4 ms·

Odd, because the Mayor of DC (Black Female) very clearly refused help from the feds. "Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told federal law enforcement to stan

by jariel 6y ago

Odd, because the Mayor of DC (Black Female) very clearly refused help from the feds. "Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser told federal law enforcement to stand down just one day before a mob of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, smashing windows, entering the chambers, and forcing lawmakers and congressional staff inside into lockdown. “To be clear, the District of Columbia is not requesting other federal law enforcement personnel and discourages any additional deployment without immediate notification to, and consultation with, MPD if such plans are underway,” Bowser wrote in a letter to acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller, and Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy. According to Bowser, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department in coordination with the U.S. Park Police, Capitol Police, and Secret Sevice were well-equipped to handle whatever problems could come up during the Trump rallies planned for Wednesday. “The District of Columbia Government has not requested personnel from any other federal law enforcement agencies,” she continued. “To avoid confusion, we ask that any request for additional assistance be coordinated using the same process and procedures.” Bowser also explained that the presence of “unidentifiable” federal law enforcement agents in D.C. could “cause confusion” and “become a national security threat” because of the lack of distinction between them and “armed groups.” [1] And weirdly tried to push the blame on others [2]. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but that looks really wild. It's almost as though she wanted it to 'get out of hand'? Or why would she openly deny help? [1] https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/06/dc-mayor-told-federal-law-enforcement-to-stand-down-day-before-violent-us-capitol-riot/ https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/06/dc-mayor-told-federal-l... [2] https://www.nationalreview.com/news/d-c-mayor-says-capitol-needed-more-robust-police-presence-after-rejecting-federal-assistance-pre-riot/ https://www.nationalreview.com/news/d-c-mayor-says-capitol-n...

rootusrootus 6y ago
Does the federal government really rely that much on the DC mayor's opinion when it comes to protecting federal buildings, especially the seat of government? That's fascinating. I realize the relationship between the federal government and DC is nontraditional, so I probably just don't understand the dynamics.
- jariel 6y ago
  The streets where the rally took place, and the streets in front of WH, Capitol building are her turf. There were huge protests there this summer, so she knows the story. It just seems odd and that there's not more discussion specifically about this what with a lot of blame and finger pointing going on.
  - avs733 6y ago
    Because if this rally had been met with the force that BLM had it would be a never ending news cycle of playing the victim
- avs733 6y ago
  In reality: no When it’s politically convenient to push a blame democrats narrative on the national review: absolutely I’m kind of amazed reading these comments at the continued inability of many HNers to recognize bad faith arguments...
  - jariel 6y ago
    I'm sorry but it's not 'bad faith arguments' to take the word of the mayor of DC at face value. Nobody seems to have provided here any evidence against the fact that she has very publicly stated that she was prepared, two days before the event. Just the opposite - the 'convenient' 'bad faith' argument is to blame racism without a single iota of evidence, and cover up possibly the negligent actions of a mayor who happens to be Black and Female. In the eyes of CNN, no female of colour will ever be blamed for anything - that is a problem. I have no stake in the game - I don't care one way or the other. I don't doubt for a second that a kind of assumptive racial issue could have led to less people on the hill, that it could have been a more general misunderstanding, but it's entirely possible that the major really screwed up (among more complex conspiracy theories which I highly doubt). But the National Review using the Mayors own signed and publicly projected document is not even bias frankly. It looks really bad for her at first glance, and it seems blatantly biased of CNN not to highlight her public statements and have her on to talk to her about what happened instead of 'blaming racism' which is really lazy. I'd love to know more actual details about the situation instead of lazy propagation of bias.
neogodless 6y ago
Depends on which news agencies you believe! The below articles report that the mayor was concerned and requested federal assistance. The Capitol Police however, refused help that was offered[0][1][2]. In the end two members of Capitol Police leadership resigned[3]. Their reasons for turning down assistance should be investigated. EDIT: Found an NPR article exploring this[4]. > Bowser's approach to security was clearly influenced by events last summer when demonstrators took to the streets near the White House to protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other police abuses. [0]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111913/DC-Mayor-Muriel-Bowser-calls-340-National-Guard-troops-ahead-pro-Trump-protests-city.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111913/DC-Mayor-Mu... [1]https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/lawmakers-vow-to-investigate-police-after-capitol-breach/2532662/ https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/la... [2]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/capitol-police-failure-trump-mob https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/capitol-poli... [3]https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954489692/in-wake-of-insurrection-lawmakers-call-for-removal-of-top-capitol-security-offic https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tall... [4]https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954349992/where-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tall...
- jariel 6y ago
  Her statement is right here [1] from Jan 5. on her own twitter account which, which is in the quote I posted. Paraphrasing: "We are prepared for this weeks activities and we are not asking for further assistance" In the links you sent, only the first link seems to contradict this statement, links 1, 2 and 3 have nothing to say about it really, and link 4 backs up the above quotes and doesn't contradict them - that said, these are literally her own words verbatim on the Tweet. Maybe her own words may be ironically out of context or misinterpreted? I don't know what the answer, but her letter seems fairly straight forward. Perhaps by the 5th she was more concerned with coordination, and not having tons of 'undercover' personnel? What seems really odd, is why she wouldn't indicate that 'she had made a request that the Police subsequently denied' or at least hinted at that in the letter, at least to cover her rear as having not made the final decision? In any event, her words to seem fairly clear. With respect to the OP, and frankly a lot of the CNN-ish coverage with claims of 'racism!' - this really seems to discount that. The Black Female mayor indicating 'we are prepared and not asking for further assistance' - literally in a public document seems pretty clear. If anyone has any more information that would be helpful. [1] https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1346530358674792466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1346530358674792466%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fcongress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2F954349992%2Fwhere-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1346530358674792466?r...

