By Steve Pomper
The Washington Post recently covered a story about a Washington D.C. police commander praised by his officers as a decisive, hands-on leader who is also despised by the radical leftist, Marxist, and anarchist militants frequently destroying property and assaulting cops.
Of course, the Post attempts to paint the violent radicals as some quaint neighborhood community group of upstanding citizens upset with rogue police officers’ violating law-abiding citizens’ rights.
But that’s not the case at all, is it? Remember, we’re not talking about traditional political opposition here (although there is a political aspect); we’re talking about cultural revolutionary enemies of traditional America and law enforcement.
Once again, a shout out to NPA Spokesperson Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith (Ret.) for bringing this story to my attention.
According to the Post, Commander Jason Bagshaw is back on leftists’ radar after shooting an allegedly armed suspect who was pointing “a gun in a crowded area on D.C.’s waterfront.” The commander was off duty and “dressed for a casual evening out” when the shooting occurred.
The Post reported, “Police said people were already running away from the area when Bagshaw, dressed in civilian clothes, and his wife took action.”
And this next quote shows (I love using leftist terms against them) the Post’s “unconscious bias” against police officers. “Bagshaw ordered the man to drop the gun, police said, and fired when his order was ignored. Police said Friday that Bagshaw identified himself as an officer before firing a single round that struck Wilson, but they did not detail what evidence they had to support that assertion” .
Requiring evidence for this “assertion” for a newspaper story of the initial incident seems a bit much. The Post already reported that “police said…” Bagshaw identified himself. Adding the evidence requirement for a preliminary story detail may very likely instill in the reader the inkling Bagshaw did not ID himself. As if this were even an issue under these circumstances.
But there is evidence for his having identified himself. An officer identifying him or herself when addressing a suspect is habit. Having done it so many times over a career, 20 years in Bagshaw’s case, it’s second nature for cops.
Reportedly, on the arrival of a MPDC police officer, per training, Cmdr. Bagshaw got on his knees and raised his hands. At large agencies, there is no guarantee other officers will recognize you in plain clothes.
But a “shaky video on Instagram was all some in D.C.’s protest community [pause for a second and reflect on the Post’s use of that term: “protest community”] needed to recognize… Bagshaw.”
The 20-year veteran who didn’t hesitate to go hands-on with violent rioters has become well known in, well, I’ll use the Post’s terminology, the “protest community.” The commander’s “decisive actions endeared him to colleagues.”
Any cop will tell you that someone who climbs the ranks, but the rank-and-file still think of him or her as a cop is worth his or her proverbial weight in gold. I saw it during the many riots in Seattle over the years, at which I had a front-row seat, especially during the massive, violent uprising at the 1999 WTO riots. I was both a beneficiary and a casualty, respectively, of decisive and indecisive leaders from sergeants up to the chief of police and mayor.
The Post seems to treat the police and violent rioters as if they are of equal status. But one group are made up of law enforcers and the other of lawbreakers. There’s no equivalence in the sane world. However, leftist media would have Americans believe even violent rioters are “mostly peaceful protesters.”
In the article, the Post highlights some of what they seem to perceive is inappropriate police actions. For example, they write, “In one
, he [Bagshaw] can be seen making a hand gesture some viewed as akin to a bow [bowing with a hand flourish] to the crowd after detaining a protester who crossed a barricade and swung an object against the front of a police station.”
While some might deem the gesture less than professional or even taunting, the thugs in the BLM and Antifa militias don’t need an excuse to attack the police or a police station. And the passive “good-natured” gesture is good for officer morale to see a leader “giving back” just a little of what cops have been taking for so long from these insurgents.
Ultimately, whether the commander’s gesture was appropriate I’ll leave for the reader to judge. I can only say, as a cop, it’s refreshing to see pushback from a police leader—and it was funny!
Local community organizers like Jay Brown of Community Shoulders call Bagshaw a polarizing figure. We’re talking about the good guys vs. the bad guys, folks. Of course, they don’t like cops. It’s kinda their thing. But don’t let them fool you. This is not political discourse. This is a bona fide cultural revolution, and this enemy has targeted law enforcement for destruction.
“Colleagues who support Bagshaw and activists who despise him,” according to the Post, “described some of the same attributes in Bagshaw: He seems always to be working, is decisive and quick to action, often smiles and knows the names of many at protests. But where current and former colleagues see someone simply doing his job — and doing it well — racial justice advocates see an overly involved, threatening and violent officer.”
In other words, the criminals don’t like the cops. Well, there’s some news. Stop the presses… the Post has a new headline to print.