Previously, Ed wrote about the police shooting of Walter Wallace, Jr. of Philadelphia after he allegedly rushed at officers while bearing a knife. That led to the inevitable marches by BLM supporters that quickly devolved into violence, looting and arson. The Philadelphia Police were out in force trying to keep a lid on the violence, but things quickly spiraled out of control. Later in the evening, however, the rioters got a bit of vehicular assistance from someone in a large, black pickup truck who decided to deliberately crash through a line of police officers, striking at least two of them and sending one to the hospital. Order has yet to be restored to the streets. (NY Post)

At least one police officer was run over by a truck in Philadelphia as protesters stormed the streets Monday night in response to a fatal police shooting earlier in the day.

The officer who was struck can be seen in footage on social media as a black truck swerves into a group of officers lined across the street to protect against oncoming demonstrators, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

The condition of the officer was not immediately clear.

As has become the norm in these riots, someone was on hand with a cellphone camera running at the moment the truck ran down the police officers. The usual cautions about disturbing content apply.

https://twitter.com/shanermurph/status/1320952219487842305

The “peaceful protests” were inevitable at that point. But as we’ve seen in virtually every one of these riots, many of the people who showed up likely had no interest in “justice for Walter Wallace.” They were there to loot whatever they could and engage in mayhem. Again, people were able to film the looting as it was taking place.

https://twitter.com/shanermurph/status/1320950807274098689

In this next video from the same Twitter user, unlike some previous riots, the police eventually moved into some of the stores and began apprehending the looters.

https://twitter.com/shanermurph/status/1320958818151522304

This is yet another of the same sort of chain of events we’ve seen too many times. The Philadelphia Police were wearing body cameras as required and the sequence of events doesn’t seem to be terribly ambiguous. Wallace is seen with a knife, attempting to approach the police. His own friends and family attempt to stop him, but he rushes the cops anyway. How anyone is honestly surprised that they shot him at that point is unknown. If you rush the cops with a knife you’re very likely going to experience a very bad outcome.

But the response from the public was even more sadly predictable. First, there was marching and chanting, which is fine, if perhaps not all that justified in this case. But it quickly devolved into the usual rioting we’ve seen all too often. First, there were fires set in dumpsters and then police cars were set on fire. As the violence spiraled out of control, many of the “peaceful protesters” began looting stores, hauling away everything that wasn’t nailed down.

How does destroying your own neighborhood and ransacking the businesses that provide jobs there constitute any sort of “justice” for Walter Wallace, even if you believe the police weren’t justified in shooting him? It doesn’t. It’s just more insanity in the streets, endangering the lives and livelihoods of everyone who lives there. This has to be brought under control and I’m afraid the only answer is a stronger response from the municipal government and law enforcement. As long as these opportunists and anarchists rightfully believe that they can get away with this mass violence without facing repercussions for their actions, they will keep on doing it.