Big in Japan Ch. 04

"... and the number of protesters here began dwindling around 2:00am," said SNN reporter Bill Hacosta from the Fairgrounds as the sun was rising on Friday morning, September 17th, "when it became clear that they would not be allowed to leave the area encircled by local and State Police, aided and abetted by the National Guard wrongfully deployed by White Nationalist Governor Val Jared."

Hacosta: "As one example, a young woman approached the Police line with her hands up and her ID in her hand, saying she just wanted to go home, which was outside the zone. She was immediately arrested and taken to jail, charged with violating the dusk-to-dawn curfew. When other demonstrators began shouting at Police over the young woman's arrest, tear gas and rubber bullets were immediately used on them."

"Meanwhile," Hacosta continued, "riots in The City and in Portland, Oregon were not stopped by Police. The Ferguson Park district in the City was again overrun with peaceful protesters, while Portland continues to have unrest..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"It's over."

Those words were pronounced by me at 8:15am, Friday, September 18th, as I sat in Classroom 'E' with Teresa, Precinct Captain Hewitt, and the Chief.

"How do you knowwwww, Mister Crowbarrrr?" asked the Chief, his voice sounding very tired, and sleepy.

"The Press vans are leaving." I said. "Even if they're not colluding with the thugs, they know that the Police and politicians here are not like the wimps of Wilmington, Delaware, and Portland, Oregon: we're going to shut down the illegal, violent protests. The Press has been pulling out of the Fairgrounds for the last half hour------"

*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*

"And we have have proof of your theory, Commander." said Captain Tanya Muscone as she drove into the room. "Check this out."

A DVR'd video was shown. District Attorney Miriam Walters was at City Hall on the portico, along with ADA Paulina Patterson, Mayor Daniel Allgood and Sheriff Griswold. Miriam was saying "Unlike District Attorneys in other cities, the Town & County District Attorney's Office will prosecute criminals regardless of their skin color, creed, or orientation. For the US DOJ Civil Rights Division to attempt to get a legal order to not arrest people because of the color of their skin is pure racism on the DOJ's part!"

Paulina then spoke: "I agree with D.A. Walters. What the US DOJ Civil Rights Division did was racist, and we will be bringing their racism up when we fight their politically motivated lawsuits against the Mayor and the TCPD. And unlike other cities, whose 'woke cancel culture' DAs refuse to prosecute criminals that exercise violence and burn down businesses, this Town & County is no refuge for that criminal behavior. We will support our Police by prosecuting the criminals they arrest!"

"And Law Enforcement in my County will be making those arrests of those criminals," said the Sheriff as he stepped up to the mike, "and we will stop them in their tracks when they try to burn down churches and neighborhoods. This is not lawless places like Portland, Oregon and Wilmington, Delaware."

Mayor Allgood came up. "I stand behind our Law Enforcement Officers as well as our District Attorney and her team of hardworking ADAs that are prosecuting the criminals our Police arrest. We stand for the Rule of Law here, and we will not tolerate the violence we saw last night and on the night the Block House was destroyed..."

As Tanya turned off the DVR, Teresa said "Yep, that explains why the Press is leaving. There's no story here for them."

"And they sure don't want to show people what happens when law and order is demanded and enforced." I said. "That might make the People of Oregon or the People of Chicago begin to demand law and order in their places, too. Can't have the deeply corrupt Mainstream Media pushing that. Doesn't fit with their narrative."

"Think the US DOJ is going to come after us?" Tanya asked.

"Hear me now and believe me later." I said. "The week before early voting begins in October, they'll announce they're coming after Daniel Allgood. But I think they'll wait until after the November Election to come after the TCPD..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I sent emails to 'loddy-doddy-everybody', praising my Offices for their outstanding work the night before. I sent separate emails to the State Patrol and Army National Guard commanders, and was told my email was read to all of them.

Then the Chief called me and my Angels into his Conference Room for a meeting. The County Sheriff was also there, having come to Police Headquarters after his Press Conference.

"O-kayyy." drawled the Chief. "What were the casualties?"

Cindy said "Six dead, but only one is confirmed to be by the LEOs... the guy throwing the Molotov cocktail at the Old Mill. Four appear to be black-on-black gang crime, and the last one was an older man who died of a heart attack. He was not struck by any Police projectiles; he just had a heart attack, as near as Martha can tell."

