You know that the “Ferguson ruling—Eric Garner“-inspired protest movement is getting out of hand when one of the most progressive mayors in the United States says it has gone too far.
Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates condemned protesters for looting and vandalizing the city over the last three days. “The people in the Bay Area are sensitive to worldwide issues,” Bates said. “Unfortunately, there is a small element that uses violence at times to make their point.”
As Breitbart news reported, the city of Berkeley has been overrun by rabble-rousers and demonstrators who have been encouraged by protest leaders to create chaos. Claiming that “a riot is the voice of the unheard,” the leaders of a group called “By Any Means Necessary” gave their blessing to the Berkeley rioters, stating that “We do not condemn the forms of protest that are required to win justice.”
According to an Associated Press article, a large group of demonstrators destroyed highway perimeter fencing, flooded lanes, and threw rocks and other objects at officers. As the night wore on, the protesters broke up into smaller groups, wreaking more mayhem by interrupting traffic and harassing train passengers.
Mayor Bates, who told the Daily Californian that he has devoted his life to global warming, said that a fraction of the Berkeley protesters, by resorting to violence, are obscuring the wider message that policing polices nationwide need to be reformed.
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