She said he started punching her in the face as the man in the backseat choked her.
She was driving a rental car and refused to back down.
“They didn’t know I was going to fight back,” she said.
Norman told 19 News she then grabbed her gun from the center console and started shooting.
Image at the Capitol, west side, scaffolding, before protestors entered Capitol, about, 1:05 p.m.
Outside of the Capitol on the afternoon of 6 January, 2021, after the news had come the Capitol had been entered by protestors, this correspondent was able to interview four people, in two separate pairs, who claimed to have been through the Capitol. There were multiple other people present.
This correspondent did not see them entering or leaving the capitol. Here are links to the recordings, and transcripts of the accounts. They are in two segments.
It gives a better understanding of the mindset of people who went into the Capitol on 6 January.
This pair had been approached by another correspondent who asked them if she could get a statement. This was close to the Capitol, on the Southwest. Here is the transcript:
Other reporter:
We are outside the Capitol.
Sorry I am having trouble with my phone now.
Weingarten:
An audio recorder.
Initial Protestor:
This was not an organized official plan to take over. Our original plan was to simply protest in front of the building, but when police decided to tear gas and shoot rubber bullets at individuals who were simply protesting, we decided it was time for us to act.
We stormed the building, we got inside, and we simply shouted:
This is our house.
We're here to simply show that if individuals think they can take our rights, we can take them back. We are American citizens and we will fight for what is right.
We stand here, not because of party, but because of our morals. We stand here because we share similar morals and we won't let those morals be taken away.
I don't use this to attack people on purpose, I use it for self defense. And I was here at this monumental moment, to prove to our government, presently, that they cannot control the citizens. The citizens control them.
Weingarten:
Did you see any destruction inside, at all.
Other protestor:
The front door, I would say, Like, to get in, they broke the glass and everything, and inside a couple of cubes, where you can sit, they were like flipping stuff. But most of the statues and everything, nothing was touched.
Weingarten:
Now, you went in from this side, the West side.
Protestors;
Yeah, we went in from the back side.
Weingarten:
Yes. This is the West side. The other side is the East side. There are other groups that went in from two entrances on the East side. I did not see them go in, but they said they had gotten in.
Initial Protestor:
There was a group of maybe 40, Maybe, a small group who went in, we went through the entire building, and then we came out the East side, then we let everyone else in.
And from there, and from there, I'm not sure, but then there, there is like, a ton of people in there, but, you know, I heard a woman had gotten shot, and its true, she had gotten taken out of the building, in an ambulance, bleeding the entire time. I'm not sure of the case of why. But, it should of have never happened.
Weingarten:
Was she inside the building or outside?
Woman:
InsideInitial Protestor:
Inside.
Weingarten:
When she was shot?
Initial Protestor:
Because she was in part of that group.
Woman:
Did you see any senators or any representatives?
Initial Protestor:
No. They all hid. There was nobody in that group there.
Weingarten:
I think they have underground evacuation.
Initial Protestor:
That too.
Woman:
There was report they were sitting in the basement.
Initial Protestor:
While we were in the building there was an announcement that there was a shutdown at six o'clock, due to this event. And, as a result, I believe a lot of the individuals who were in that building had evacuated. I believe, to my knowledge.
Other protestor:
We broke into the senate too, and we sat down, and we did our, our chants. Everybody was formally... we all sat. And eventually I heard people were sitting in the Speaker's chair. When we went, we didn't do that.
People .. laughter.
Woman protestor:
That's awesome...right... good job, good job!
Initial Protestor:
People from outside...people... it was a wonderful opportunity for us to see it and to do it, specifically, peacefully.
Weingarten:
I have a report that Nancy Pelosi's portrait, picture, whatever, was taken down and smashed.
Woman protestor:
Oh that's good! I have seen a unintelligible ...
Initial Protestor:
If, if an individual did that it would be a separate group who did that.
Weingarten:
Oh, okay, I just heard that from people on the east side.
Initial Protestor:
I understand.
Other protestor:
I never saw anything like that.
We do not condone destruction, violence in any form. They need to be tried in justice under our Constitution.
Initial Protestor:
We love our system. We love our system. We don't like the people running it right now.
Others: Yes! Laughter
Reporter:
So how did you guys leave?
Initial Protestor:
We simply went through the exit.
When we let everyone in, we left. Because, at that point, I felt like I did my job, and I was done. I didn't need to stay there.
On the east side, this correspondent approached two men who said they had just been in the Capitol.
They were asked if they would give an account of what happened. They were in the right place at the right time, but this correspondent did not see them enter or leave the Capitol.
Weingarten:
That's good.
This gentleman just went through the building from the other, the West side, through to the East side. We are on the East side now, we can see the Supreme Court right behind, and in front of us is the Capitol.
So, we are on the east side.
What did you see as you went through the building?
First protestor:
We held off for a while, and eventually something happened we started rushing them and then before you really knew it, unintelligible, we went through the whole building, every room.
Weingarten:
Did you see any doors destroyed, anything like that?
First protestor:
Not too much destruction, other than they took Nancy Pelosi's picture off the wall and smashed it and ripped it into shreds.
Weingarten:
Wow.
Second protestor:
Yea, we went in there and unintelligible.
We stopped them from...
First protestor:
There were a lot of people stopping people from doing destructive acts.
Second protestor:
When they first got pushed back, we all brought them aside so they didn't get hurt.
First protestor:
A couple of people also were protecting the police. No one wants the police hurt. As far as we are concerned, they're American citizens, just like we are.
Weingarten: Yea, exactly
First protestor:
There job is to protect this building. And, uh, sorry,
Second protestor:
We really stopped a lot of people from breaking things.
Weingarten:
That's good, but I think my recorder is going bad.
First protestor:
Well you will remember our words.
Second protestor:
You will remember our words.
Weingarten:
Uh, yeah, I mean, I can hope so, but my memory is not good, guys.
I got a spare.
Second protestor:
There are people in the windows, there are people in the windows, as you can see, they are in the building, they are in the building.
Weingarten:
Maybe I should go up there to see what is going on. It would be interesting.
Come on. I put in fresh batteries.
Third protestor:
If I was you, you might try to go up there, but I wouldn't try to go back in the building. I think, I think you won't be able to get back in. They have held their ground now.
First protestor:
I think we proved our point. Proved our point.
Weingarten:
What do you mean, held their ground? What did they do?
Third protestor:
The cops, I don't think I they are letting anyone in anymore.
Weingarten:
Anyone getting arrested?
First protestor:
They let us freely walk out. But I don't think they were letting anyone back in.
Third protestor:
Twenty-four, twenty-five guys got arrested.
