“The police KNEW IN ADVANCE there was going to be trouble, so instead of acting to PREVENT it, they acted to RECORD IT.”
False. The police tried to stop it but the business owners would not cooperate.
You do realize it would have been a violation of the 1st Amendment for the police to do much more than that, don’t you?
By "it" do you mean the meeting? And is there a source besides Patrick Swanton? I believe the TP management denied that they had been approached by Waco PD.
Of course, Patrick also claimed that the thing started as a fight in the bathroom.
The Waco Police screwed up then used the business as a scapegoat.
So says Stroman, speaking for the police. Testimonial evidence by DPS doesn't back him up (it contradicts him), and the franchise operator disagrees with him too.
-- You do realize it would have been a violation of the 1st Amendment for the police to do much more than that, don't you? --
What exactly would the cops do that was a violation of (somebody's) first amendment right? I've suggested the cops arrest a few of the ringleaders either on open warrants or some pretense. They could let them go after questioning if there isn't a valid charge. Cops hassle people all the time. You can beat the rap, but you can't beat the ride.
A visible police presence is meant to prevent things from escalating
I am not saying they should prevent gatherings.
Who shot first, and why? we still don’t know