Hundreds of armed counter-protesters confront Black Lives Matter rally in Ohio

[progree]

Last edited Thu Jun 18, 2020, 08:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Guardian

June 18, 2020, 9:19 AM CDT

A small and peaceful demonstration in an Ohio town to support the Black Lives Matter movement at the weekend was overwhelmed when hundreds of counter-protesters - some armed with rifles or baseball bats - harassed the group.

....

But the small group of protesters were overwhelmed when roughly 700 counter-protesters turned up to show their opposition to the kind of rallies and marches against racism and police brutality sweeping the nation since the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in May.

...

Videos from what turned into a two-hour clash, several of which circulated on Twitter and Facebook, show the counter-protesters shouting racial slurs and "all lives matter" and accosting demonstrators.

....

Another widely circulated video shows a man wearing what appears to be a Confederate flag bandana sucker-punching a protester in the back of the head in front of a police officer, who makes no arrest attempt. The video drew condemnation from Ohio senator Sherrod Brown.

Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/hundreds-armed-counter-protesters-confront-141959906.html

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The cop was looking to his left when it happened right in front of him. Bethel police chief Steve Teague said the officer present had not witnessed the incident because his attention was pulled to the side. Fortunately, eventually, the Bethel police issued an arrest warrant for assault, citing the video as evidence.

The Black Lives Matter demonstrators numbered about 80 to 100 per police estimate cited in the USA Today article below (vs. 700 right-wing CONNEDservative extremists).

The sucker punch video. It happens at about 0:22 m:s

Link to tweet

Another from USA Today:
https://news.yahoo.com/got-ugly-happened-black-lives-184702458.html

... Henson, 78, figured they'd heard the same rumors she had, the ones about busloads of people coming to her town to join small Black Lives Matter protests on Sunday and Monday. Word was hundreds could arrive from Cincinnati or Columbus or Detroit.

Henson was afraid, and she guessed her neighbors were, too. If they didn't do something, if they didn't show up armed and ready, the unrest they'd seen on TV for weeks on far off American streets could come to Bethel, a village of 2,800.

"Everybody had a gun," Henson said Tuesday, recalling the scene. "Like a cowboy show."

... Bethel is 97% white, according to the U.S. Census, and almost 0.5% of the population identifies as Black.

[raging moderate]

1. Probably his Dad used to "knock some sense into him."

That's what that kind call it. They don't know how they cause brain damage to their children with that parenting technique. Also they cause emotional damage, on full display in this video.

[captain queeg]

3. Why do these sissies have to bring their guns? Already outnumbered BLM 7:1.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

2. If the town has trump signs all over it

It's a good chance they have a racism problem.

Maybe these backwater towns need to be exposed to others with different veiws and experiences.

[Maraya1969]

4. Did that cop yell at him after he told him he was punched in the back of the head?

Who was that cop, if he was a cop. He needs to be diciplined.

[Major Nikon]

17. If you watch, the cop's head snaps around immediately after the punch

The cop saw everything and decided not to "protect and serve".

[csziggy]

19. There was another cop walking up from behind

Looking directly at the man who was attacked. AS soon as the man was punched, he turned and walked to the man's left, still behind the man.

Check the video - the second cop comes around the building behind him and walks up a sidewalk towards the crowd facing them. He had to have seen the punch.

Two cops did NOTHING when someone was attacked right in front of them.

[Maraya1969]

5. WHO is that cop? Why hasn't he been disciplined for standing there while someone is assaulted and

not doing anything? The man says something to him like, "Where am I allowed to stand?"

Obviously the cop blamed him.

[Maraya1969]

6. OK there was an arrest warrant filed for the guy who punched the BLM guy

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/clermont-county/bethel/warrant-filed-for-man-seen-punching-blm-protester-in-bethel-ohio


BETHEL, Ohio — An arrest warrant has been filed by the Bethel Police Department for the man seen punching a Black Lives Matter protester in the back of the head in a video that has now gone viral.

According to the police, Johnnie Devault hit a man in the back of the head Sunday afternoon at the Black Lives Matter protest in downtown Bethel.

[progree]

7. Thanks for the info. I'm glad they were able to identify him. nm

[Philostopher]

8. Grew up 10 miles from Bethel

My folks told me it was a "redline" town, that they wouldn't let people of color live within city limits. There were other towns in the county that had black families, but not Bethel. I'm sure it's somewhat different, now - even black people spend green money - but it wasn't like that forty years ago.

[PatrickforO]

14. Gosh, I think they may be due for busloads of tens of thousands of protesters.

Won't happen, but it is a nice thought.

[paleotn]

9. Welcome to Racistville.

[olddad65]

10. How did Ohio become so fucked up?

[Dopers_Greed]

11. De-industrialization and brain drain

[BComplex]

21. Brain mush....fox news. rush limbaugh.

[llmart]

18. It's pretty sad, isn't it?

My roots run deep in NE Ohio but I've been gone for 35 years. It saddens me that these racists/uneducated rednecks are ruining Ohio.

[AllaN01Bear]

12. if blacks did this , the national gaurd would have been called out and a bloodbath insued .

who is makeing these idiots defacto gaurds and why are the f876ng police just standing by?

[PatrickforO]

13. The forces of Christian evangelical hate.

Sorry for that, but it is largely true. Not always, but largely.

But hey, you can buy some magic water with a love offering to 'pastor' Popoff. Yep. Cures all ills!

[BComplex]

22. Yep. Christian evangelicals are some of the meanest sob's in the world.

They're like the meanest puritans that originally came here, and tried innocent kids as witches. Same shit, different century.

[rpannier]

15. eventually, the Bethel police issued an arrest warrant for assault

Because everyone knew
If they didn't, they'd have done nothing

[dalton99a]

16. Seems that Bethel, Ohio is worse than Vidor, Texas

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213613715

[obamanut2012]

20. But the men who attacked the woman TWICE are still running around

That was also witnessed by cops.