Presence of militia-style group in Ferguson questioned

[octoberlib]

FERGUSON, Missouri - In the midst of a spasm of tension in Ferguson, Missouri, on the one-year anniversary of the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, several heavily armed men carrying assault rifles and flak jackets appeared, and they weren't cops.

Instead, they said they were members of the Oath Keepers, and claimed to have been hired to protect reporters working for InfoWars.com, a website run by radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

One member of the militia-style group described the Oath Keepers as constitutionalists. On their website, they say they are "a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to 'defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic."'

In a statement, St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar called their presence "both unnecessary and inflammatory." St. Louis County police and prosecutors told CBS News said they would consult about the legality of openly displaying the weapons during a state of emergency, which had been declared Monday after violence rocked Ferguson during protests the previous evening.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/presence-of-militia-style-group-oath-keepers-in-ferguson-questioned/

[leveymg]

1. Had they been PoC, they would have been arrested or shot on sight. No consulting about legality.

St. Louis County police and prosecutors told CBS News said they would consult about the legality of openly displaying the weapons during a state of emergency

[demmiblue]

2. Yep. n/t

[leveymg]

5. We'll see more armed RW paramilitary showing up, and they'll be tolerated under open carry laws

Sooner rather than later, there will be massacre of demonstrators, and the casualties will almost all be PoC. What follows will be demonization of the victims and the MSM questioning whether enough force is being used by the police, and how this wouldn't happen under a stronger (GOP) President. We all know where that leads.

[Trekologer]

3. That was my first reaction

Why is it when confronted with an unarmed black man, cops are suddenly in fear for their life but when hundreds of white guys show up armed to the teeth, it is simply "unnecessary"?

[daleanime]

4. Not to be rude.....

But duh. The only real questions would be how quickly? And how many left alive?

[leveymg]

6. On sight. Or, simply rounded up preemptively as suspected "domestic terrorists."

Sooner than immediately. Of course, this is all selective enforcement.

[octoberlib]

7. Without a doubt.