'I felt very scared': Arizona DPS, senators describe escalation of Phoenix protest

[SouthBayDem]

Source: The Arizona Republic

Up to an estimated 8,000 people gathered in downtown Phoenix on Friday evening to protest the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.

What was a peaceful protest escalated into “anarchical and criminal actions by masses of splinter groups” at the Arizona Capitol complex, according to a statement issued by state police on Saturday.

Protesters pounded on the glass doors and windows of the state Senate building and defaced several state memorials.

Despite the escalation, the Arizona Department of Public Safety reported no arrests or injuries in connection with the demonstration.

Read more: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/06/25/arizona-dps-state-senators-describe-escalation-phoenix-protest-after-roe-v-wade-overturned/7735781001/

[Rural_Progressive]

1. Anybody want to wager on the splinter groups

being right wing plants?

Now they get to say "See the left does the same thing so why should we be charged for doing what we did on Jan 6"

[C Moon]

2. Yep.

[Lulu Latech]

3. Those black block antifa folks

They sure have some brand spanking new uniforms. What anarchist does that? Looks like evening wear for the khaki pant crew.

[Crowman2009]

4. Probably Phoenix police officers in disguise stirring up shit like other police departments do...

...whenever left-leaning groups protest.

[Lulu Latech]

5. I suspect a coalition of white supremicists

The ones in the Seattle March were wearing the same uniforms.

[Rebl2]

18. Interesting

Left leaning groups don’t dress in uniforms.

[Hieronymus Phact]

7. Every protest

Every liberal protest will now be portrayed as an "insurrection".

[FarPoint]

9. That is where my money will be placed....

The Party of abuse, violence and deception have this planned out...

[McKim]

14. Yes, Agent Provocateurs!!!

Yes, Agent Provocateurs.......they are everywhere!!!

[Rhiannon12866]

11. +100

[Rebl2]

17. Absolutely

[reACTIONary]

27. Probably not. There are marginal left wing black bloc groups...

... that will do that with no need to help them out.

[AZ8theist]

6. Tear gas and flash bang grenades

Welcome to Fascism, America.
Peaceful protests met with government violence.

[wackadoo wabbit]

8. This is bullshit

People who were there reported that, other than knocking on the glass windows and doors, the protesters were peaceful.

And then the cops started firing teargas canisters into the crowd filled with women, children, and pets.

Arizona Republicans are starting to call this an "insurrection." Yeah, I know.

Don't believe the lies.

Here's a link:

Link to tweet

[gopiscrap]

10. fucking asshole pigs

all pigs (law enforcement) are nothing but a bunch of power hungry fascist assholes or whores doing the corporate bidding of their over lords. I would love to see the cops get the living shit kicked out of them

[GB_RN]

30. Might Want To Dial That Back A Bit...

The overly-broad generalizations of your post are rather insulting: I have a brother in law enforcement, and he is a liberal. And his best friend, a Black man - also on the force - is a liberal.

So does the fact that they are cops make them fascist assholes, despite the facts I have previously laid out?

I’m tired of seeing the generalized LE bashing here on DU. It’s no different than calling all Vietnam vets “baby killers”.

[gopiscrap]

31. tough shit

I call it as I see it. I have been beaten up by asshole cops many times when peacefully demonstrating. I have seen and heard of numerous instances in which pigs fuck people over. All cops have an authority complex and usually are cops because they are compensating for some mental or emotional deficiency

[GB_RN]

33. Wow

Being deliberately insulting after I politely point out the flaws in your statements and also continuing making childish, intellectually dishonest arguments?

I hope that you’re more pleasant to be around in person than you are here, behind a keyboard. But I don’t care to find out, and I won’t engage with you any further: You’re blocked.

Have fun with your life. 🖖

[Magoo48]

43. If they don't want to be thought of as cowardly little Nazis, they must change their approach.

We hire them, ostensively, to protect us. They protect the status quo, and attack us on behalf of the corporate owned government. They come dressed for war against people carrying signs for justice. We’ve moved way past the bad-Apple stage; the barrels are rotten, the trees are diseased.