Weingarten:
Did they?
Third protestor:
Yeah.
First protestor:
Will, look at the people. That cop that was up on the pedestal, and he was watching us, and he was targeting people, and they rushed in and got the people.
That guy that was throwing things at the cops? I stopped him. He is probably lucky because I stopped him. They were taking the people like that.
Weingarten:
Right, right.
First protestor:
I mean, we're here to protest.
And you know what? Did you notice that? The guy that was throwing that sh!t?
Second protestor:
In black cloth?
First protestor:
100%. He had a black bicycle helmet, with a black vest, black shirt, pants. That guy was f*cking Antifa.
Second protestor:
More than likely. He was trying to make it look. He was probably doing that for the cameras.
First protestor:
No, what he is doing, is the same thing they always do. They throw rocks, and they try to cause damage, then it looks like the Trump people did it.
Weingarten:
You tried to stop them.
You stopped some people from throwing stuff, they tore down the picture of Nancy Pelosi and they shredded it up. But they didn't do much other damage, the police let them go out, they arrested a few people that they selected as targets,who were being violent or whatever, causing destruction.
First protestor:
Trying to hit the policeman.
Third protestor:
They were teargassing the first few on line. So we just kept pushing.
First protestor:
Another key point is, there were a lot of Trump protestors in the building that were protecting the police and the property.
Weingarten:
Right.
First protestor:
We didn't want to cause damage. We just wanted to make our voice heard.
Fourth protestor:
My brother heard a report on the news, that there were actually Antifa members, got in there, and there were guns drawn.
First protestor:
We saw, one of the guys who were out there throwing sh!t, he was breaking up iron grates, breaking up metal grates, you know that they have along the plants, those metal grates, you know they are like this thick. He was breaking them up, and throwing them directly at the cops, all at the back side of the building.
I got right in his face. I'll do it to you.
I go right in his face, and I told him. We don't want to see you throwing sh!t. No one wants to see you throwing sh!t. We're not throwing sh!t.
Fourth protestor:
My brother said that actually it might have been Antifa members dressed up in MAGA hats to make our side look bad.
Second protestor:
Yeah, yeah, yeah, it could be. he had a hat on. It was a red hat.
Protestor:
Yeah, Yeah they could do that, yeah, breaking stuff and doing property.
Fourth protestor:
I mean, we're not destructive.
First protestor:
Not just us. Not just us! There was a lot of people in there stopping everyone from doing things ...
Fourth protestor: They said guns were drawn. Guns were drawn.
Second protestor:
Yeah, they were banging on the desks.
Like: What are you doing? Banging on the desk?
Unknown: probably trying to bust the desks up, you know.
Fourth protestor:
My brother, a news report said guns were drawn in there.
Second protestor:
That never happened, idiot. I haven't dealt with it.
Fourth protestor:
That was a news report.
Unknown: Yeah, well the news...chuckle
First protestor:
Yeah Fake news. CNN told you that?
Fourth protestor: AB...
Unknown: Yeah! laugh
They're wrong again! ABC...
Weingarten:
Thank you very much
Fourth protestor:
That's what my brother told me from Akron, Ohio.
Unknown:
Akron. Hold that up. Oh my God.
The impulse to enter came from the immense symbolism of the Capitol itself. There was an intense compulsion, sometimes even below the level of rational reflection, to be inside self-government. Taking possession of that house of the people, even if only temporarily and symbolically, was a way of trying to make the ideal of self-government real.
The major difference is that Madison, Wisconsin, is a far left city filled with students and government bureaucrats.
Those occupying the Wisconsin Capitol were on the far left.
Washington, D.C. is a far left town filled with bureaucrats.
Those who breached the Capitol were conservatives, libertarians, and others. There may have been some Antifa. It is not as if they wore uniforms and the police checked the identification of those who entered.
It was a chaotic situation at the Capitol during half an hour where protestors roamed about inside the Capitol and an unarmed woman protestor was shot and killed by a reportedly plain clothes Capitol policeman. He was in a suit.
Dean Weingarten
The driver allegedly pulled out a handgun. That’s when one of the individuals who came up to him, a retired deputy, took out a gun and shot him twice in the upper torso, the Sherif’s Department said.
The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was last listed in critical condition, according to officials. Officers recovered his weapon at the scene, the Sheriff’s Department said.
Following that confrontation, the victim, a 27-year-old man, left the area and returned to his home nearby. But police say the alleged suspect, 42-year-old Nathan Lindman, followed him to his home. The two men then got into an argument in the parking lot.
During that argument, police say Lindman reached into a bag. The victim, fearing Lindman was reaching for a gun, drew his own weapon and fired, striking Lindman, according to Scottsdale police.
A burglary in progress was reported in the 900 block of B Street Northwest in Miami around 12:16 a.m. The resident told police he shot the person who broke into his house, according to Anderson’s statement.
The caller told police he was in his living room when the man began banging on the back door. He said he armed himself with a shotgun after he heard someone climb through the window of a back bedroom, according to the statement.
He told police he fired once at the man, later identified as Nelums, after the intruder approached the resident, according to Anderson.
A shooting at a smoke shop in Barstow this week left a robbery suspect dead after Barstow Police officials said he pointed a handgun at a store employee and demanded money and property.
The shooting occurred Wednesday afternoon at the So Cal Smoke Shop located at 1251 East Main Street. There, detectives learned through an investigation that the employee retrieved a handgun and shot the unidentified man as he was robbing the business, according to a Barstow Police statement.
A witness said she heard three gunshots and then saw a person lying on the ground.
“Initial report indicates a victim shot in self-defense when a suspect attempted to rob him,” a police statement on Twitter said.
The suspect was taken to a nearby hospital, but later died.
A man arrived home in the 2600 block of Clover Street after a neighbor called to tell him about a possible break-in, police said. He found the front door open and unfamiliar objects inside.
The homeowner fired a warning shot before entering. A teenage boy appeared, and the homeowner fired again, striking him in the buttocks.
Anti Chinese Communist Party Banner at Trump Rally 6 January, 2021
The fight to restore and retain the most basic freedoms in the United States may be most well understood by people who have experienced oppression in other parts of the world. Most of the world has no First or Second Amendment rights.
The most organized group at the pro President Trump rally/ stop the steal protest were the Chinese Americans warning against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). At the Washington Monument, they had pavilions and banners erected praising President Trump and warning against the danger of the Chinese Communist Party. Almost certainly many of those supporting President Trump had directly experienced the totalitarian rule in China. Most had probably lost relatives in the Great Leap Forward. They could see what was happening in the United States with a clarity lacked by many Americans.