by jariel 6y ago

rootusrootus 6y ago

Does the federal government really rely that much on the DC mayor's opinion when it comes to protecting federal buildings, especially the seat of government? That's fascinating. I realize the relationship between the federal government and DC is nontraditional, so I probably just don't understand the dynamics.

jariel 6y ago
The streets where the rally took place, and the streets in front of WH, Capitol building are her turf. There were huge protests there this summer, so she knows the story. It just seems odd and that there's not more discussion specifically about this what with a lot of blame and finger pointing going on.
- avs733 6y ago
  Because if this rally had been met with the force that BLM had it would be a never ending news cycle of playing the victim
avs733 6y ago
In reality: no When it’s politically convenient to push a blame democrats narrative on the national review: absolutely I’m kind of amazed reading these comments at the continued inability of many HNers to recognize bad faith arguments...
- jariel 6y ago
  I'm sorry but it's not 'bad faith arguments' to take the word of the mayor of DC at face value. Nobody seems to have provided here any evidence against the fact that she has very publicly stated that she was prepared, two days before the event. Just the opposite - the 'convenient' 'bad faith' argument is to blame racism without a single iota of evidence, and cover up possibly the negligent actions of a mayor who happens to be Black and Female. In the eyes of CNN, no female of colour will ever be blamed for anything - that is a problem. I have no stake in the game - I don't care one way or the other. I don't doubt for a second that a kind of assumptive racial issue could have led to less people on the hill, that it could have been a more general misunderstanding, but it's entirely possible that the major really screwed up (among more complex conspiracy theories which I highly doubt). But the National Review using the Mayors own signed and publicly projected document is not even bias frankly. It looks really bad for her at first glance, and it seems blatantly biased of CNN not to highlight her public statements and have her on to talk to her about what happened instead of 'blaming racism' which is really lazy. I'd love to know more actual details about the situation instead of lazy propagation of bias.

neogodless 6y ago

Depends on which news agencies you believe! The below articles report that the mayor was concerned and requested federal assistance. The Capitol Police however, refused help that was offered[0][1][2]. In the end two members of Capitol Police leadership resigned[3]. Their reasons for turning down assistance should be investigated. EDIT: Found an NPR article exploring this[4]. > Bowser's approach to security was clearly influenced by events last summer when demonstrators took to the streets near the White House to protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other police abuses. [0]https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111913/DC-Mayor-Muriel-Bowser-calls-340-National-Guard-troops-ahead-pro-Trump-protests-city.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111913/DC-Mayor-Mu... [1]https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/lawmakers-vow-to-investigate-police-after-capitol-breach/2532662/ https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/la... [2]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/capitol-police-failure-trump-mob https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/07/capitol-poli... [3]https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954489692/in-wake-of-insurrection-lawmakers-call-for-removal-of-top-capitol-security-offic https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tall... [4]https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates/2021/01/07/954349992/where-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol https://www.npr.org/sections/congress-electoral-college-tall...

jariel 6y ago
Her statement is right here [1] from Jan 5. on her own twitter account which, which is in the quote I posted. Paraphrasing: "We are prepared for this weeks activities and we are not asking for further assistance" In the links you sent, only the first link seems to contradict this statement, links 1, 2 and 3 have nothing to say about it really, and link 4 backs up the above quotes and doesn't contradict them - that said, these are literally her own words verbatim on the Tweet. Maybe her own words may be ironically out of context or misinterpreted? I don't know what the answer, but her letter seems fairly straight forward. Perhaps by the 5th she was more concerned with coordination, and not having tons of 'undercover' personnel? What seems really odd, is why she wouldn't indicate that 'she had made a request that the Police subsequently denied' or at least hinted at that in the letter, at least to cover her rear as having not made the final decision? In any event, her words to seem fairly clear. With respect to the OP, and frankly a lot of the CNN-ish coverage with claims of 'racism!' - this really seems to discount that. The Black Female mayor indicating 'we are prepared and not asking for further assistance' - literally in a public document seems pretty clear. If anyone has any more information that would be helpful. [1] https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1346530358674792466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1346530358674792466%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.npr.org%2Fsections%2Fcongress-electoral-college-tally-live-updates%2F2021%2F01%2F07%2F954349992%2Fwhere-was-the-security-when-a-mob-stormed-the-capitol https://twitter.com/MayorBowser/status/1346530358674792466?r...