[chowder66]

26. With the exception of one jackass.

Link to tweet

Doors on the far left. The doors held.

[wackadoo wabbit]

32. So ONE GUY was a little aggressive against the door

Oh, of course, that definitely justifies the police using teargas against otherwise peaceful protesters. /s

I've seen this argument and video used by the right on other sites. I just checked, and I see that you've been here a long time, nearly as long as me, so I don't think you're a disrupter. But I do question why you felt the need to post and say this. What point are you trying to make?

[chowder66]

34. There is nothing that says I think it is justified. Nothing.

It wasn't justified.

It shows that one jackass was in that crowd nearly breaking down the door.

Whoever did it, it wasn't cool and therefore they are a jackass or maybe an agitator in the crowd.

[gopiscrap]

35. agreed

[wackadoo wabbit]

37. Then why even bring it up?

One person out of what was estimated as hundreds. Why did you feel that this was worthy of posting?

[chowder66]

39. Because it was another video.

I don't support aggressive behavior on either side and it's possible it could have been an agitator.

[wackadoo wabbit]

41. There are other videos, videos that show the protesters being peaceful and nonviolent

Yet you chose to post the one video that shows a very slightly aggressive action by one person in a crowd of hundreds.

This is a common technique of the right. Find one possibly aggressive action and then post the video everywhere, being sure to point out the "aggressive" action.

I ask again: what was your purpose in posting this particular video and even pointing out that one of the protesters was being "aggressive"? It obviously wasn't just to post another video of the protest, since you specifically noted where the "aggressive" person was located and even titled your post referring to them.

[chowder66]

42. It is another video with an inside vantage point that also happens

to have some aggressor going at the doors.

I saw the video on twitter minutes before I switched to DU and saw this OP.
The ONLY OTHER VIDEO I had seen before was the one video that was posted in this OP.
I don't go to right wing sites. I wasn't searching for videos. It came up in my timeline.

So NO I didn't go out "to post the one video"....... you made that assumption all on your own.
Agitators AND jackasses are known to infiltrate peaceful demonstrations.

I added the video and NOTICED the jackass. It's really as simple as that.

You clearly have runaway with your thoughts about why I posted it.

There is no conspiracy here.

[AntiFascist]

40. Thanks for pointing this out! It's always the fascists who stir up the violence n/t

[intheflow]

12. Goodness!

Knocking on doors and windows and scribbling graffiti! I can see how that was sooooo scary!

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

13. I'd guess some of those fiends were using ... CHALK!!!11! nt

[paleotn]

15. Sounds like Republtrash lying again.

[purr-rat beauty]

16. Duh, only the Riechwing can terrorize!

They were shocked because it wasn't their own

[pressbox69]

19. Republiklan Terrorists Need To Be Afraid.

BE VERY AFRAID!

[HariSeldon]

20. Imagine the fear if they came packing

If even 5% of that crowd had been open-carrying AR-15s, that would have been 400 armed protesters. But, oh, the precious, holy Second Amendment!

[AnrothElf]

21. Better believe the Boogaloo terrorists...

Will be lighting fires etc trying to turn protests into riots like they did during the Floyd protests. They've been busted more than a few times

[Bayard]

22. Eight thousand people is a pretty impressive turnout

But, I'd bet at least a third of those were not pro-choice protestors.

[Aristus]

23. "I felt very scared" is just them setting up a general massacre.

Like Tsarist troops firing into the crowd on Bloody Sunday.

“I done feared for my life!” is the prelude to cops firing indiscriminately at American citizens.

[wackadoo wabbit]

38. This is exactly true /nt

[Paladin]

24. You created this New World, repukes.

Fucking deal with it.

[slumcamper]

25. LET them be "scared." That is all. n/t

[zanana1]

28. Well, the Jan.6 insurrectionists got a slap on the wrist...

What did they expect?

[CaptainTruth]

29. Sounds like "legitimate political discourse" to me, at least that's what the RNC called Jan 6