Yet, where they have been, there has been no looting or violence.
If government were doing its job and not telling the police to stand down and allow looters to destroy businesses, these militia members wouldn’t feel the need to be activated.
In a scathing rebuke on Thursday, numerous local elected officials condemned the armed citizens who have stood guard outside businesses during Spokane’s recent protests.
Leaders referred to the rifle-strapped, camouflage-clad groups that have lined the city’s streets during back-to-back Sunday demonstrations over police brutality as “armed vigilantes” in a joint statement.
“Their presence did not contribute positively in any way to the protest,” the statement reads. “In fact, their presence made the situation more tense and our city more dangerous for all involved.”
Officials who signed the agreement include Spokane Mayor Nadine Woodward, the entire Spokane City Council, State Sen. Andy Billig, Rep. Timm Ormsby, Rep. Marcus Riccelli, and several others.
They join the owners of several downtown businesses who have publicly spoken out against the presence of armed people at their storefronts and in their parking lots during weekly Sunday protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/jun/11/elected-officials-condemn-armed-vigilantes-attendi/