29 Aug 2020 6:01 pm
Weatherford, Texas Police Chief Lance Arnold On The Protests In His City
“It seems like we as a country have moved right past the discussion phase of things and now we just are at the stage of conflict, being at odds, distrust and disbelief,” said Lance Arnold, the police chief in Weatherford, Tex.
“This is not who we are, and it’s almost like we are living in a different time and a different place.”
[.....]
Arnold has identified several heavily armed counterprotesters and far-right groups that he believes had members involved in recent conflicts in Weatherford, including the Oath Keepers and the Texas Freedom Fighters.
Arnold said the numbers of counterprotesters are being swelled by “a bunch of ordinary individuals” who are now physically engaging protesters and activists whose politics they do not agree with.
Large crowds are being mobilized online after inflammatory and often false information is posted online by what Arnold described as “fake social media accounts.”
“They are accounts that have been created within the last month or so, do not have a picture or other identifiers that you could use to believe they are more legitimate accounts,” said Arnold.
The social media posts are quickly spread, including by self-described militias and more-mainstream conservative groups, and they often give the impression that a specific community faces imminent danger or the potential for violence, Arnold said.
They often use images from past protests or riots in other cities combined with phrases such as, “This is happening in Weatherford right now,” he said.
Other social memes falsely claimed that police were asking residents to “come assist us,” Arnold added.
“It’s extremely worrisome, because it creates a level of fear,” Arnold said, adding that he is working with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI to identify who is creating the misinformation.
“And it creates an environment that is rife for violence between various groups.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html
“It seems like we as a country have moved right past the discussion phase of things and now we just are at the stage of conflict, being at odds, distrust and disbelief,” said Lance Arnold, the police chief in Weatherford, Tex.
“This is not who we are, and it’s almost like we are living in a different time and a different place.”
[.....]
Arnold has identified several heavily armed counterprotesters and far-right groups that he believes had members involved in recent conflicts in Weatherford, including the Oath Keepers and the Texas Freedom Fighters.
Arnold said the numbers of counterprotesters are being swelled by “a bunch of ordinary individuals” who are now physically engaging protesters and activists whose politics they do not agree with.
Large crowds are being mobilized online after inflammatory and often false information is posted online by what Arnold described as “fake social media accounts.”
“They are accounts that have been created within the last month or so, do not have a picture or other identifiers that you could use to believe they are more legitimate accounts,” said Arnold.
The social media posts are quickly spread, including by self-described militias and more-mainstream conservative groups, and they often give the impression that a specific community faces imminent danger or the potential for violence, Arnold said.
They often use images from past protests or riots in other cities combined with phrases such as, “This is happening in Weatherford right now,” he said.
Other social memes falsely claimed that police were asking residents to “come assist us,” Arnold added.
“It’s extremely worrisome, because it creates a level of fear,” Arnold said, adding that he is working with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the FBI to identify who is creating the misinformation.
“And it creates an environment that is rife for violence between various groups.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html