Update: Elderly man has skull fracture; still hospitalized
A 75-year-old man was knocked down by cops during a protest in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday, June 4, 2020. He was in “serious but stable” condition in a local hospital. Read story here. The two cops who knocked him down were suspended without pay while the incident is being investigated, and cheered by colleagues as they left a courthouse. Warning: The video below contains disturbing images and is not suitable for viewing by small children. (Click on cartoon to enlarge.)
Then, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, Trump without evidence called the elderly injured man “an ANTIFA provocateur” and made the startling assertion that he “set up” the police, and numerous Republican senators refused to comment. Read that story here.
Trump apparently is retweeting a bizzare conspiracy theory circulating on rightwing websites (read about that here), something he has done many times before. Either he is very gullible, or he is exploiting these conspiracy theories to solidify his support among his nutty conspiracy-theory loving political base. Throughout his presidency, Trump has geared his policies to appeal to that base, and has made no effort to serve the entire country or broaden his appeal to voters.
Update: The elderly man, Martin Gugino, suffered a fractured skull and can’t walk yet (as of June 16, 2020), according to his lawyer. The police initially reported he “tripped and fell.” Read update here.