Chinese Americans for Trump Banners and Pavilions near Washington Monument, courtesy Dean Weingarten
As Trump supporters, patriots and attendees walked along the Mall toward the Washington Monument, there were many Chinese Americans asking for signatures to oppose the CCP and handing out literature. They were well organized. In perhaps 3/4 of a mile, this reporter saw a dozen couples stationed along the way. This couple was happy to pose for a photograph.
Couple collecting anti-CCP signatures and handing out literature on 6 January, 2021, courtesy Dean Weingarten
Closer to the Capitol, this wall of signs protesting the disputed election, and the close ties between former President Joe Biden and the CCP were prominently displayed for all passersby. This sort of display takes planning, forethought and organization.
The anti- Chinese Communist Party group had an organized car caravan driving around the capitol. Their signage was clear. It took time and efforts to create those signs and organize the caravan.
The spelling on the sign below is less than perfect, but the message is clear. Those who have lived under the rule of the CCP are warning the citizens of the United States. There were other, smaller, individual protest signs against China Joe as well, displayed by people who did not appear to be from China.
The Chinese Communist Party plan to dominate the world and supplant the United States as the foremost world power are now well known. The best, most unified and clear exposition of that plan is put forward in The Hundred Year Marathon, The author is a noted sinologist, who speaks and writes fluent Mandarin. He supported the transfer of wealth and technology to China for decades, until he became aware of the Chinese plan to use the largess of the west to supplant the United States as the dominant power in the world. President Trump made the world aware.
There were several smaller groups which had organization and cohesion. The most prominent were the Proud Boys. As a group, they seemed to have the largest percentage of black and Hispanic members. I did not see them engage in any violence, although they chanted their antipathy toward Antifa.
After the rally/protest/march, this reporter and a correspondent from Italy had a conversation. Max, as the correspondent introduced himself, said the whole world was watching the events in Washington, D.C.
He said the whole world is facing an extenquishment of freedom for the foreseeable future. Your rights, he said, are being taken away in small nibbles, so you do not notice. You give up a little here, a little there, and soon you have no free speech. He said free speech no longer exists in Europe in any real sense.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
The pistol she used is described as a Ruger from World War II. Perhaps it is a Luger? Ruger did not start making pistols until after World War II.
As Debby looked at the shadow on the other side of the glass, she reached for the switch to turn on the patio light. In a moment, his face illuminated, she quickly surmised the blue-eyed man might be strung out on meth as she unlocked the door and slid it open.
Moving the gun through the doorway, she pulled the trigger as the guy began to run, firing one shot into the patio.
She followed the intruder across the patio, watching as he scampered across the backyard and scaled the 7-foot-tall block wall at the edge of her yard to get away.
“I just wanted to scare him,” Debby said. “If he had come into the house, it might have been different.”
DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Dorchester County Coroner’s Office has identified a man who broke into a home and died of a gunshot wound Friday afternoon.
The coroner’s office identified him as Damian B. Harrison, 32, of Summerville.
CARIBOU, Maine — A woman in Caribou allegedly shot a gun at a man who she says tried to assault her.
According to police, the woman says after the incident, the man drove away in a black pickup on Caribou Lake Road.
Police believe the homeowner confronted the woman during an attempted theft and shot multiple times.
The homeowner had not been taken into custody as of Sunday morning, officials said, but homicide detectives are investigating the incident.
Investigators believe that 27 year old Alddon Smith unlawfully entered the residence through a window when he was subsequently shot by the resident. Smith succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
GALESBURG — A 17-year-old from Peoria died Wednesday following a gunshot wound, according to Galesburg police.
A Peoria man, 18, is now in custody, arrested on burglary and felony murder charges connected to the case, though he was not arrested on suspicion of being the trigger man.
A Florida man fatally shot his friend during a dispute, telling police the friend threatened him with a pitchfork, officials said Saturday.
The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place outside a home in Ormond Beach around 8:30 p.m. Friday when the shooter and his friend – who lived in a different structure on the property – got into an argument.
The shooter, who was armed with a handgun, told deputies that his friend pointed a pitchfork at him "in a threatening matter."
Police said the homeowner heard a noise in his driveway, looked out and saw a man breaking into his car. The homeowner grabbed his gun and confronted the burglar. At some point, the homeowner shot the suspect.
When officers arrived, they found a man with a gunshot wound to his hand. The couple told police that they had been in an argument with a known man who ended up pepper spraying the couple. The woman fired “a warning shot,” which hit her husband in the hand.
The couple than chased the man out of their home and the wife fired three additional rounds.
Officers say the woman was arrested for unlawful discharge of a firearm and assault. Police are investigating the second man involved in the case.
Image courtesy Dean Weingarten
On 5 January, 2021, the flight to DC on American Airlines 2222 was full. There were quite a few Trump supporters on board. They were a little boisterous, with a few chants of "Four More Years".
On 6 January, people made there way to the Metro station to travel into DC for the rally/protest/march. The Mall was relatively clear. As we approached the West end of the mall, the crowd could be heard, about 0830 local. It was already a large crowd stretching from the Washington monument toward the White House. Several speakers gave presentations. The audio system was inadequate. Little could be understood.
Most of the people were middle class and middle aged. There were young and old, even a few people in wheelchairs and walkers. There were many women present, but few children. People were there to support President Trump, to protest four years of lies by the Media, censorship by the Tech Oligarchs, and a deeply flawed election. One participant told me:
"He supported us for four years. At least we could come when he asked us to."
In spite of the common grievances, there seemed to be little organization or leadership. There were a few groups that showed cohesion, but most were simply responding to a request to show up. This protest was the largest, most organic, nearly spontaneous one I have seen of many.
At the other end of the Mall, at the Capitol, there were a couple of smaller events on the East side. There were only a couple of thousand at the Capitol compared to many more at the west end of the Mall.
As the morning continued, streams of people continued to come unto the Mall and move toward the Washington Monument.
I moved toward the Capitol. The Capitol Police Board, according to signs, had placed fencing around the Capitol to keep people at a significant distance. The fencing was light and poorly secured.
Large groups of people started to approach the Capitol as the rally at the West end of the Mall became a protest march to the Capitol.
The crowds grew and grew. The barriers were flimsy and ineffective. Some people started crossing them to get closer. Others followed. The ones in front shouted encouragement. A mass of people flowed to the Mall side of the capitol.
Hundreds of thousands more were coming behind them.
I could not detect any real leadership or strategy. Masses kept coming. People were frustrated. There was a little pulling on barricades at the choke point, the scaffolding where there appeared to be an entryway to the Capitol. I caught a whiff of pepper spray from the intersection of the crowd and Capitol Police, near the scaffolding, and moved upwind to the North of the crowd. What appeared to be several commercial grade fireworks were thrown at the police.
