The totalitarian police state is getting closer to being in full effect as police are charged with enforcing new laws in the age of coronavirus.
A man waiting in line with his wife to have his Mother’s Day breakfast was put in handcuffs by police after not allowing them to cut in line, KRIV reported.
The officers were apparently on the scene to assist code enforcement because the restaurant had been opened despite stay-at-home orders.
15 people are talking about this
The restaurant has been in violation of the city’s stay at home order by allowing patrons to dine inside.
A video captured by a bystander showed the crowd of customers becoming agitated and yelling at the officers who were there to enforce the lockdown.
The man who was cuffed, Tom Miller, stood in the way of the officers at the door to the establishment and the frustrated officers quickly put him in handcuffs.
Miller told KRIV reporter Jenna Liston that he raised seven children, sometimes while unemployed, and he wanted to patronize the restaurant to help a small business that he believed was struggling.
Tom Miller tells me he raised 7 kids, at times without a job, so he knows how much these small businesses are struggling right now.
It's why he was in line at the Waffle Shop today.
You'll hear his story tonight & how Fresno PD is responding: twitter.com/KMPHFOX26/stat…
See Jenna Liston FOX 26's other Tweets
The body camera footage from one of the officers showed police approach and be greeted by the heckling crowd.
The officers, who are dealing with a brand-new situation to them, appeared to get frustrated with the furious patrons and that is when things got ugly.
“That’s a violation of his civil rights, you stupid bastard,” a woman could be heard yelling at the officers as they escorted Miller to the police cruiser.
Fresno Police Chief Andy Hall issued a statement saying that the officer’s actions did not appear to be in line with the department’s policy on handling these issues.
“Today at 0840 hours, the Fresno Police Department was dispatched to the Waffle House at 4025 W. Fig Garden Drive to assist Code Enforcement Officers from the City of Fresno Attorney’s Office with issuing a citation to the business owner for violating a City of Fresno Emergency Order as it relates to the illegal operation of a restaurant during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.
“I have been briefed on the incident and have reviewed the video taken by a bystander. I am also in the process of reviewing the officer’s body camera of the incident. As the Chief of Police, I am concerned over the manner in which this incident was handled as it doesn’t appear to be consistent with our Department’s policy concerning demonstrations or the directions.
“I have given officers via a Chief’s memorandum for handling enforcement of the Emergency Order. I immediately ordered an Internal Affairs investigation of the incident. I would ask for the public’s patience in this matter while the investigation is conducted,” he said.
These kind of situations are happening all across the nation and it is as tough for the police as it is for the average citizen.
People just want to have their freedoms back, but governments are struggling with an unprecedented pandemic and working to keep people safe.
The tightrope walk being done by everyone is likely to cause more friction as the weeks and months of lockdowns drag on.
People were told that lockdowns would be in effect until the curve was flattened, but no, even after it appears that has happened, lockdowns are being extended.
This may work in nations where citizens are used to being under the thumb of government and doing as they are told, but not in America.
We are a free people and we like to make our own decisions. Americans played nice for months with these restrictions mainly out of fear.
But for many, the fear of the virus has been replaced with the fear of no longer being a free nation. And there is little reason to believe these confrontations will not get worse.
No comments:
Post a Comment