Obama to Potential Ferguson Rioters: “Stay on course.” (??!)

Once again, the president seems to be siding with the potential bad guys.  On November 5, the day after the elections, Obama met with Ferguson, Missouri protesters and said he was “concerned” that they “stay on course.” In response, Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit asked the exact questions every American should be asking:

What does that mean?

And why is the president meeting with the violent Mike Brown protesters before a verdict is reached in the court case?

Hoft also pointed out that the Ferguson protesters “have looted over 100 businesses in the St. Louis area.”

A grand jury decision is expected this week and several groups in Ferguson claim there will be peaceful, nonviolent demonstrations.  And yet there’s this, from the New York Times:

At least one group has said on Twitter that it was offering a reward for information on the whereabouts of the officer, Darren Wilson, and, at another point, that it was “restocking on 7.62 & 9mm ammo.” Law enforcement authorities said they would not discuss individual groups, but that they were “constantly looking,” at several groups, according to Brian Schellman of the St. Louis County Police, “trying to separate the rhetoric from the actual threats.”

Meanwhile, potential rioters in a group called Hands Up United have presented 19 “Rules of Engagement” to law officials in Ferguson.  Among their demands are:

Police will wear only the attire minimally required for their safety.  Specialized riot gear will be avoided except as a last resort.

Crowd control equipment such as armored vehicles, rubber bullets, rifles and tear gas will not be used. 

Strategically, police commanders will allow protests to take and occupy larger and more disruptive spaces than would normally be tolerated, and will allow occupation of those spaces for longer periods of time than would normally be tolerated. 

Police will be instructed to be more tolerant of more minor lawbreaking (such as thrown water bottles) when deciding whether to escalate the use of force. 

And Derek Laney from Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, is encouraging protesters to be peaceful but also “militant”:  “We want to disrupt. We want to make the comfortable uncomfortable.”

As a Californian who experienced the LA riots, I encourage all Missourians to stay home the day the verdict is read.  With the president’s directive that Ferguson protesters “stay on course”, along with protester demands that police basically allow them to do whatever they want without resistance, it’s going to be an ugly day in Ferguson.