As the crowd was frustrated on the Mall side, more people kept coming up and started drifting around to the North side. More barriers came down.
The crowds coming from the west met the existing crowds on the east side of the Capitol, with the Supreme Court in the background to the east.
The crowds kept growing and pushing at barriers. They kept getting closer and closer to the Capitol.
People wanted to make a statement. They chanted: This is our house!
Finally, they were right up to the doors in several places. Later, a person who claimed to have been through the building said the Mall side was breeched first.
The Congress is reported to have adjourned for reasons of safety. One person is reported to have been shot and killed. It is unclear as to the circumstances. A person at the protest told me it was a young woman with a Trump flag who had been shot.
Not long after, President Trump is said to have asked people to leave the Capitol steps and go home, to restore peace.
It is unclear what this means for the Republic and the future of self government.
The remarkable thing about this protest were the participants. Middle aged and middle class men and women. Many said the frustrations had been building for a long time, that they had been quiet too long.
There was no plan beyond getting into the Capitol and then leaving. On the way back, in the Metro, a protestor was heard saying: We made our point. We had to do something. They have to know it is our country.
The reactions between the Capitol Police and the crowd was largely civil.
More detailed reports will follow.
Dean Weingarten
The indiscriminate use of "off-duty officer" and "driver" make the article below difficult to understand.
LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) -An Austin Police officer fatally shot a man early Tuesday after a series of events that escalated when another, off-duty police officer opened fire on the man’s car.
According to reports, an off-duty officer told police that he was driving home early Tuesday in his personal vehicle when another driver cut him off.
The off-duty officer said the driver pointed a gun at him, so the officer fired into the vehicle.
DAYTON, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) -- Dayton police responded to a Germantown Street apartment on the report of a shooting.
Officers say that about 8:15 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021, man confronted a woman who was reportedly damaging his 2005 Dodge Magnum with a golf club. The man reportedly told officers that she threatened to shoot him so he returned to his apartment out of concerns that she had a weapon.
NORTH LAUDERDALE — An armed burglary suspect is dead and the Broward State Attorney’s Office will decide if the resident who fatally shot the intruder will be charged.
Derrick Morgan, 21, of North Lauderdale, killed Millard Thompson, 38, of Deerfield Beach, about 2 a.m. Dec. 30, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.
Trump Rally on 6 January, 2021 at Washington Monument
At the Trump rally in DC, which started at the Elipse, from the Washington Monument toward the White House, the crowd was already large and growing by 9 am.
The audio system was completely inadequate to the task. Most participants could hear something was being said; few could understand what was being said.
There was a strong ethnic Chinese presence, protesting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and warning against CCP world domination.
They may have been the largest, most organized group as a part of the Rally/Protest. Even so, they were a small minority. The large majority of the attendees were unorganized Trump supporters.
There was not much of a plan, and quite a bit of hope.
The protest was remarkable. It was middle aged and middle class. These were people with jobs, families, and things to lose.
They were there because they saw the Republic at risk.
Dean Weingarten
Image screenshot from Linkedin, cropped, scaled and text by Dean Weingarten
At about 7:40 a.m., 31 December, 2020, on the Russ Clark show at 560AM(about 1:13 in the video) KBLU, George F. Braun, Washington Bureau Chief, and a talented lobbyist, reported more senators will be objecting to the electoral votes on January 6th, 2020, in Washington, D.C.
When pressed, Mr. Braun, who was on vacation with friends in Yuma, Arizona, asserted he had personally been assured by senators they would object, and that more senators would object than the number who voted against the stimulus package.
Six senators voted against the stimulus package. They were Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, Senator Mike Lee of Utah, Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, and Senator Rick Scott of Florida. All six senators are Republicans.
Several members of the House of Representatives have already committed to object to the certification of electors on 6 January.
President Trump has called for a protest in the District of Columbia on the 6th of January. It is unknown how many will show up. credible projections vary from a hundred thousand to millions.
If sufficient senators and house members object to the certification of electoral votes, it is possible for the election to be sent to the House of Representatives, where the vote for President would be conducted on a one vote per state basis.
Update as of 2 January, 2020. All of the above confirmed with a statement by Senator Ted Cruz of Texas:
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), and Senators-Elect Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), and Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) issued the following statement in advance of the Electoral College certification process on January 6, 2021:
"America is a Republic whose leaders are chosen in democratic elections. Those elections, in turn, must comply with the Constitution and with federal and state law.
"When the voters fairly decide an election, pursuant to the rule of law, the losing candidate should acknowledge and respect the legitimacy of that election. And, if the voters choose to elect a new office-holder, our Nation should have a peaceful transfer of power.
"The election of 2020, like the election of 2016, was hard fought and, in many swing states, narrowly decided. The 2020 election, however, featured unprecedented allegations of voter fraud, violations and lax enforcement of election law, and other voting irregularities.
"Voter fraud has posed a persistent challenge in our elections, although its breadth and scope are disputed. By any measure, the allegations of fraud and irregularities in the 2020 election exceed any in our lifetimes.
"And those allegations are not believed just by one individual candidate. Instead, they are widespread. Reuters/Ipsos polling, tragically, shows that 39% of Americans believe ‘the election was rigged.' That belief is held by Republicans (67%), Democrats (17%), and Independents (31%).
"Some Members of Congress disagree with that assessment, as do many members of the media.
"But, whether or not our elected officials or journalists believe it, that deep distrust of our democratic processes will not magically disappear. It should concern us all. And it poses an ongoing threat to the legitimacy of any subsequent administrations.
"Ideally, the courts would have heard evidence and resolved these claims of serious election fraud. Twice, the Supreme Court had the opportunity to do so; twice, the Court declined.
"On January 6, it is incumbent on Congress to vote on whether to certify the 2020 election results. That vote is the lone constitutional power remaining to consider and force resolution of the multiple allegations of serious voter fraud.
The complete statement by Senator Cruz is at the link.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Image screenshot from banned.video cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten
Note: This article was published on AmmoLand on the 5th of January)
Link to video Just short of 22 minutes, the last show of the year on Infowars. Infowars has been banned from Youtube.
Matt Bracken has made an impassioned plea for patriots to show up on 6 January in Washington, D.C. He says it is the last change to defend the Republic, the rule of law, and to prevent a takeover by the global elite.
Matt Bracken is a passionate Second Amendment supporter. His novels are often centered on Second Amendment issues and the consequences of being armed/disarmed.
