By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgann.bsky.social
It was the ultimate split screen moment that is now so telling about the state of American politics: a parade in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the U.S. Army on one screen. Millions of Americans participating in the “No Kings” protest, peacefully, on another. And a third featuring a manhunt for a man alleged to have assassinated the former Speaker of the Minnesota House.
If it was a lot for you to process, it’s understandable.
But in terms of local response, the protest Saturday in West Chester was large — more than 5,000 people by various estimates — and boisterous, temporarily closing off High Street. The event was peaceful — West Chester Police said they did encounter and arrested an armed individual at the event, but as of this writing had not released any additional information.
From small towns to giant cities, millions of Americans protested a president — Donald Trump — who has repeatedly attempted to overwrite the checks and balances embedded in the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to rule by fiat.
Numerous observers said the protests were the largest in history against a U.S. President. They were largely peaceful — two notable exceptions being a fatal shooting in Salt Lake City and a police riot by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office against peaceful marchers in LA. What trouble was seen came largely from right-wing agitators and police (you’ll excuse me if I note that there seems to be a decent overlap in those two groups of late).
Meanwhile in D.C., Trump presided over the parade to celebrate the U.S. Army (and by some accounts, wanted a celebration of his 79th birthday, which was also Saturday). While the weather was poor, images and video show that attendance was remarkably light and from watching video, it appeared that many of the people there wish they could have been elsewhere. It was an expensive, embarrassing episode.
And then we go to Minnesota, a man dressed like a police officer came to the door of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman in the middle of the night and allegedly shot her and her husband to death. The man, identified by authorities as Vance Luther Boelter, then reportedly drove eight miles to another legislator’s home, Sen. John Hoffman, where he is alleged to have shot Hoffman and his wife, exchanged gunfire with local police and escaped. He was taken into custody late Sunday.
This incident, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (allegedly — there are allegations that some “ICE” officers are from Private Military Companies) masking and refusing to share identification are making things perilous for citizens and legitimate police.
We’re rapidly reaching the point where it is difficult to know who or what we’re dealing with when it comes to law enforcement. I’ll vouch for the majority of local police, but we’ve seen ICE raids in various parts of Chester County.
Trump announced additional ICE deployments in Democratic-run cities late Sunday — it’s clear none of this is about immigration enforcement, it is a power grab.
Right now, they’re rounding up minorities — many of whom are here legally or even citizens.
How long before they start rounding up others, elected officials who disagree with them, columnists who write “mean” things about the Trump Administration and other perceived enemies of the administration?
That we even have to ask that question is disgusting.
Folks are figuring it out — the turnout Saturday across America of millions of folks to stand up for our Constitutional rights was a sign that people will not accept a tinpot dictator in the White House.
We are the land of the free — and I think people will continue to stand up for our nation.
Editor/Publisher
‘No Kings’ protests show that Americans will stand up for the Constitution
By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times @mikemcgann.bsky.social
If it was a lot for you to process, it’s understandable.
But in terms of local response, the protest Saturday in West Chester was large — more than 5,000 people by various estimates — and boisterous, temporarily closing off High Street. The event was peaceful — West Chester Police said they did encounter and arrested an armed individual at the event, but as of this writing had not released any additional information.
From small towns to giant cities, millions of Americans protested a president — Donald Trump — who has repeatedly attempted to overwrite the checks and balances embedded in the U.S. Constitution in an attempt to rule by fiat.
Numerous observers said the protests were the largest in history against a U.S. President. They were largely peaceful — two notable exceptions being a fatal shooting in Salt Lake City and a police riot by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office against peaceful marchers in LA. What trouble was seen came largely from right-wing agitators and police (you’ll excuse me if I note that there seems to be a decent overlap in those two groups of late).
Meanwhile in D.C., Trump presided over the parade to celebrate the U.S. Army (and by some accounts, wanted a celebration of his 79th birthday, which was also Saturday). While the weather was poor, images and video show that attendance was remarkably light and from watching video, it appeared that many of the people there wish they could have been elsewhere. It was an expensive, embarrassing episode.
And then we go to Minnesota, a man dressed like a police officer came to the door of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman in the middle of the night and allegedly shot her and her husband to death. The man, identified by authorities as Vance Luther Boelter, then reportedly drove eight miles to another legislator’s home, Sen. John Hoffman, where he is alleged to have shot Hoffman and his wife, exchanged gunfire with local police and escaped. He was taken into custody late Sunday.
This incident, along with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (allegedly — there are allegations that some “ICE” officers are from Private Military Companies) masking and refusing to share identification are making things perilous for citizens and legitimate police.
We’re rapidly reaching the point where it is difficult to know who or what we’re dealing with when it comes to law enforcement. I’ll vouch for the majority of local police, but we’ve seen ICE raids in various parts of Chester County.
Trump announced additional ICE deployments in Democratic-run cities late Sunday — it’s clear none of this is about immigration enforcement, it is a power grab.
Right now, they’re rounding up minorities — many of whom are here legally or even citizens.
How long before they start rounding up others, elected officials who disagree with them, columnists who write “mean” things about the Trump Administration and other perceived enemies of the administration?
That we even have to ask that question is disgusting.
Folks are figuring it out — the turnout Saturday across America of millions of folks to stand up for our Constitutional rights was a sign that people will not accept a tinpot dictator in the White House.
We are the land of the free — and I think people will continue to stand up for our nation.
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