Vehicular Homicide Attempt by So-Called Law Enforcement Official Is Clear Violation of First Amendment and Is a Crime

Screen shot of video of CO driving into crowd of people 

The Terrifying Rise of Authoritarianism Crashes into Rhode Island

CW: Vehicular violence

It's Friday morning, less than 24 hours since the event, so I don't think the effects of the occurrence at the Wyatt Detention Center have truly sunk in yet. Let me state it clearly: so-called law enforcement attempted murder against peaceful protestors last night, instilling fear and trampling the Constitution. This is bad, very very bad, on so many levels.

A corrections officer drove his personal vehicle into a crowd of people protesting. They were peaceably assembled, as part of their First Amendment right. They were blocking the entrance to the parking lot, as part of a peaceful act of civil disobedience. Instead of being arrested, as they should have and intended to have been, their very lives were threatened in a violent and reckless act of intimidation by the authorities. This was a deliberate act of violence and a chilling imitation of the Neo-Nazi who murdered activist Heather Heyer as she, too, was peacefully protesting, exactly 2 years and 2 days prior to this event.  Let me repeat that:

Two years after neo-nazis killed a woman by driving a car into a crowd of peaceful protestors, law enforcement officials are doing the same thing. 

If you care about your First Amendment rights, then you should be outraged at this authoritarian tactic of intimidation.

Make no mistake: this was an attempt to shut us up over all the many wrongs we are rightfully outraged about, so it is ESSENTIAL that we all take a stand right now, to say that we WILL NOT be intimidated. We will NOT TOLERATE the authorities attempting to threaten us into staying quiet, and staying home.

We have come together frequently throughout the recent years. We've been to protests and demonstrations regarding immigration rights, abortion access, gun safety, climate change, Neo-Nazis, homophobia, and countless other human rights violations perpetrated by this administration and the people who support and uphold the hate espoused by this administration.

Last night's actions were an attempt to silence us—the growing movement of activists, advocates & organizers, impassioned to uphold the ideals of democracy as we rightfully fear them slipping away. DO NOT let this act stop us, as it was intended to do, both last night and into the future.

Instead, let's make sure it emboldens and motivates even more of us, to say NEVER AGAIN IS REALY REALLY REALLY NOW and *we will not tolerate it.*

Read full coverage of the event at Uprise RI: https://upriseri.com/2019-08-15-wyatt-01/

National coverage:
https://www.newsweek.com/ice-guard-allegedly-drove-pickup-truck-group-peaceful-protesters-he-ran-us-over-1454442

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/15/video-ice-protesters-hit-truck-guard-rhode-island-wyatt/