so am I, and so are the majority of law abiding citizens. Many Black people have paid with their lives for far, far less.

StClone

(11,683 posts)
61. Shouldn't Mike Engleman be fearing for his life then?
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 02:00 PM
Aug 2021

Surely they are coming for all 'em, especially the loud posting warnings.

GemDigger

(4,305 posts)
8. Especially when "Gun, Gun, Gun" was shouted seconds before she climbed through
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:35 PM
Aug 2021

and she climbed through anyway.

MyOwnPeace

(16,926 posts)
15. Don't you wonder how Lt. Byrd keeps from
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:47 PM
Aug 2021

smacking Senator Bonehead every time he sees him in those hallowed halls?
I honestly don't know how I could ever face half of those liars, let alone try to 'protect' them from other 'tourists.'

bottomofthehill

(8,329 posts)
36. Because he is a professional
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 05:05 PM
Aug 2021

He acted heroically on 1/6 and has acted professionally ever since. Lt Byrd made an extremely difficult decision to take a life in defense of others. He also made that decision so that others with less training did not have to. He has had to live with the consequences of his decision, I believe the right one, but still extremely painful. Watch the video, look at his body language and listen to him when talking about the shooting.

He did his job, his sworn duty to protect others.

MyOwnPeace

(16,926 posts)
37. I agree - totally!
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 05:13 PM
Aug 2021

and showing even MORE courage to go on national TV and discuss his actions - especially after the Insurrectional General (IQ45) has put a bounty on him - and you KNOW what some of his 'loyal loons' are capable of doing......

But I would find it terribly hard NOT to smack some of those "just tourists" preachers 'one-up-side-the-head!'

ffr

(22,669 posts)
13. The mob should be lined up for public flogging too, in my estimation.
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:45 PM
Aug 2021

They went to kill. They should suffer the penalties for their adult actions.

NoMoreRepugs

(9,417 posts)
17. She and others get through the window, move the barricade and the horde flows in we might have
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:51 PM
Aug 2021

the SlobFather as POTUS - it's not outside the realm of possibility. Thank you Lt. Byrd for defending our Democracy.

displacedtexan

(15,696 posts)
47. It'll take many millions & deplete our store of historic wood and other precious materials
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 07:56 PM
Aug 2021

to repair just the physical damage to the Capitol. The emotional damage can never be repaired unless punishment is dealt swiftly and severely by our justice system.

XanaDUer2

(10,662 posts)
19. I will always believe
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 03:57 PM
Aug 2021

she slipped through to un-barricade the door and let them flood in for mayhem.

Once he shot her, they calmed down

emmaverybo

(8,144 posts)
21. As a soldier she had been a part of air security at one time over D.C. She knew how serious
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:04 PM
Aug 2021

security would be inside. She also had time to consider her action while two capitol police officers
tried to hold the doors against a horde in the hallway. Footage shows her walking around calmly. Sorry she was brainwashed and troubled, but Lt. Byrd’s job was not to give her therapy but to protect lives inside carrying out one of the most important duties in our democracy.

Mr. Evil

(2,841 posts)
22. She just wanted to hurry and get inside so she could yell,
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:07 PM
Aug 2021

"I Got First! I Got First!"

Stupid, insurrectionist, dead traitor idiot.

struggle4progress

(118,282 posts)
23. If a policeman pointed a gun at you as you tried to climb through a broken window
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:12 PM
Aug 2021

with a rioting mob behind you, any normal Trump supporter would think, "Cool! He totally supports what you're doing!"

Slammer

(714 posts)
24. yeah
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:23 PM
Aug 2021

Yeah, I think having a police officer aiming his gun at her and warning her "not or do it or he'd shoot her" should have given her a clue that her behavior wasn't socially acceptable.

Historic NY

(37,449 posts)
26. By any legal use of deadly physical force, the police were justified in
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:32 PM
Aug 2021

capping a bunch more. To defend themselves or a third person from the use or imminent use of deadly physical force .

Demobrat

(8,976 posts)
27. I'm just happy it only took one.
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:45 PM
Aug 2021

If she had made it through and others had followed it would have been a major bloodbath. I’m still sort of surprised the mob didn’t just step over her body and keep on coming. And nobody fired back.

The canary died and the mob backed off. Almost seems like a miracle.

yardwork

(61,599 posts)
31. They were cowards, that's why the backed down. Bullies and cowards.
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:53 PM
Aug 2021

Bullies are the first to run crying to the teacher when somebody finally stands up to them.

mountain grammy

(26,620 posts)
65. Yes, they were bullies and cowards..
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 02:37 PM
Aug 2021

in their eyes courage is a 17 year old with an assault rifle murdering peaceful unarmed protesters. Sickening.

Mr.Bill

(24,284 posts)
38. If they shot the first few that came through the front doors
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 05:21 PM
Aug 2021

the rest of them would have ran down the street screaming like children.

luckone

(21,646 posts)
35. Just a sweet tourist going to meet up in DC with some friends
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 04:55 PM
Aug 2021

Ignore the fox video but listen to her own words while driving to DC




Her kind meet up friends

?s=21

drmeow

(5,017 posts)
52. No f**king loss
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 10:19 PM
Aug 2021

One less worthless human contributing to the destruction of this planet and the destruction of this country.

steve2470

(37,457 posts)
41. Weren't we all raised to forcefully break into the US Capitol, roam the halls looking to commit...
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 05:26 PM
Aug 2021

murder upon Pelosi, Schumer, and Pence among others and declare Trump the permanent President ? Weren't we all raised to attack police and call them racist names too ?

We weren't ?

*sarcasm alert*

drmeow

(5,017 posts)
51. He didn't know that
Fri Aug 27, 2021, 10:16 PM
Aug 2021

stand your ground, even for officer's in uniform protecting US government officials from treasonous insurrectionists, only applies to WHITE people standing their ground against NON-WHITE people!

appleannie1

(5,067 posts)
57. Heck, in stand your ground states, climbing through a broken window in a garage can get you killed.
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 12:58 PM
Aug 2021

And it was right wing politicians that wrote and passed those laws. So I am quite sure Ashli knew the possibilities before she took it upon herself to climb through that window. Ask and ye shall receive.

keithbvadu2

(36,788 posts)
58. Before naming him, the right wingers were intimating it would be a racial thing.
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 12:59 PM
Aug 2021

Before naming him, the right wingers were intimating it would be a racial thing.

How is that working out on the extreme right?

bucolic_frolic

(43,146 posts)
62. If a throng invaded your home you'd have the right of self-defense
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 02:05 PM
Aug 2021

I don't see why this is any different. Insurrectionists violated the sovereignty of the United States by attacking its Congress.

Ferrets are Cool

(21,106 posts)
66. This is very wrong of me, but
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 03:00 PM
Aug 2021

BUT, I wish a LOT of them had encountered the same resistance as Babbitt. And the same fate. There should be consequences for your actions.

KY_EnviroGuy

(14,490 posts)
67. Having a chickenshit leader who said he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue....
Sat Aug 28, 2021, 03:22 PM
Aug 2021

in broad daylight and no one would care might just have something to do with that attitude.

There are numerous inflammatory dog whistles found in tRump's 1/6 speech here that likely caused all the furor:

Donald Trump Speech “Save America” Rally Transcript January 6 (*)

Link: https://www.rev.com/blog/transcripts/donald-trump-speech-save-america-rally-transcript-january-6

(*) Warning: Reading this transcript may cause you to lose your lunch!

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»But How Could Ashli Babbi...