DISINFORMATION OR NEWS?

A Lie Can Travel Halfway Around the World While the Truth Is Putting On Its Shoes (from => https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/07/13/truth/amp/)

Generally I don’t do many factchecking posts anymore. The news media has lost credibility because they tell so many lies no one can keep up. So why this post? In this case the lie is just too blatant to ignore.

The election in November will be a contest between truth and disinformation. That is, will the people who are trying to tell us the truth win, or will the liars win by deliberately deceiving us.

So what exactly are we factchecking? Did Trump order Layfette Square cleared of peaceful protestors with tear gas and rubber bullets just so he could do a photo-op?

First a little background. St. John’s Episcopal Church is one of the buildings around Layfette Square.

Arson, looting and fires were reported around the White House as protests over the death of George Floyd raged for the third straight day in Washington, D.C. St. John’s Church, the historic Episcopalian building also known as the “Church of the Presidents,” was set on fire by protesters late Sunday evening (May 31).

Multiple fires were reported at Lafayette Square; one car was reportedly set on fire in the same area while two Target stores were broken into.

The flag at St. John’s Church was reportedly torn during the protests as multiple fires raged across the district. As many as 1,000 protesters gathered outside the church faced off against with officers in riot gear.

The fire at St. John’s Church was reportedly started in the basement by the protesters, D.C. fire officials said. The blaze was extinguished and the sanctuary does not appear to be damaged based on images. (continued here (ibtimes.com))

Since the White House is also next to Layfette Square, this situation could not be allowed to continued. In fact, as this article shows, the peaceful protestors were causing the Secret Service problems. At least 60 Secret Service members injured during George Floyd protests in DC (foxnews.com).

So, what happened when Layfette Square was cleared of “peaceful protestors”?

The Lie

Supposedly, President Trump had Layfette Square brutally cleared of peaceful demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets. Here are some examples.

Yahoo News (a random Liberal Democrat news source)

If the curfews and crackdowns were meant to lower the intensity of the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death, they’ve had the opposite effect in the U.S. capital. A day after the White House deployed federal forces to clear out protesters so President Donald Trump could walk to a nearby church for a photo op, roughly twice the number of demonstrators had reconvened by the early afternoon in Lafayette Square — not on it, because a high fence had been erected around it —than had been there the day before.

Many said Trump’s political theater and the brutal treatment of peaceful protesters the previous day was just the latest in a long pattern of action by the President that was uniting them in their cause. (from here (news.yahoo.com))

Senator Chuck Schumer (a random Liberal Democrat politician)

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday blocked each other’s resolutions — one to condemn President Trump for his visit to St. John’s Church after federal law-enforcement officers in riot gear cleared protesters in Lafayette Square a day earlier, and one calling for peace and order.

“Congress condemns the president of the United States for ordering federal officers to use gas and rubber bullets against the Americans who were peaceably protesting in Lafayette Square,” the Schumer resolution read.

At the same time, Schumer blocked a resolution introduced by McConnell calling for order to be restored so that “the legitimate grievances of peaceful protesters may be heard and considered.” (continued here (foxnews.com))

The New York Times (another random Liberal Democrat news source)

In Lafayette Square, one of the visiting priests attending to St. John’s was sprayed with tear gas as she tried to help scared demonstrators leave the area, said Bishop Budde, who was not at the church when Mr. Trump visited.

Bishop Budde denounced the way the president held up a Bible during his visit, a move she interpreted as a political prop.

“The Bible is not an American document,” she said. “It’s not an expression of our country. It’s an expression of the human struggle to serve and love and know God.” (from here (nytimes.com))

NPR (another random Liberal Democrat news source)

The plaza between St. John’s Church and Lafayette Park was full of people nonviolently protesting police brutality late Monday afternoon when U.S. Park Police and National Guard troops, with the use of tear gas, suddenly started pushing them away for no apparent reason.

And then it became clear.

President Trump wanted to walk from the White House through the park to the Episcopal church. Camera crews scrambled to keep up with him as he strode through the park, followed by his daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with Attorney General William Barr and other administration officials. (continued here (npr.org))

 

The Truth?

Consider this statement: Statement from United States Park Police acting Chief Gregory T. Monahan about the actions taken over the weekend to protect life and property. Here is how it begins.

The United States Park Police (USPP) is committed to the peaceful expression of First Amendment rights. However, this past weekend’s demonstrations at Lafayette Park and across the National Mall included activities that were not part of a peaceful protest, which resulted in injuries to USPP officers in the line of duty, the destruction of public property and the defacing of memorials and monuments. During four days of demonstrations, 51 members of the USPP were injured; of those, 11 were transported to the hospital and released and three were admitted.

Multiple agencies assisted the USPP in responding to and quelling the acts of destruction and violence over the course of the weekend in order to protect citizens and property.

On Monday, June 1, the USPP worked with the United States Secret Service to have temporary fencing installed inside Lafayette Park.  At approximately 6:33 pm, violent protestors on H Street NW began throwing projectiles including bricks, frozen water bottles and caustic liquids. The protestors also climbed onto a historic building at the north end of Lafayette Park that was destroyed by arson days prior. Intelligence had revealed calls for violence against the police, and officers found caches of glass bottles, baseball bats and metal poles hidden along the street.

To curtail the violence that was underway, the USPP, following established policy, issued three warnings over a loudspeaker to alert demonstrators on H Street to evacuate the area. Horse mounted patrol, Civil Disturbance Units and additional personnel were used to clear the area. As many of the protestors became more combative, continued to throw projectiles, and attempted to grab officers’ weapons, officers then employed the use of smoke canisters and pepper balls. No tear gas was used by USPP officers or other assisting law enforcement partners to close the area at Lafayette Park. Subsequently, the fence was installed. (continued here (nps.gov))

Other Views 

• Some clarity a day after reports of tear gas in Lafayette Square, but questions remain (wtop.com)
• Police used tear gas to clear protesters from Lafayette park so Trump could take a photo at St. John’s Church (businessinsider.com)
• Barr personally ordered law enforcement to push back Lafayette Square protesters: report (thehill.com)
• Barr ordered officials to clear area around Lafayette Square before Trump’s protest remarks, officials say (foxnews.com)