The Purge Mentality Comes To Saint Louis

Many people are alarmed that the FBI has announced an expectation for “extremist protesters” with a specific intent for violence in/around Saint Louis/Ferguson Missouri.
However, this is not the first time this year such an alarming declaration has been made.  After the ABC article spotlighting the Ferguson/Saint Louis unrest, we’ll share the earlier episode everyone seems to forget:

SAINT LOUIS – As the nation waits to hear whether a Missouri police officer will face charges for killing unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., the FBI is warning law enforcement agencies across the country that the decision “will likely” lead some extremist protesters to threaten and even attack police officers or federal agents.
Peaceful protesters could be caught in the middle, and electrical facilities or water treatment plants could also become targets. In addition, so-called “hacktivists” like the group “Anonymous” could try to launch cyber-attacks against authorities.
“The announcement of the grand jury’s decision … will likely be exploited by some individuals to justify threats and attacks against law enforcement and critical infrastructure,” the FBI says in an intelligence bulletin issued in recent days. “This also poses a threat to those civilians engaged in lawful or otherwise constitutionally protected activities.”

“Those infiltrating and exploiting otherwise legitimate public demonstrations with the intent to incite and engage in violence could be armed…”

The FBI bulletin expresses concern only over those who would exploit peaceful protests, not the masses of demonstrators who will want to legitimately, lawfully and collectively express their views on the grand jury’s decision.
The bulletin “stresses the importance of remaining aware of the protections afforded to all U.S. persons exercising their First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.”
Within hours of the FBI issuing its bulletin, some police departments across the country issued their own internal memos urging officers to review procedures and protocols for responding to mass demonstrations.
Still, the bulletin’s conclusions were blunt:

“The FBI assesses those infiltrating and exploiting otherwise legitimate public demonstrations with the intent to incite and engage in violence could be armed with bladed weapons or firearms, equipped with tactical gear/gas masks, or bulletproof vests to mitigate law enforcement measures.”

The bulletin cites a series of recent messages threatening law enforcement, including a message posted online last week by a black separatist group that offered “a $5,000 bounty for the location” of Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, who fired the shots that killed Brown on Aug. 9.
In interviews with ABC News, police officials said their departments have identified a number of agitators who routinely appear at mass demonstrations.
“How many of those sympathizers are actually sympathizers?” Rick Hite, the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan police department, wondered. Many of them see the protests as a way to “chime in with their own personal agenda,” he said.
In its new intelligence bulletin, obtained by ABC News, the FBI says “exploitation” of mass demonstrations “could occur both in the Ferguson area and nationwide.”

“All it takes is one.”

Overall, though, law enforcement officials contacted by ABC News – stretching from Los Angeles to the Atlanta area – remained confident that any protests in their cities would not be tainted by violence.
“We are not expecting any issues in our city,” said Billy Grogan, the chief of police in Dunwoody, Ga., outside Atlanta. “However, we are preparing just in case. I believe most departments are watching the situation closely and are prepared to respond if needed.”
A law enforcement official in Pennsylvania agreed, saying that while authorities there are not enacting any significant new measures they are “monitoring” developments out of Ferguson.  (continue reading)

If you are not familiar with the following story, ask yourself why?

DATELINE – SPRING/SUMMER 2014:  If you have not paid attention to an earlier explosive development in Louisville, which you wouldn’t know about because the MSM buried it, you might downplay this latest FBI/police response as an overreaction. Alas, there’s way more alarm within this story, than the media would ever be comfortable sharing.
First, the report from Kentucky – and then we’ll share why schools are cancelling functions, the city, county and state is on high alert, and the FBI has dispatched federal agents into the community. None of which is in the least way funny:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKYT) – A flier for a proposed “Purge” in Louisville is getting the attention of the FBI, local police departments, and even Jefferson County Public Schools.
In the movie “The Purge” and its sequel everyone in the nation is allowed to commit any crime for 12 hours with no ramifications.
The horror movie has been hit at the box office but recently a flier about a purge that’s coming to the Louisville area Friday evening has become a real nightmare.
People on WKYT’s Facebook page are asking if it’s a hoax or something they should legitimately be concerned about while in Louisville.
The reaction is so large that police have gotten involved. Louisville Police say they aren’t sure if it is a hoax or a real threat, but they’re going to be prepared either way.
“Due to circumstances that have trended nationally in regards to flash mob violence, in light of what occurred this past spring here, we realize that these things can occur in an instance,” said Louisville Police Sgt. Phil Russell.
While police aren’t being specific on their tactics this weekend, a new 28 camera system put in place after the mob violence last spring is something police will use to monitor any suspicious activity.
They have already said they planned to increase patrols because of the state fair which is taking place over the weekend.
Jefferson County Public Schools released a statement saying they are aware of the situation and are cooperating fully with law enforcement and will act accordingly.
Simon Kenton High School in Independence postponed a scrimmage at St. Xavier High School in Louisville Friday night because of the threats. It will now be played at Simon Kenton on Saturday morning.
Jeffersonville Indiana Police and the FBI have also released statements saying they are aware of the threat. (link)

Now, before you think the Police or FBI might be reacting to a bunch of kids pulling a prank on social media, you might want to remember back to the events earlier in the year that are described in the article.

