Democrat Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas was caught on camera ordering Portsmouth City police officers to stand down and allow Black Lives Matter demonstrators to deface and partially destroy a Confederate monument standing in the city, an effort that directly led to a portion of the statue toppling onto a man’s head, leaving him in critical condition.
Shielding her face from view in Antifa style garb, Senator Lucas, who was on the scene, instructed the crowd forming around her to “call the press” before insisting that because the statue stands on city property, police officers – who are employed by the city in part to protect city property – are not permitted to intervene.
“This is city property! I’m Louise Lucas! They cannot arrest them because the city owns this property, they been paying for that! Come July 1 they can take it down anyway. These police officers cannot arrest them for standing on city property, so I’m gonna stand right here and see what’s gonna happen.”
When prompted by crowd members to show her face to the police officers, Senator Lucas obliged and informed them that they are to stand down and let the mob run its course.
“This is city property and [Mayor] John Rowe knows it, [City Manager] Dr. Patton knows it. And if they’d have listened to the Vice Mayor and Shannon Glover when they introduced [removing] this [statue] thing to the City Council in the first place they could’ve put a tarp over this thing and all of this would’ve been resolved it wouldn’t even have been necessary. So if the city had done what they were supposed to do these citizens wouldn’t have to do it. So there you go!”
“Go ahead wreck it!” Senator Lucas then instructed the crowd.
Additional source:
I understand this is public property and it is absolutely criminal that this vandalism and destruction is allowed to occur. The perpetrators should face criminal charges. Why destroy representation of our history. I also believe that the persons in charge who have allowed this should also face criminal charges to the highest extent of the law.
Good call by the Demonrat Senator.