Crowd Heckles, Pelts Police Officers amid Philadelphia Standoff Gunfire
It’s another black eye for the City of Brotherly Love.
Even while Philadelphia cops were dealing with an armed standoff Wednesday that had already left six officers wounded, audiences on social media were being treated to video showing city residents abusing police, pelting them with objects.
“Disgrace” doesn’t begin to cover it.
The situation first erupted Wednesday afternoon, according to KYW, the local CBS station.
Officers serving a narcotics warrant in a rough North Philadelphia neighborhood were greeted by gunfire that sent six to the hospital.
That turned into a standoff that lasted into just after midnight when the gunman surrendered.
But that was plenty of time for some knuckleheads to show how little respect there is in some areas for the men and women who put their lives at risk every day to make sure the rest of us can live in safety.
Alexandria Hoff, a KYW reporter on the scene, described it in a post-midnight Twitter post.
I should add – 98% of people here on scene were respectful and concerned. That moment was just such a startling thing to see in the middle of something so chaotic.
— Alexandria Hoff (@AlexandriaHoff) August 15, 2019
“A major moment of disappointment this evening was watching a crowd of people taunt police officers, laughing and yelling at them in the midst of the gunfire,” she wrote.
“I should add – 98% of people here on scene were respectful and concerned. That moment was just such a startling thing to see in the middle of something so chaotic.”
One particularly vile video making the rounds on social media showed police having to put up with harassment from residents of the area where the standoff occurred.
Residents harass & throw objects at @PhillyPolice responding to active shooting
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 15, 2019
Well, it’s good to know that “98 %” of the people understood that they were supposed to be on the cops’ side.
The troubling thing is the crowd that saw fit to taunt and attack police officers in the middle of a dangerous situation.
This isn’t a classic race issue. It’s true that most of the mob in the video is black, but many, if not most, of the cops are too. It’s about respecting the law itself — something Democrats seem to have increasing trouble understanding.
That kind of attitude has consequences.
Naturally, Democrats are already taking the wrong positions on the Philadelphia standoff situation. California Sen. Kamala Harris is taking heat for using it to push the gun control proposal she just unveiled on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
Philadelphia’s Democratic Mayor Jim Kenney – a political hack right out of central casting — tried to use the standoff to attack the National Rifle Association, as The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“If the state and federal government don’t want to stand up to the NRA, then let us police ourselves,” he said. “Our officers deserve to be protected.”
Maybe Kenney and other Democrats need to look again at what happened on Wednesday and decide what side is really interested in protecting police officers.
Here’s a hint: It’s not the left.
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