Cindy: "More problematic is injuries. University Hospital reports treating 53 people with injuries of varying levels. Four of them were relatively severe... people hit in the head with rubber bullets. And three public health clinics on the southside report treating 42 more injuries, including broken fingers, broken arms, broken ribs, and a few concussions."

"What about our side?" I asked.

Teresa said "There were no LEO injuries sufficient to warrant Purple Orders. One TCPD Officer blew out his knee when it went the wrong way on him as he and others were running to get into place, but that's not considered being wounded by enemy action. Fortunately, none of our guys were hit by Molotov cocktails, rocks, or anything like that."

"We were lucky." Cindy said, practically out of turn. "It could've been a lot worse." I knew her real, underlying meaning in that statement, and I'd had just about enough of it.

"Yeah." I replied acidly. "We might have Democrats for our Mayor and District Attorney. If we had, it would've been a lot, lot worse."

"A Democrat D.A. would not have tried Breonna Bryant for murder." Cindy fired back. "And we would not have had that quasi-military war on our streets last night!"

It suddenly became very still in the room. Cindy and I were staring at each other across the table, as if we were playing the 'Blink' game. I felt the heat in my face and on the back of my neck, and saw that Cindy's face was reddening just as much. Everyone else wondered what was going to happen.

"Commander Troy!" the Sheriff said loudly, breaking the spell and getting my full attention, "why don't you continue your Angels Meeting with Teresa and Tanya in your office"

"Yes sir." I said, knowing the Sheriff was trying hard to stop the impending disaster in the making. I got up, opened the door, let Tanya drive through and Teresa follow, then I exited and closed the door without looking back.

When we got to my office, I said to Tanya, "Captain, I have a mission for you. I want you to poll all the Detectives, of all ethnicities, and also LaTasha and Damien Thompson, and get a consensus on who the Black Community respects the most, and whose word they will most likely follow. By that, I mean if that person got up and asked or told the Black Community to stand down from further riots, they might listen. Go ahead."

Tanya drove out smartly. I closed the door behind her and went to my chair and sat down heavily as Teresa sat in her normal hot chair, the one farthest from the door. For a long time I sat, my head bowed so that my chin was almost to my chest, and Teresa waited patiently.

Finally, I looked back up, and at Teresa. "Just as we were about to get Tanya back into the fold," I lamented, "now Cindy goes and does that." Seeing the Iron Wolf's face, I said "Speak freely."

Teresa said "You know I'm on your side, and I'll follow you into Hell and back. But I think Cindy reached her limit and couldn't hold her true feelings back any longer."

"I got that." I said. "Teresa, I'll tell you what the problem is. Cindy is not evil like Robert Brownlee was, may he burn in hell fire for all eternity. And I don't think she'll ever reach the level of strident partisanship Della Harlow did."

I continued: "But do you remember the progression of Harlow's actions that led to her ultimate dismissal from the Force? Once one of the best Officers on the Force, ultimately forced out after being demoted? She ordered that you and your Officers not be issued tear gas grenades." (Author's note: 'Summer in the County', particularly Ch. 02.)

"How could I forget." Teresa replied.

"And now I'm seeing something very similar from Cindy." I said. "She just let her politics supersede her duty to the TCPD. And while she's my family and I love her to death, that's just... not acceptable."

"Speaking freely, sir," Teresa said, "you've made your political views known from time to time."

I said "I know, and I expect the Chief is going to say something to me along those lines. But this thing with Cindy has been building for a long time, and I know the Sheriff knows it and is worried about it. What it boils down to, Teresa, is that ultimately this Police Force won't be big enough to keep both Cindy and myself..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

To this day I do not know what was said between the Sheriff, the Chief, and Cindy. I do know that my own expected reprimand did happen. I was called into his office. The Sheriff was sitting on the sofa. The Chief had me sit down... well, he pretty much made me sit down.

"This is unofficial, and between the three of us and that there red crowbar, Mister Crowbarrrr." said the Chief. "The bottom line is that there is to be no more political discussions by you when Commander Ross is in your presence... here at work, anyway. What y'all fight about at home is your business, but in coffee klatches or Police meetings, I don't want to hear any more political o-pin-yunnns from either of yoooo."

