Several local officials have apparently instructed the police to "stand down" when dealing with rioters.  However, there are cases where they seem to be overzealous in their desire to convict certain law violators.

Her name is Beverlyn Beatty pic.twitter.com/M3gxtU2o8M

— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 20, 2020

Conservative gadfly Katie Hopkins remarked,  "There is a real sense now that we are against our own government, that the establishment is working against us."  It is becoming increasingly apparent that Hopkins is correct.  The Democrat Party, the media, academia, the judiciary, major corporations, many state and local governments and even a considerable number of Republican leaders have consistently sided with radical mobs as they riot in our cities.  Their outlook is summed up by Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey who claimed, "Yes, America is burning, but that's how forests grow."  

Rioters and looters following George Floyd's death have had little to fear of being arrested.  Nearly all rioters have been freed from jail in Washington, D.C. and most have had felony riot charges dropped against them.  The Washington Post reported, “Although many of those arrested were charged by police with felony rioting, that charge was dropped by prosecutors in most cases.”  

St. Louis' chief prosecutor Kim Gardner announced that all suspects arrested for looting and rioting have been released.  This was after 4 police officers were shot and one retired police captain was killed.  Gardner claimed she needed more evidence from police in order to prosecute. 

 Portland, a very progressive city, dropped charges against only 59 of the 400 rioters arrested.  Those charges not dismissed must have been pretty serious.  Portland police arrested a 25-year-old protester for allegedly setting fire to a Chase Bank in downtown Portland on May 30. He was charged with arson, criminal mischief and riot.  The charges were dismissed. 

 Most of the looters and rioters arrested by the NYPD are immediately released as a direct result of New York’s new bail-reform law.  In order to induce them to show up for trial Mayor Bill de Blasio has offered them free tickets to Mets games, movie tickets, and gift cards.

Few governors and mayors are as foolish as former Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.  After the 2015 riots that destroyed much of her city she remarked, “we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.”  Present day mayors are more discreet when they issue "stand down" orders.

There are numerous examples of this policy.  A 911 operator in Columbus, OH told a caller, “We were told by our mayor to stand down, so the mayor has given them full range of the street.”  The police chief was quick to deny this.  However, did they respond to this call?  

A young woman in Fredricksberg, VA called 911 when rioters surrounded and climbed on her car screaming obscenities.  She had her young daughter in the car.  The dispatcher informed her, "We can’t do anything, ma’am.  The city told us that this is a sanctioned event."  The dispatcher advised her, "We would suggest you call up city hall to let them know about your frustrations." 

 In New York City, Ed Mullins, president of New York Sergeants Benevolent Association, claimed, "We have no leadership coming from City Hall. We are being told to stand down."  

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani claimed Mayor De Blasio has been calling individual police chiefs to tells them not to enforce the law and not to make arrests.  In this way he avoids informing the police commissioner.  The Portland police have reportedly been told to stand down leaving federal police to protect federal property.  When Mark McCloskey's home was approached by a mob he called 911.  These mobs had already demonstrated their proclivity for violence.  When the police did not respond he confronted them with a firearm.

There are cases where the government is quick to respond and spares no expense.  They wasted no time seizing the weapon Mark McCloskey used to defend his home.  He now faces felony charges for defending his home.  That is why the government spent approximately half a million dollars to arrest Roger Stone in a pre-dawn raid, and the FBI sent special agent Johnnie Sharp Jr. with a team of 15 FBI agents to investigate a noose that had been found in the Talladega Superspeedway garage stall belonging Bubba Wallace. 

 The Black Lives Matter painted on the street in front of Trump Tower has been defaced twice.  Mayor de Blasio has put police on high alert with 27 officers assigned round the clock to protect it.  When it come to opponents of the Deep State money is not a problem.  This is where Beverlyn Beatty enters the picture.  Beverlyn is a Black woman opposed  to the Black Lives Matter movement.  She decided to deface the slogan with black paint.  During the attempt to restrain her an officer was "injured."  He may be out for several days and may even have be medically retired.  She was eventually handcuffed.  The entire episode demonstrated the incredible patience of the NYPD members and perhaps their fear to use what would be interpreted as excessive force. Free Beverlyn Beatty!

John Dietrich is a freelance writer and the author of The Morgenthau Plan: Soviet Influence on American Postwar Policy (Algora Publishing).  He has a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations from St. Mary’s University.  He is retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.  He is featured on the BBC's program  "Things We Forgot to Remember:" Morgenthau Plan and Post-War Germany.