Donald Trump Could Be Charged With Inciting A Riot, Here What Police Are Considering As Arrest Petition Picks Up Steam
Donald Trump could be facing charges for inciting a riot in North Carolina due to the uproar that followed his rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Mar. 9. According to Raw Story, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s office’s problem stems from Donald Trump’s statements at the rally, which may have inspired the riot.
For those who missed it, Donald Trump was at the center of controversy quite a bit last week due to riots and violence at his rallies. By now, most Americans have probably heard about the violence that erupted at Donald Trump’s rally in Chicago, where Democratic supporters caused a highly publicized uproar.
In fact, the risk of violence was so heightened, local officials shut the rally down as a safety precaution. But, the incident that may lead to charges for inciting a riot focuses on the violent actions of a Trump supporter, following the GOP front-runner’s statement about treating protesters roughly.
Report: NC investigators consider inciting-a-riot charges against @realDonaldTrump stemming from Fayetteville rally https://t.co/Twj3sz5KUg
— The News & Observer (@newsobserver) March 14, 2016
During the Fayetteville rally, Donald Trump reportedly urged his supporters to be more active when protesters cause disturbances. To coincide with his highly controversial maxim, he reminded his supporters of “the good old days” when protesters were silenced with the use of physical force. He also indicated that our nation has become “very weak” since those types of tactics are now condemned.
“Can’t we have a little more action than this?” when protesters were causing disturbances, according to Raw Story. “See, in the good old days this didn’t use to happen, because they used to treat them very rough,” Trump said. “We’ve become very weak.”
Then, to make matters worse, one of Donald Trump’s supporters took the rally as an opportunity to reprimand protesters with the use of physical force. According to the Fayetteville Observer, John Franklin McGraw, 78, was charged with misdemeanor assault, communicating threats and disorderly conduct after punching an African-American protester and threatening to kill him.
Now, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office lawyer, Ronnie Mitchell, has released a statement about the possible charges being considered and how Trump’s actions coincide with inciting a riot.
“We are looking at the totality of these circumstances, including any additional charges against Mr. McGraw, including the potential of whether there was conduct on the part of Mr. Trump or the Trump campaign which rose to the level of inciting a riot,” Sheriff’s Office lawyer Ronnie Mitchell told The Fayetteville Observer.
In October of 2015, Donald Trump held a rally in Miami, Florida, and the same sentiments that raise concerns about his role in the latest riots appear to be relevant. “See the first group, I was nice. Oh, take your time. The second group, I was pretty nice,” Trump said, according to the Washington Post. “The third group, I’ll be a little more violent. And the fourth group, I’ll say get the he** out of here!”
Then, in November 2015, he made another comment along the same lines and expressed desires to punch a protester last month. With all of the statements encouraging the use of physical force, the Cumberland Sheriff’s Office reportedly believes Donald Trump can be linked to McGraw’s charges based on the accusation of inciting a riot.
Cumberland Co, NC sheriff is indeed looking into whether he can charge Donald Trump with inciting a riot — pic.twitter.com/dMjE7SyYtk
— Steven Portnoy (@stevenportnoy) March 14, 2016
The questionable statements that are seemingly relevant to inciting a riot also follow a string of speculative reports about the meaning of Donald Trump’s famous slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Many Americans wonder if his statement is a cryptic attempt to support the practices previously in place when minorities were oppressed due to the rise of white civility during the Civil Rights era, a time when law enforcement regularly incorporated the use of physical force to silence and detour protesters.
The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office’s riot investigation is still incomplete. So, it is unclear whether Donald Trump will face charges for inciting a riot. However, the uproar hasn’t stopped in Fayetteville. In addition to the sheriff office’s investigation, there is also a petition online and many Americans are also asking the White House arrest Donald Trump for inciting a riot, according to Occupy Democrat.
Based on the series of events that have occurred at Donald Trump’s rallies, do you think he should be charged with inciting a riot? Share your thoughts.
[Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