I have not met Matt Bracken in person. We have corresponded over the last 16 years. We have talked on the phone a time or two, as I recall. Mostly, we have been in contact over the Internet. I consider Matt a friend. He is a passionate patriot. He was a Navy Seal officer, and is one of a very few who has been able to make a living as a self-published author of fiction. His "Enemies" trilogy and other novels are wonderful reading for patriots.
They are near future dystopias where the United States is barely recognizable in its fallen state.
Matt is more pessimistic about the future than I am. However, Matt is a brilliant student of history and political thought. His works present potent and thoughtful scenarios of what is possible.
Matt has been a guest on Infowars many times. He is not paid for his presentations. The video is worth watching. Here are snippets of his thought:
- Consider what the Department of Justice will do in a Biden/Harris administration.
- Consider a DOJ with Andrew Weissmann in charge.
- Michael Haden, former head of the NSA, has said he wants to put Alex Jones in prison. This is serious. This is real.
Matt covers difficulties the DC government may do to prevent attendance at the rally, such as refusing to allow porta-potties.
- If they try to prevent peacable assembly, the people can do other things.
- Next week we have a chance to change the course of history. It won't be done by Senator Hawley by himself. It will require millions of Americans occupying the entire area, storming the Capitol if necessary.
- Americans are being tested. We have been comfortable. We have not fought a war on our soil since 1865.
Matt talks about how we got here, recently, and over a longer time.
- He absolutely says fake ballots. He references expert Jovan Pulitzer and Bobby Piton and his mathematical analysis.
- He talks about the lack of an honest media or department of justice.
- He talks of being sheep led by Judas goat to the slaughter house.
- We are being set up for slavery. "Don't believe your lying eyes."
- Matt says: "If you let this happen, it is on you."
- The Republicans just want to go back to being the Team that always loses.
- Mitch McConnell could stop this right now if he wanted to. But he has not done it. Half of the Republicans are as bad as the Democrats.
- Don't think in two years we will get it back. That is what the Venezuelan's thought.
- If we don't see a million people in Washington, then he will know: Americans just did not give a damn.
- I hope I see you there.
The video is less than 22 minutes long. It is exactly what the powers that be are working overtime to prevent you from seeing. I highly recommend it. Matt is worth listening to, even if you disagree. Matt is articulate, well reasoned, and passionate.
Consider the courage shown by the Hong Kong resisters. Can we do less?
We have far more resources, far better legal standing, much greater numbers.I will be in Washington D.C. on the 6th.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Detectives have learned the homeowner confronted one of the people committing a burglary. The suspect attacked the homeowner and the two began fighting.
On the trip to the District of Columbia (DC), the flight from Yuma to Dallas was not filled. It had a few empty seats. It was about 95% full.
In the Dallas Fort Worth airport, I identified some fellow protest attendees waiting for the flight to DC. The were happy to be supporting President Trump, but serious about what is happening in the United States.
At the end of boarding flight 2222 to DC, it seemed to have empty seats. Then a rush of late boarders filled every seat. Their flight had been delayed. They had to run to catch flight 2222.
Those late borders were Trump supporters. The were a little boisterous. The flight crew was not happy with chants of "Four More Years".
After someone on the crew threatened to dump the passengers in Tennessee, there was no more chanting.
Everyone wanted to get to their destination.
We were one of the last flights to arrive at DC.
The weather looks good for the Protest, as this is written on Wednesday morning. 6 January, 2021.
In the lobby this morning, there seem to be quite a few President Trump supporters.
Dean Weingarten
BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. (WCSC) - The Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office says two suspects in a home invasion who were shot by the homeowner will face charges in the incident.
Deputies say the suspects, whom they identified as Daniel Moon and Shawn Cook, will face charges of first-degree burglary and third-degree assault and battery. Moon is still hospitalized following the shooting but has active warrants, according to Deputy Carli Drayton. Cook will face the same charges, she said.
Image of flying kick attack at Rittenhouse from the daily-sun.com, cropped, scaled and text added by Dean Weingarten.
On 25 August, 2020, Kyle Rittenhouse was chased and attacked by multiple attackers while attempting to escape them. He shot and killed two of the attackers. He wounded a third, Gaige Grosskruetz, as Grosskruetz lunged at him at close range with a loaded semi-auto handgun Grosskruetz had drawn from concealment.
The two white men he killed were violent felons with long criminal histories.
Rittenhouse immediately attempted to turn himself in to police. In the chaos of the riots was told to go home instead.
He turned him self in the next day in his home town in Illinois, 15 miles from the shooting scene in Kenosha.
The prosecutors in Kenosha have ignored all the video evidence in order to charge Kyle Rittenhouse with the most significant crimes they can imply. He is charged with intentional homicide, and faces life in prison if convicted. The prosecutor is not content with these acts of political theater. Four months after the fact, Kyle has been charged with violating the curfew on 25 August, 2020.
Prosecutors have charged a 17-year-old Illinois teen accused of shooting three people during a protest in Kenosha this summer with violating the curfew that night.
Kyle Rittenhouse was charged in August with multiple counts, including reckless and intentional homicide, endangerment and being a minor in possession of a firearm.
Prosecutors added violating curfew the night of the shootings to the list of charges on Monday.
The offense is a civil citation punishable by forfeiture.
In discussion on an Internet forum, some of the responses were satirical. Satire is always difficult to do well on the Internet.
The writers suggested the prosecutor include more charges against Kyle.
They suggested he be charged with jaywalking, littering (he did not police up his brass after the shooting). One commentor suggested he be charged with loitering.
No one suggested "Disturbing the peace". Wisconsin law specifically exempts open carry from being considered as "disturbing the peace", but, as shots were fired when Kyle was attacked, perhaps disturbing the peace could be added.
Another outlet, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal reports that 150 people were arrested for curfew violations during the 10 days of riots and protests. They report the ACLU of Wisconsin has called for all citations to be dismissed on 9 September. From jsonline.com:
The ACLU of Wisconsin on Wednesday called for Kenosha curfew violations issued during the recent unrest there to be dismissed, saying the curfew was never lawfully imposed, just announced by the sheriff.
According to the ACLU, Sheriff David Beth had no legal authority to declare a curfew on Aug. 24, the day after violence and arson broke out amidst protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake.
Online, some suggest President Trump should pardon Kyle Rittenhouse, give the obvious political nature of the charges. Others quickly noted that presidential pardons only apply to federal crimes. The crimes Kyle Rittenhouse is charged with are state offenses.
President Trump could pardon Kyle Rittenhouse' friend, Dominick Black, who purchased the rifle he loaned to Kyle Rittenhouse on 25 August. Rittenhouse could legally possess the rifle in Wisconsin, but could not legally purchase it from a federal dealer.
