Police in San Jose were forced Monday to fight off accusations they allowed a violent mob to disrupt a Donald Trump campaign rally and attack those in the crowd supporting the candidate.
According to the Mercury News, local radio broadcasts fielded numerous calls from angry residents demanding the resignation of Mayor Sam Liccardo, who had earlier placed blame on Trump, and Trump’s immigration rhetoric, for igniting the violence. Police on local airwaves, meanwhile, were criticized for letting anti-Trump protesters throw punches and water bottles at his supporters, the Gateway Pundit reported.
Videos of the chaos ratcheted criticisms, with some saying police stood idly by, as protesters rampaged, as WND reported.
Garcia, however, said holding the ranks, rather than chasing down suspects, was the police norm in similar situations, and the better way to contain the violence.
“We are not an ‘occupying force’ and cannot reflect the chaotic tactics of the protesters,” Garcia said, adding this his police are trained to stay back unless a victim’s life seemed in jeopardy or the violence appeared to be “spiraling out of control.”
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But as the Gateway Pundit reported, more might be more at play.
“What has gone largely unreported,” the news site said, “is that police chief Eddie Garcia is affiliated with the far left group La Raza.”
A recent Twitter post from Garcia’s site shows him in a photograph, his arms around two young people, beneath the text: “At La Raza Roundtable meeting with two future recruits!!”
According to its website, the group “brings together community organizations, community leaders, elected officials, private and public sector representatives in leadership capacities that can impact positive change for La Raza.”
The website also featured Garcia earlier this year when he was sworn into office:
The National Council of La Raza — Spanish for “The Race” — is a far-left group with over 300 affiliate organizations and claims to be “the largest national Hispanic civil-rights and advocacy organization in America.”
