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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| CLE flag burner self-ignites, police assaulted |
| 2016-07-21 |
| Cleveland, kept in touch with the world by Obamaphone, ...was ruled by a Democrat machine from 1942 through 1971. After the river caught fire during the administration of Carl Stokes they tried a Republican, then went back to being Democrats when the party hacked up Dennis Kucinich ... Police Chief Calvin Williams, who was at the scene, said the person who started burning the flag caught himself and others around him on fire and officers moved in to put out the flames. "That's when they got defensive," Williams said, "and that's when they assaulted an officer." One officer was punched and pushed, according to Williams, and "the whole area got amped up when this happened." Video from the scene showed the flag, followed by a scuffle and a visual of someone spraying a substance into the middle of the crowd. Police said no pepper spray was used but that an officer did use a fire extinguisher. A group that provides legal services for protesters criticized the police for what it called "aggressive shows of force." "The Ohio NLG is highly concerned about these arrests and the escalation of police tactics against peaceful demonstrators," said Jocelyn Resnick of the Ohio Lawyers Guild. The protest was announced in advance by Joey Johnson, a revolutionary communist known for flag-burnings. Hours before the protest, there was a call on Twitter for counter-protesters to turn out, too. Johnson was one of the 17 nabbed Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! , but Williams said none of the charges were related to burning the flag, which is legal. Johnson and other protesters chanted "America was never great" as they were taken into custody. |
| Posted by:Anguper Hupomosing9418 |
| #17 Oh, Lenin, Lenin; Can't you see I'm burnin', burnin'? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2016-07-21 18:17 |
| #16 When I read "self ignites", I thought this was going to be about Ted Cruz. |
| Posted by: charger 2016-07-21 11:30 |
| #15 The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland is now so clean, the unemployed can spend their spare time fishing in it. The Burning River brand of APA beer is named after those old times. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2016-07-21 11:14 |
| #14 So, considering the unemployment. Was les flambéed Cuyahoga a good thing, or bad ? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-07-21 09:52 |
| #13 P2K, despite what people think, the Cuyahoga River no longer catches fire. Mostly because almost all of the industries along it have been shut down. |
| Posted by: Rambler in Virginia 2016-07-21 09:39 |
| #12 They should have thrown the burning guy into the river. I believe the authorities don't want a repeat. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-07-21 09:21 |
| #11 Do NOT attempt to engage. Move the crowd away 100m whilst screaming 'drop and roll, drop and roll.' |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-07-21 09:19 |
| #10 That was a heartwarming story, Mike. |
| Posted by: Raj 2016-07-21 09:18 |
| #9 Really made an ash of himself. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2016-07-21 08:21 |
| #8 They should have thrown the burning guy into the river. |
| Posted by: Rob Crawford 2016-07-21 08:20 |
| #7 Good thing they didn't try that crap in Little Italy. Their bodies would never have been found and nobody saw anything either, Officer. |
| Posted by: GORT 2016-07-21 07:44 |
| #6 "Cleveland Maoists"? Yes, it does seem to suggest a vaguely Obscene vision of large mirrors, Louis the IVX damask chairs and a rubber snake. |
| Posted by: Gleque Mussolini1457 2016-07-21 07:35 |
| #5 I must admit to finding the term "Cleveland Maoist" deeply disturbing. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-07-21 06:19 |
| #4 ...During the windup to Desert Storm, a group of Cleveland Maoists (yeah, there was/is such a thing) decided to burn a flag in Public Square to provoke the cops into a response, figuring that the sight of a burning flag would send the cops into transports of brutally repressive ecstasy, all of which would be caught on camera and therefore help to usher in the Revolution. So, their leader (a lady wearing a t-shirt that said, "Mao More Than Ever"), lights off the flag at the height of the demonstration...at which point a few dozen bystanders promptly charge the little band of freedom fighters and beat them within an inch of their lives. The cops allowed the citizens to make their point, and then stepped in to arrest the bruised and bleeding Mao Lady for inciting a riot. I love my hometown. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2016-07-21 05:03 |
| #3 Me, if I was a cop on the scene, I would take things easy. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-07-21 02:01 |
| #2 ""You're on fire! You're on fire, stupid," an officer could be heard yelling" |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-07-21 00:59 |
| #1 Play stupid games - win stupid prizes. |
| Posted by: Tennessee 2016-07-21 00:52 |