It is theoretically possible for Black to be charged illegally purchasing the rifle under federal law, although the rifle was kept at his home in Wisconsin.
President Trump could preemptively pardon Black. Federal prosecutors have not shown any interest in charging Black at this point. It is not illegal to purchase a rifle and to hold it for someone who could legally purchase it later. Rittenhouse will turn 18 on 3 January, 2021.
That complicates the charges, slightly.
A political Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) might decide to seek prosecution of Black under a Biden/Harris administration.
The latest charge, for a curfew violation, smacks of desperation by the prosecutors.
It is hard to see how a Kenosha jury could convict Kyle after viewing the abundant video evidence from multiple angles.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
Today, 5 January, I will be traveling to Washington DC, to cover the election protest at the Capitol, which is also a support for President Trump rally.
I will be arriving late, so I do not know when the next posts will be. With luck, I will be able to do a quick update before going to the rally tomorrow.
The weather is expected to be good. My estimate for the number attending the rally is between 100,000 and 3 million.
Tomorrow, we will see what happens.
Dean Weingarten
A vehicle owner confronted and shot a burglar inside of their vehicle, according to police. The suspected burglar and shooting victim was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police say the vehicle owner was licensed to legally carry a firearm and cooperated with investigators.
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith said during a news conference that the confrontation occurred around 9:30 a.m. Sunday after the 21-year-old suspect was discovered inside the church's bathroom with a red bank bag.
Smith said that the pastor, who was
armed, pointed a gun at the suspect and asked him to leave. However,
the suspect, Mytrez Deunte Woolen, was able to disarm the pastor before
shooting and killing him, officials said.
On 30 December, 2020, Jovan Hutton Pulitzer gave a presentation to the Georgia State Senate Judiciary Subcommittee, on how he and his company can detect many types of election fraud with a simple, easy examination of the physical ballots, by running them through forensic machines designed to detect physical signatures of the ballots. Pulitzer is a pattern recognition expert holding over 200 patents. His patents are used on 12 billion handheld devices around the world.
The would not be looking at handwritten signatures. Those are not on the ballots. The would be detecting physical signatures of folding, printing, marking and codes that exist on the paper used for the ballot. Every physical process done to a ballot leaves marks. Those minuscule marks, often invisible to the human eye, are the physical signatures Mr. Pulitzer is talking about.
This physical forensic audit of the paper ballots completely circumvents the election software. From a comment on freerepublic.com:
Sorry if I’m repeating something...
His method is to examine the folds on the paper ballot.
These ballots were folded by machine, and each valid one
was folded identically.He can run the ballots through a device, and it will spit out
the ballots that weren’t folded by an official machine.If they slipped fake ballots in, his system will pick it
up at once.
He claims his process can tell you, with 100% accuracy:
One of the slides in Mr. Pulitzer's presentation show a quote from a Fulton County Election official, saying 106,000 of 113,130 votes were adjudicated, an astounding 93.67% adjudication rate. Pulitzer says that high an adjudication rate shows the machines were not working as they should. This shows similarities with high adjudication rates in Michigan and Nevada, and potentially in Arizona and Wisconsin.
He claims his process can do the forensic analysis quickly and cheaply, for all paper ballots.
Mr . Pulitizer has volunteered to do the forensic evaluation of the paper ballots for free. He has donated his time, expertise, equipment and company assets.
He says he does not care who wins. He simply wants to ensure an accurate count is made, so this never happens again.
He says, without faith in the election process, we do not have a country.
While Jovan Hutton Pulitzer was giving his testimony to the subcommittee, more information came in. Voting was ongoing in the runoff elections for Senators in Georgia. There is a Twitter video of what Pulitzer had to report.
Twitter link about ability to hack into the Georgia machines live.
Here is a partial transcript of what Pulitzer reported at that time:
"At this very moment, at a polling locating in the County, not only do we now have access to the devices, to the poll pad, the system, but we are in. And it is not supposed to have wifi, and that is not supposed to be able to happen, So we've documented now, its communicating two ways, in real time, mean it is receiving data and sending data, should never happen, shouldn't be wifi, we've now documented it in real time, so we can shut down the data. But that is going on right there where everyone is voting. And, I just wanted to get it into the record."
The subcommittee was impressed with Mr. Pulitzer's testimony. They voted to request that the Fulton County Board of elections allow examination of the paper ballots. This is a transcript of the request/resolution of the subcommittee:
"That the Fulton County Board of Elections would make the absentee ballots cast in Fulton County, on the November 3 election, before the November 3rd election, be made available to be inspected by the Chealy Group, through the process that Mr. Pulitzer outlined earlier today."
The vote was unanimous and affirmative.
Twitter link to video of the vote
The Georgia State Senate Judiciary Subcommittee does not control any police. It is not clear if more votes by the full committee or the Senate are required. It is not clear if the Fulton County Board of Elections will allow the forensic examination to be conducted.
The methods portrayed by Mr. Pulitzer are convincing. They offer a simple way to detect several different kinds of election tampering.
They are not absolute. They would not detect, for example, double voting with fraudulently obtained ballots, phantom voting, or voting by illegal voters.
However, they would do much to restore confidence in the election process.
Will the Fulton County Board of Elections fight this attempt to show transparancy in the election process?
If past history is any indicator, they will lawyer up and attempt to think of legal excuses not to allow the examination.
Not allowing the examination makes them appear to be guilty. They do not seem to care.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
WILDPROTEST screenshot, cropped and scaled by Dean Weingarten
The WILDPROTEST is on 6 January, 2020 is on to Stop the Steal. It is being coordinated and is on for 6 January, 2020 on the Capitol steps in D.C. starting at 10 am, scheduled to go to 5 p.m.
On Monday, I heard it mentioned on the Rush Limbaugh Show. Today, Tuesday, it was highlighted on the Hannity show. The tech oligarchs and Media may censor Constitutionalists, but the American equivalent of the Samizdat find ways to get the word out.
This event is designed to protest the destruction of our Constitutional system, with the stolen election and coup designed and manipulated by domestic enemies and foreign actors, especially through control of the Tech oligarchs and Media. Second Amendment rights in particular, and the entire Bill of Rights in general, are under direct assault.
The First Amendment, while in force, did not anticipate the take over of the dominant media by forces inimical to the existence of the United States of America under Constitutional government.
I have been to these sort of events numerous times, starting in the 1970's, even a couple in Panama during the Civilista protests against Noriega.
