"This is pathetic...the good guys (the cops) are getting hurt for doing their jobs protecting people who hide and deplore our constitution."
Actually they were protecting the rights of those morons. While I detest Nazis, they have the same constitutional rights as everyone else. When it appeared as though there was going to be violence, the 14 Nazis actually did the right thing for once and left. In the 5 hours after that, the crowd's actions just essentially strengthened the Nazis arguements. Freaky as it may seem, the Nazis took the high road on this one. No doubt the actions of the mob will garner support for the neo-Nazi cause. Sad.
Not that I'd support the Nazis by a long shot, but the First Amendment was intended to protect unpopular speech. The cops, our military, etc., that's exactly what they're defending: the right to say what you want, even if it's patently and manifestly offensive.