"Yes sir." I said. Nope, now was not the time to argue anything.

"O-kayyyy, that part's over." said the Chief. "This is official: I congratulate you on the outstanding job you did leading our response to those thugs last night. Extend my congratulations down the chain-of-command to every Officer. And I'm sure the Sheriff shares my sentiment when I say that we have your backs all the way, on anything that might crop up as a result."

"Damn right, I share that sentiment." growled the Sheriff.

"Thank you both." I replied. "And the Force is willing to do what has to be done because they know you have our backs. I might add that D.A. Walters's statement at this morning's Press conference will also bolster our morale..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*Whirrrrrrrrrrr*

Captain Tanya P. Muscone drove into my office and parked on a dime (literally, the one on the floor). "Sir," she said, "I've talked to a lot of people, and the consensus is... that there is no consensus."

"Consider me 'not surprised'." I said. "What did they tell you?"

Tanya replied: "Rudistan, George Newman, and J.J. Perry had the most information, while Damien Thompson has the political scoop from his Media contacts and sources. Between them, I learned that there are two major factions within the Black Community, not unlike the factions within the Democrat Party: moderates, and more hardcore activists."

Tanya: "The more moderate group are the more elderly people, and the middle-class blacks. They would respect and follow the Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Williams, pastor of the A.M.E. Church. They also look up to Reginald B.F. Lewis, but that was before he announced he wasn't running for the Council again. Younger moderates, for lack of a better term, look up to T-Square. The problem is that those people are not the ones we are most likely to encounter in the streets trying to burn down the Town and kill Police Officers."

"True." I said. "But they could persuade others, maybe."

Tanya said "Maybe, but let me tell you the rest of it. The next group are people that don't normally show racism or hatred, but having increasingly done so as racial tensions rise in the country. Many of them are tired of having tried to live normally with other ethnicities, only to find themselves targeted for DWB, their children given bad grades that white children aren't getting, business opportunities denied them that whites and Asians get, and feeling that elections their candidates win were stolen from them."

Tanya: "J.J. Perry says that this would be the vast majority of blacks, these days. This group used to listen to Reginald B.F. Lewis, but they're now listening to people like Eldrick X. Weaver, Edgar Silas, and even white filth like Bruce Finneran."

Tanya: "But there is now a third group, that once were part of the second group. They are what Jerome Davis calls 'radicalized', and he said his father is a good example of them. Breonna Bryant and her father are more examples. The young Antifa-shirt-wearing people are in this group, as well, and they're the ones we most often see packing the Council meetings and demonstrating on the streets."

"And they are led by?..." I asked.

Tanya replied "Stacey Jacobs, in this County. Maxine Watts and Corey Coons, Statewide. And Rudistan thinks Edgar Silas is 'seeing the light', at least as far as his political fortunes go, and is joining that hardcore faction."

"Ah, crap." I muttered.

"What, sir?"

I said "I was hoping that either I or the Sheriff could appeal to one or two of these Black Community leaders, get them to appeal to the masses to stop the violence. But I seriously doubt Weaver or Silas will help us, and they certainly won't appear with the Reverend Williams. And even perky optimists like you probably realize our chances of getting Lionel Carmela associate Stacey Jacobs to help us in any way." Tanya nodded, and I said as I picked the landline phone: "Oh well, let me call the Sheriff, see what he wants to do..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"The time is now... to cast aside violence!" T-Square was saying at what appeared to be an outdoor rally. "The time is now to work in other ways, to enlighten and educate everyone of all races and creeds, to engage in dialogue to make everyone understand the unique history and situation of People of Color! So I ask you to end the violence. Stay at home tonight. Have dinner with your families, and talk to them. Pray to the Lord of Hosts..."

"That's very good." said the Chief as we sat and watched in the Chief's Conference Room. "Think it'll help?"

Sheriff Griswold said "I hope so. I really had to work to persuade T-Square to go public with that. He's stayed behind the scenes to this point, but Breonna Bryant's father's threat against Tasha is what finally swayed him."

I said "No one else was willing to help us. Rev. Williams was, but said he wouldn't have anything to do with Silas, who he believes tried to have the A.M.E. Church burned down last night. I asked Damien Thompson to call Stacey Jacobs. She hung up on him the minute he started requesting she help us."