Be prepared to go longer than 5 p.m. These events almost always go longer than planned. Speakers are often interrupted by applause. It takes time to get through the list. The speakers have been invited. They have passion. They have important things to say.
You will want to hear them.
I have seldom seen serious violence.
In the University riots in the 1970's a bit of tear gas, rocks thrown, buildings taken over, some building fires, a couple of shots by police when they were trapped by the mob.
Worst personal experience: trapped in ground floor/common areas of multi-story dormitory (Ogg Hall) when teargas had saturated that floor. Managed to bumble-stumble, crawl out, blind, from memory. It is torture to attempt to breathe in heavy, concentrated tear gas.
A good friend, Bob Terry, with a gas mask, helped me the last few feet. Good man. Tear gas training in the Army, later, was mild in comparison.
I do not expect any violence, with President Trump as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. However, the DC local government is firmly in the hand of Deep State types.
Always have an escape route planned. I recommend two: over the bridges to Virginia and the Mt. Vernon bike trail. The north one is past the Lincoln Memorial, over memorial bridge to Arlington Cemetery. The south one is past the Jefferson Monument, north side of 395 bridge. Mt. Vernon bike trail goes directly to Reagan National Airport, turn left after crossing the Potomac. It may not be clearly marked. If you are willing to hike a few miles, you can use the reverse route to get to the Capitol.
I don't expect to use them. I expect the Metro to work properly.
You will have to wait to use restrooms/portapotties. This may become the biggest rally/protest/petition of the government ever seen in D.C.
Wear clothes appropriate to an outdoors event, boots you can hike in, comfortable clothes in layers. It will be cool to cold. Have personal property secured with lanyards or straps. Don't take things you cannot afford to lose. There is a possibility of rain/snow. Average rain days in January, in DC, are ten, three snow days in January on average. My parka is fairly waterproof, and very warm. Prepare for the possibility of rain with some protective gear. Take some snacks and some water. The more you drink, the more you will need the restrooms...
Be prepared to video/record, if at all possible. I will have camera and backup camera, as well as phone and audio recorders.
Consider a bellyband or money belt or similar for ID/cash. At minimum, use a zipped pocket, or better, interior zipped pocket.
If the Metro goes down, or is overwhelmed, it is about five miles to Reagan National, three miles to Arlington Cemetery over the Memorial bridge, from the Capitol. It is about a mile shorter going past the Jefferson monument over the north side of the 395 bridge over the Potomac to Reagan.
If you need resources, a ride, or are willing to help others, caravans and carpools are being arranged. From WILDPROTEST.COM:
Groups of patriots are setting up carpools and caravans across the US to join us in DC. Groups will be traveling through and Michigan, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Alabama, and more. Join the group to find routes and rides.
In a way, this is our version of Dunkirk, in the reverse. We will not be under attack, artillery fire, or bombardment from the air. We are going to the fight, instead of evacuating from it. It will take a massive movement mostly self-organized by the people, to get it done.
There is not a lot of time. People need to act now to get this done.
People who cannot go can support people who can.
If a patriot cannot spare the time, support someone who has the time to spare.
I will see you there.
For the nay-sayers and defeatists. If you are not willing to spend a few days to protest this usurpation now, you will not be willing to fight later.
This protests takes little courage. It takes few resources. It takes little time.
Saying this protest will not be effective is an excuse to do nothing.
At the minimum, the protest will put the plotters on notice:
The People see what you are doing. We will not be apathetic, compliant, and give up easily.
It is a bit like the Doolittle raid. Doing something to show we can. It may be more effective than that.
From Thomas Paine:
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
From Winston Churchill:
“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without blood shed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may. come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.
This protest is at the early stages of the fight. We have been infiltrated. There are quislings in most institutions. Our children are being trained to hate the USA and the Constitution. The fight now, is for hearts and minds, and to show we see the treachery.
Half our countrymen are with us. A quarter are against us. A few of those control the dominant media and the tech empires. Much of the online support is from robots and bot farms. A quarter have no understanding of what is happening.
More resistance now means less, little, or no blood shed later.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
The article is very sparse on details. It notes the homeowner is cooperating with police, and is unlikely to be charged.
In most cases which are similar, there is an escalation. The armed homeowner commands the suspect to stop the illegal activity. The suspect refuses, confronts the armed homowner, and attacks, attempt to disarm, or otherwise threatens the homeowner, who then uses their weapon to defend themselves.
While it is unknown if that is what happened in this case, it is the most likely scenario, because the police say the homeowner is cooperating and is unlikely to be charged.
FORT WORTH (1080 KRLD) - A south Fort Worth homeowner shot a teenager who was allegedly breaking into his vehicle.
"I guess he met the wrong homeowner last night," says Fort Worth officer Tracy Carter of Braxton Criddle, 19.
Image screenshot from Michigan State Police, cropped, and scaled by Dean Weingarten
Every month, the Michigan State Police (MSP) are required to publish a list of firearms the state intends to dispose of. These are firearms which have not been claimed. The publication is notice to any owners of the firearms so they may be claimed. Here is the notice from the site. Public Notice of Intent to Dispose of Firearms site
Public Notice of Intent to Dispose of Firearms
The information below identifies firearm(s) confiscated by a Michigan law enforcement agency and turned over to the Michigan State Police (MSP) pursuant to MCL 28.434 and MCL 750.239.
List of Weapons To Be Destroyed After 12/1/2020 (public notice date: 11/2/2020)
List of Weapons To Be Destroyed After 1/1/2021 (public notice date: 12/1/2020)
If you are claiming ownership of any firearm(s) listed, please write or call within thirty (30) days of the date of public notice. In addition to your ownership claim, you must be authorized to possess firearms.
If no valid ownership claim is received by MSP within thirty (30) days of the date of public notice, the firearm(s) listed above will be destroyed.
Firearm(s) listed above are not for sale.
Contact information is listed below:
Michigan State Police
Training Division
Forfeited Weapons Unit
7426 N. Canal Road
Lansing, MI 48913
517-449-5118
MSPForfeitedWeapons@michigan.gov
Under Michigan law, the State Police could chose to sell the firearms. They are protected from any liability by Michigan law. From the Michigan code 750.239:
750.239 Forfeiture of weapons; disposal; immunity from civil liability.
Sec. 239.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) and subject to section 239a, all pistols, weapons, or devices carried, possessed, or used contrary to this chapter are forfeited to the state and shall be turned over to the department of state police for disposition as determined appropriate by the director of the department of state police or his or her designated representative.(2) The director of the department of state police shall dispose of firearms under this section by 1 of the following methods:
(a) By conducting a public auction in which firearms received under this section may be purchased at a sale conducted in compliance with section 4708 of the revised judicature act of 1961, 1961 PA 236, MCL 600.4708, by individuals authorized by law to possess those firearms.