We previously shared them here. Here’s an excerpt:

Someone tell me why this is not leading the National News Networks 24/7 !

I am having a difficult time even finding words to adequately emphasize what is going on in this ONGOING STORY. If I had not followed this story since it broke on March 22nd, 2014, I would think I was reading a Hollywood movie script.
The latest update is not from Louisville Local Law Enforcement – It’s from the FBI who are warning the local police about a coordinated effort of Black Middle School thugs who are heavily armed and have formed a gang -“YNO”- network inside several schools.

The FBI is reporting the groups now plan to launch attacks at the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade. 

Someone inside the FBI appears to be so unbelievably gobsmacked they are leaking details to the local media in Kentucky. To fully appreciate this you must revisit the backstory [the update follows the recap].

It all started on March 22nd when the Louisville Kentucky police lost control of the city to a roaming band of 200+ thugs who took siege of the city. At least 17 update 20, violent attacks were recorded overnight as rampaging mobs robbed stores, committed armed robbery of individuals, destroyed property, and even dragged people from their vehicles to attack and brutalize them.

The following day the Mayor and Police Department claimed they had lost control of the city and warned citizens that law enforcement could not protect them or handle the crisis as it continued to unfold. [*note – Three more recent arrests, with federal assistance, bring the total round up to five people so far].
None of those five people fit the profile LEO is claiming as the ongoing perps. The police are claiming this is Middle School aged kids – but the suspects arrested ages are: 15, 14, 17, 18 and 19. (only two of those *could be* middle school – something not passing the sniff test).
At the time, two distinct aspects quickly surfaced. 1.) By their own admission the police could not stop the violence, and 2.) The LEO community stated the politically correct demands of the local government were directly the cause of their inability.
We covered the crisis as it unfolded here (with videos of attacks), and the response from the police here, and here, and here with victims speaking out. And also here where the police and local government were ridiculously blaming “social media” for the crimes.
Against this backdrop the Mayor of Louisville Kentucky spoke again several days ago and forewarned, once again, about violence anticipated this upcoming weekend.
In addition to promising to put and additional 1,100 armed officers “on the street”, the Mayor specifically stated he was asking people not to carry weapons to defend themselves:

After rumors of possible violence at this weekend’s Thunder Over Louisville, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer explained why more than just teens must be held accountable for any violence — including the recent mayhem at downtown.
Mayor Fischer is also discouraging anyone from carrying weapons, legally or otherwise, to Thunder Over Louisville Saturday.
He first explained his positions in a three-page letter to citizens dated today but released late Friday night. At a “Talk to Greg” forum at Valley High School Monday, Fischer answered WDRB’s questions about the accountability and police security provisions organized since late March.
“We see the kids do the behavior. But the question is: Who is behind the kid, and how are they accountable and how are they involved with that kid’s life as well?” Fischer asked.
Fischer explained why his letter to the community underlines the phrase “parents and guardians.”
He sees them also as accountable for the actions of those in the teen mob that swarmed through Waterfront Park and downtown March 22.
“Most of these kids were middle school kids. The question is, where is the parent? Where is the guardian? These kids may not have traditional family structures, but there is an adult in their lives, somewhere,” Fischer said.
The owners of Bader’s Food Mart were among people who said the “mob” violence has occurred regularly downtown, not just as captured in the Bader’s surveillance video March 22.

Others offered anecdotal evidence saying the same, though metro police statistics and crime reports did not agree. The claims differ. However, Fischer’s letter calls the recent event “random violence.”
“The nature of this kind of teen episode of a couple of weeks ago, is just ‘assaulting people that they didn’t know,’ and that’s what’s made it so unusual.”
The letter outlines plans for summer jobs and community centers to open to give wayward teens things to do, but those plans come well after this Saturday’s Thunder Over Louisville.
Police talked Monday of assigning more than 1100 armed officers downtown to keep the peace, in addition to watching dozens of video camera feeds. (read more)

Now here’s the jaw dropping update:

FBI ASSISTS LOUISVILLE POLICE – The teens responsible for the mob violence in downtown Louisville last month were members of a gang of middle-school students, according to an FBI memo distributed to law enforcement agencies.

The memo, which the FBI says was based on “unverified intelligence,” says that the gang — “Young ‘N Off That,” or YNO, was organized last summer at Frost Middle School but spread to other schools, and that its members are “armed in a major way.”

The FBI memo also says there have been “rumblings” about the gang showing up in large numbers May 1 at the Kentucky Derby Festival Pegasus Parade. Louisville Metro Police spokesman Sgt. Phil Russell said at a news conference Wednesday that there have been threats of violence made against the Parade, but he would not elaborate.

Russell said the department is investigating assertions in the FBI memo, which was obtained by several news organizations, including The Courier-Journal.

Mary Trotman, chief division counsel for the FBI in Louisville, said in an interview that the FBI is evaluating the credibility of the information, which came from several sources. She said in an email to news outlets that the memo was intended only for law enforcement and distributed immediately to police “due to the fact it dealt with a threat of violence.”

Trotman said the memo’s contents are considered “law enforcement sensitive” and asked news outlets not to disclose its author, an FBI special agent.

Please continue reading and pay attention to this little gem:

…”Multcher also told the committee that juvenile laws have rendered officers ineffective because they can not legally detain children in most instances”…
Continue Reading