Minnesota Cops Admit To Slashing Protesters' Tires

[TheBlackAdder]

.

At some point in the past few decades we seem to have slipped through Alice's Looking Glass and now live in some dystopian Orwellian world where Donald Trump is president and cops do things like "strategically deflate tires" by puncturing them, then lying about it, and then when presented with video proof lie some more about how the cars contained rocks and other weapons (none of them did, of course). And finally, at the very last, admitting they did it, but using their Orwellian double-speak to justify their lawlessness.

Mother Jones captured their bullshit and wrote about it. On Monday, the cops fessed up, State Patrol and Anoka County deputies acknowledged targeting vehicles. Dozens were damaged.

Source: Star Tribune

Two law enforcement agencies acknowledged Monday that officers patrolling Minneapolis during the height of recent protests knifed the tires of numerous vehicles parked and unoccupied in at least two locations in the midst of the unrest.

Video and photo images posted on the news outlet Mother Jones show officers in military-style uniforms puncturing tires in the Kmart parking lot at Lake Street and Nicollet Avenue on May 30.

Images from S. Washington Avenue at Interstate 35W, also showed officers with knives deflating the tires of two unoccupied cars with repeated jabs on May 31. Department of Public Safety spokesman Bruce Gordon confirmed that tires were cut in "a few locations."

"State Patrol troopers strategically deflated tires … in order to stop behaviors such as vehicles driving dangerously and at high speeds in and around protesters and law enforcement," Gordon said.

Gordon said the patrol also targeted vehicles "that contained items used to cause harm during violent protests" such as rocks, concrete and sticks.

"While not a typical tactic, vehicles were being used as dangerous weapons and inhibited our ability to clear areas and keep areas safe where violent protests were occurring," he said. As in all operations of this size, there will be a review about how these decisions were made."

Journalists were routinely targeted, of course.


https://crooksandliars.com/2020/06/minnesota-cops-admit-slashing-tires

Yeah, that explains why 100 cars in a K-Mart parking lot were slashed, mostly driven by the press.

.

[cayugafalls]

1. FTP...

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. That's helping the cause.....

idiots.

[Nevilledog]

3. All the fucking lies.

About everything.

[TreadSoftly]

4. Who on the police force owns the tire distributorship?

Haven't these people ever heard of "do unto others"?

Can you "clear an area" if you ruin everyone's transportation?

Both agencies (TWO agencies!!!) need a total rethink.

Arrrgggh.

[Nevilledog]

5. Oh, yeah.....

Where are the pictures of all the rocks and stuff in these cars? Why no follow up on who drove the cars or keep them under surveillance?

Hate to break it to these dickheads, but flattening the tires of these cars filled with dangerous items wouldn't affect the dangerous items inside.

If anyone believes this pile of shit they're beyond stupid.

[Grokenstein]

6. "Yuh, we dun it--buh we dun it t' keep y'all safe!"

Wow, that's some extra-zesty rich and thick bullshit sauce right there.
Is that why cops were giggling at the press afterwards? Because they were "kept safe"?

[Crunchy Frog]

7. They did it because they believe they can get away with ANYTHING.

And maybe they're right, God help us.

[Jamastiene]

8. Setting up a curfew then immobilizing them from going home,

will never "protect" anyone or keep anyone "safe" when the cops are the ones attacking you.

They are brazen. Just like Chauvin looked directly at that camera, defiantly staying on George Floyd's neck, AFTER he was unresponsive, watch the video again, seriously, they are outright openly stating they are the enemy of the very people they are supposed to be serving and protecting. I hope they get sued to kingdom come and all get charged. ACAB

[cstanleytech]

9. Those should be former officers as they should be fired.

[PatrickforO]

10. Crooks and liars is right. They slit tires on cars and then justified it by lying

about how the cars supposedly contained rocks and sticks, and they were being 'used as dangerous weapons,' in spite of the fact they were parked.

This is such bullshit.

[tclambert]

11. Who will have to pay for all those new tires?

[rusty fender]

23. The taxpayers

[keithbvadu2]

12. "Alternative facts" for vandalism

"strategically deflated tires"

"Alternative facts" for vandalism

[KY_EnviroGuy]

15. Someone should create a split-window video with cops puncturing tires and....

vandals breaking store windows. There's plenty of both to chose from.

There's one of a reporter's car they hit even though other cops had given him permission to park at that location. They picked on the wrong dude.

KY............

[lostnfound]

13. Should be shocking. But not. Nt

[mr_lebowski]

14. They hoped the Press would come back to their cars and think angry protesters did it I bet you

Thus then causing them to cover the protests in a less-sympathetic manner.

[obamanut2012]

17. Smart guess! I bet this is it

[crickets]

19. +1

[Sherman A1]

16. It is truly sad that the State Police

Are this far out of control. The Minnesota State Legislature needs to rein in this force and enact laws to restrict their activities.

[maxrandb]

18. Doesn't this fall into the category of destroying and damaging personal property?

I thought those things were more important than someone's life.

[intheflow]

20. They could have booted the cars if they were really worried about

them being used as weapons. They could have ticketed them for parking illegally and then this would have been a money-making scheme for them.* Now they'll be sued up the wazoo for personal property damage. It must have taken a particular kind of stoopid to order this, and also to carry out that order.

*I am not suggesting they *should* have booted & ticketed the cars. They should have just left them the fuck alone because this action was assuming intent.

[Coventina]

21. FTP & ACAB

[csziggy]

22. The video I saw did not show the cops looking inside the cars

They were walking from car to car systematically slashing the tires.

How did they know all those cars belonged to protesters? Many could have belonged to K-Mart employees or customers.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

24. Oh does one respect the law when the cops don't?

[moondust]

25. Organized crime. n/t

[ucrdem]

26. "While not a typical tactic..."

Meaning probably, "we've been doing this for decades so shut yer pie hole." I've had my tires slashed in broad daylight and always wondered how the perps got away with it.