(b) By destroying them.
(c) By any other lawful manner prescribed by the director of the department of state police.
(3) Before disposing of a firearm under this section, the director of the department of state police shall do both of the following:
(a) Determine through the law enforcement information network whether the firearm has been reported lost or stolen. If the firearm has been reported lost or stolen and the name and address of the owner can be determined, the director of the department of state police shall provide 30 days' written notice of his or her intent to dispose of the firearm under this section to the owner, and allow the owner to claim the firearm within that 30-day period if he or she is authorized to possess the firearm.
(b) Provide 30 days' notice to the public on the department of state police website of his or her intent to dispose of the firearm under this section. The notice shall include a description of the firearm and shall state the firearm's serial number, if the serial number can be determined. The department of state police shall allow the owner of the firearm to claim the firearm within that 30-day period if he or she is authorized to possess the firearm. The 30-day period required under this subdivision is in addition to the 30-day period required under subdivision (a).
(4) The department of state police is immune from civil liability for disposing of a firearm in compliance with this section.
The Michigan State Police destroy about $500,000 of firearms each year. It is bizarre they pay to have this done. Many companies would pay the police to do it, just for the parts which could be salvaged.
It is done strictly for propaganda purposes.
Readers might want to check the list each month. Perhaps you have lost or had stolen a firearm which did not have a serial number. Many are on the list. Check to see if the model you lost is there. It might belong to you. Consider the Marlin Model 81 .22 rifle. They are nice little .22 bolt guns. Many never had a serial number.
With a little effort you can decode the firearm type. P is pistol, R is rifle, S is shotgun. B is bolt action, D is derringer, I is semi-auto, P is pump, L is lever action, S is single shot, R is revolver. The code is in two letters, with the Pistol, Rifle, or Shotgun designation first. For example, PI is a semi-automatic pistol, SS is a singleshot shotgun, and PR is a pistol which is a revolver.
It is the height of irresponsibility to destroy these guns for the sole reason of destroying them.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Tupelo police are investigating a report of a would-be burglar, who was shot at by a homeowner.
Police say it appears the son in this incident was acting in self defense when he allegedly shot and killed his father.
This all started around 6 p.m. Tuesday night.
Police say the father attacked the son and took off.
When police got to the scene, they spoke with people in the house, but could not find the father. Hours later, around 10:30 p.m., Metro Police got another call after shots rang out.
Police say the father returned home and the son had shot the father. The shooter surrendered to officers and was questioned.
Booking photos cropped scaled and combined, text added, by Dean Weingarten
On 28 September, 2020, a warrant was served in Jacksonville Florida, just before 8 a.m. The warrant was not a no-knock warrant. There is evidence the officers serving the warrant attempted to announce themselves with loudspeakers and by knocking. The warrant was served by a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team and the DEA. When they did not get an answer, they started to break in. They were not wearing body cameras.
Diamonds Ford started shooting at them. She hit one officer in his vest, which saved him from a bullet wound. She called 911 and told the operator her home was being attacked, and to please hurry.
Link to youtube video with 911 call
Operator: "Ma'am give me the name of the street.'
Ford: "7232 Rutledge. Please Hurry.
Operator: "What's happening?"
Ford: Someone is shooting.
Ford: "We gonna die."
Operator: "7232 Rutledge Pearson Drive, do you know who is shooting?"
JSO: "Open the front door."
Ford: "Oh wait, what, wait, that's the sheriff's office. Okay hey hey hey, hold on, wait wait wait, hold on wait, whoa."
There is more on the video. This partial transcript gives you the flavor.
It is hard to deceive convincingly, on the spur of the moment. Diamonds Ford sounds very convincing.
Ford says she and her fiancee were sleeping, awoke to the sound of breaking glass, and she fired at the presumed home invaders.
In the United States, people prize their Second Amendment rights. Their home is their castle. People serving warrants need to take special care.
A warrant announcement which is not heard, is equivalent in effect to a no-knock warrant. One troubling aspect of the raid - no officers wore body cameras. Some neighbors say they were sleeping as well, and did not hear the announcement.
This situation can happen to people of any race or religion. We saw a similar event in Houston. The Breonna Taylor case has similarities. The important difference in this case is no one was killed. The officer who was hit was protected by his vest. The officers did not fire blindly into the home when they were fired upon.
Diamonds Ford and Anthony Gantt were charged with armed possession of marijuana with intent to sell and attempted murder of a police officer. From news4jax.com:
Although, the judge did acknowledge that some neighbors who were interviewed by police said they were asleep and didn’t hear anything at all before or during the raid.
Charbula also left the door open for a possible bond reduction down the road.
“If, during the discovery process, the Defendant discovers evidence that weakens the State’s claim that the Defendant knew that it was JSO outside her window before she fired and shot a SWAT detective multiple times, this Court will allow the Defendant to file a subsequent motion to reduce bond,” Charbula wrote.
Local attorney Gene Nichols, not affiliated with the case, believes this is promising for the defense.
There have been several cases where, when officers were fired upon, the people doing the shooting were acquitted or the charges were dropped. They include people who are black, white, and asian.
It helps if the home defender has a sterling record. In the Diamonds Ford case, the couple had some minor criminal history. From jacksonville.com:
A check of Duval County jail records shows both suspects have only a few past local arrests. Gantt was arrested in 2013 for auto burglary and this past May for driving with a suspended license, drug possession and fleeing the scene of an accident. Ford's arrests included one in 2014 for child abuse, and another in 2010 for fighting.
Minor criminal history is not enough to deny someone their Second Amendment rights.
You cannot have both Second Amendment rights, the right to defend your home as your castle, accepted and widespread in society; and not expect startled homeowners to occasionally shoot police officers who, by some combination of circumstances, do not announce sufficiently to make their presence clearly and unequivocally known.
These type of raids are becoming well known. The public response is not in the favor of police. Americans love their Second Amendment rights and prize their ability to defend their homes with lethal force.
More and better announcements are happening before breaking down doors.
More police will wear body cameras on the raids. Everyone is going to be held to more accountability through ubiquitous digital recording devices.
©2020 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
Gun Watch
A dog severely injured an 11-year-old boy in a mauling in Boston Wednesday, authorities said, with a police officer opening fire to stop the attack and likely saving the child's life.
A preliminary found that the resident caretaker at the facility interrupted the woman as she was attempting to break in and steal items.
At some point, the woman pulled out a gun. The caretaker, who was also armed, responded by firing a single shot and striking the woman in the shoulder, Meyer said.
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