Me: "Silas didn't even take my phone call, but Eldrick X. Weaver did. He was not as hostile as I expected him to be, but he said he wouldn't speak out publicly against peaceful protests by People of Color. He then said he abhors the violence, but he doesn't believe the people committing violence are the majority of the protesters, and that we were too harsh on everyone because of a few bad apples."

"At least he's admitting that." Sheriff Griswold growled. "Well, Crowbar, you tried. And it was a good try."

"How effective do you think it will beeee?" the Chief asked.

I said "Maybe more than we originally thought. I do know this: the National Guard is leaving Sunday evening. I asked them to be on standby, but they don't have to deploy tonight unless something big breaks out and we have to call on them. I'm going to have the TCPD and State Troopers ready to defend the area I think the thugs will try to hit: the Tenderloin District..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Stacey Jacobs and Bettina Wurtzburg were meeting with Dr. Lionel Carmela in a conference room at the University Library.

"And that's all I have." said Bettina. "After you told me Thompson tried to contact you, Stacey, I did some digging and found out that Troy and Griswold contacted multiple black leaders. But only T-Square agreed to speak out, and he did."

"That nigga has gotta get his head on straight." said Stacey Jacobs, who was black. "If he don't, we need to twist his cap around."

Carmela said "And that's what we're going to do. Stacey, get ahold of your 'student leaders'. Tell them that tonight's target is the Jasmine Club and Rhythms & Rap, but if they burn down that God-damned Jew Weinstein's strip club too, I won't complain..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

11:00pm, Friday, September 18th. Over 200 young blacks, all wearing red Antifa shirts, marched out of side streets onto MLK Jr. Drive. They were shouting phrases like "FUCK THE COPS!", "DEATH TO WHITE COPS!", and "DEFUND THE POLICE!" and carrying signs as they marched in almost-uniform ranks from the east and the west towards T-Square's two clubs.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, smoke grenade began dropping onto the street. When the smoke cleared, the found T-Square's clubs surrounded by heavily armored Law Enforcement Officers.

"You are in violation of curfew!" a voice called out, eerily seeming to be from everywhere at once, but in reality coming from drones overhead. "Disperse immediately and go home! I will not say it again! This is your last chance! Disperse and retreat immediately!"

The crowd began chanting "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE!", then chanted "FREE BREONNA!" over and over. But they did not retreat, and I did not give them another warning. I issued the 'Go!' command.

The tear gas and smoke barrage had some effect, but only when the Police began charging the perps from the side, knocking people down and making arrests, did the crowd begin dispersing. They ran in every direction. We were only able to make 35 arrests, but those arrests we did make.

By midnight, it was over.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Cindy came into Classroom 'E', where we'd been monitoring the battle, and said "I got word from Priya that Eldrick X. Weaver quietly put out to word to not join any marches or riots tonight, to do what T-Square said and stay home. Edgar Silas may have also put out that word. Priya says Stacey Jacobs was urging her agitators to burn down T-Square's clubs, but she took calls from Silas and Weaver, and she may stand down now that she has no more support."

After Cindy left the room, Teresa looked over at me with reverence and said "It did work, Commander. They didn't say anything publicly, but they called off the dogs." I nodded vigorously in agreement. Then everyone else in the room stood (except Tanya, of course) and applauded me. Just for reaching out, for trying.

Whatever crap the Media and the Leftwing Looneyverse says about 'community Policing', which are their codewords for defunding the Police, the Sheriff and I had done real 'community Policing', and it had worked...

Part 27 - Attack and Reprisal

Saturday, September 19th. The Wildcats had an away game at Western State, and it was one of those early games, meaning an 11:00am local time kickoff. Laura did not have any desire to watch the game with me and the boys, so she and Paulina decided to take Tasha and Carole to the playground behind Eastside Elementary and walk the path around the playground while Carole and Tasha played on the swingsets and the 'gym set' that was there.

I was surprised that Carole wanted to go with her mom and Tasha instead of watching the Wildcats game, but she said "I should go with them, Daddy, and watch over Tasha." I told her to have fun... and after they left I called Headquarters and suggested that a Uniform Patrol loitering around Eastside Elementary would be a good idea. Call me 'paranoid'...