Local Illinois cops dispute accounts of alleged federal crackdown at tea party protest

[sabra]

Source: Yahoo News

A meme is bubbling up on right-wing blogs today claiming that President Barack Obama and the Secret Service unleashed riot cops on peaceful Tea Party activists protesting Obama's visit to Quincy, Ill., yesterday. A YouTube video entitled "Obama Calls In Riot Police on Peaceful Tea Party" making the rounds shows a phalanx of helmeted police officers in body armor politely clearing a crowd out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Or, as the conservative blog Gateway Pundit puts it, "the Secret Service unleashed the riot police on the tea party patriots" demonstrating nearby. The post goes on to quote an unnamed source at the event who claimed that the Secret Service had cleared the menacing crackdown.

The video, however, gives the strong impression that the authorities were local cops, performing a mundane local law-enforcement function; they simply have the word "Police" blocked out on the backs of their uniforms. So we called the Quincy Police Department to ask if anyone there knew anything about President Obama demanding an intimidating show of federal force for his visit to the area.

"I'm almost 90 percent certain that Barack Obama did not do that," said the assistant who answered our phone call. She put us in touch with Deputy Chief Ron Dreyer, who explained the situation. "This wasn't a SWAT team," he said. "It was a crowd control team. In Illinois, we have Mobile Field Force units all over the state, made up of local police drawn from the region, that are brought in for crowd control at major events. The Secret Service had set up predetermined areas where they did not want crowds, and these people began to encroach in areas where they were not supposed to be in. So we called in a Mobile Field Force to redirect them."

Dreyer said that, in all, the process of relocating the crowd lasted about 15 minutes, and produced no arrests or physical contact between protesters and police. "It wasn't just Tea Party people," he said. "The crowd just grew too big, and they voluntarily moved. As soon as they did, we recalled the team."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100429/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1859_1

[rfranklin]

1. I seem to remember people being caged during Bush visits...

in mini concentration camps miles from the actual site.

[Ozymanithrax]

2. At least they weren't forced into free speech zones miles from the scene...

But this is another of those important events where interpretation depends on political view. The right is up in arms, figuratively about it. They will perceive the reality as different form what other people will view.

[Brother Buzz]

3. Paranoia strikes deep. Into your life it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid.

For What It's Worth

[sinkingfeeling]

4. How's those free-speech zones workin' out for ya?

[bongbong]

5. Astounding hypcrisy

Nobody said a word when that guy was put in jail for several years for just joking about a 'burning bush" during the Cheney interregnum. And nobody peeped when the repigs arrested people for just wearing an anti-shrub tee-shirt.

No matter how hypocritical and lying the repigs are, they outdo themselves every new day.

[EXneoCON]

6. Lordy...

...I made it about halfway through the Townhall.com replies before giving up. I swear, I think that the Rethugs organizing this movement were frustrated left-wing counter-culture types in the '60's, who've now gone rogue. They have the playbook down!

OK, what part of the world do ya'll want to meet up in after the next series of elections? I'm thinking Costa Rica? Perhaps Canada would loan us a small part of the Yukon Territory if we promised to behave? :banghead:...:eyes: