If you are not aware of what Cop City is – or that it was violently attacked — you probably watch MSNBC with a never used remote control. In that case, there is a lot going on around the world of which you are unaware. If you are addicted to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” you will not know anything about “cop city.” (I actually tested it with a couple of my MSNBC-addicted liberal friends. They never heard of it.)
News organizations with a wider-angle lens covered the story extensively. For the edification of the MSNBC junkies: There was a domestic terrorist attack on the construction site of the Public Safety Training Facility in Atlanta, Georgia – dubbed “cop city.”
The 85-acre facility will feature a mock city environment for police and first responder training. It will feature a course for training emergency vehicle drivers – and even stalls for horse units. It will be the largest such facility in the nation. It has been under siege by left-wing extremists for months.
Protestors – who have been illegally “camping” at the site for more than six months — have a variety of complaints. Some claim the facility poses an environmental hazard and a threat to wildlife. They also claim the forested area reduces air pollution. Others represent the anti-corporate left wing. They opposed the financial support from such companies as Delta Airlines and Home Depot.
The attack on the site was not the only violent event. Previously, a 26-year-old protester was killed by police after he shot and wounded a state trooper. He was identified as Esteban Paez Terán. He has said to have been protesting as a self-described “forest defender.”
Mostly, however, the bulk of the protesters are anti-policing in general. The day of the riot was promoted as a “National Day of Action Against Police Terror.” They violently attack police, claiming THEY are terrorists. They must be taking propaganda lessons from Russian President Putin.
They represent the faction of the far left that pushes for more restrictions on police – and defunding the core mission of policing. Rather they want money to be reprioritized for social welfare programs. They want to replace armed police with social workers as first responders in such cases as domestic violence calls or hostage situations.
In recent days, the protestors – wearing Ninja-like black clothing — mounted an all-out attack on the facility. Police were attacked with Molotov cocktails, commercial-grade fireworks, and rocks. Construction equipment and police vehicles were set ablaze – and several fires were set around the perimeter of the construction site. Some officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
Obviously, this was more than a protest. It was a riot … an orchestrated attack … maybe even an insurrection against the government. (I would not normally call it that, but it seems the threshold of insurrection has been significantly lowered in recent days.)
More than 30 people were detained, and 23 of the rioters were arrested and charged with domestic terrorism – with 22 beings held without bail. The one released is an interesting case. He is Tom Jurgens, an attorney representing the National Lawyers’ Guild in cooperation with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) – who was released on $5000 bond. He said he was there as a “legal observer.”
According to the SPLC, Jurgens was there “documenting potential violations of protesters’ rights.” SPLC President Margaret Huang expressed outrage that Jurgens would be arrested. I guess it is important to protect the rights of protestors (rioters) who toss Molotov cocktails, heavy-duty fireworks, and rocks at police. Safe to say … Jurgens was not an objective or impartial observer.
Interestingly, the majority of those arrested were not from the Atlanta area – not even Georgia. A least one joined the attack from Canada. That fact alone strongly suggests an international web of left-wing terrorist–organized terrors on a national scale.
Even if you count the coverage this event got on SOME national media, even that was much less than given to alleged instances of “right-wing terrorism.” Unbalanced coverage is one of the major reasons for the divisiveness in America. Yes, there is right-wing extremism. Rioters should be severely punished. But the idea that it involves anything more than marginal fringe groups is nonsense. And to keep reporting on only one brand of nutcases is journalistic malpractice.
I will be very interested in eventually learning about the disposition of the 23 cases of domestic terrorism. Based on past experience, I fear these thugs will be back on the streets in the near future. Maybe that is already.
So, there ‘tis.