Boston Police Commissioner Praises “99.9 Percent” Of Protesters; Donald Trump Says Protest Helps “Heal”
Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said “99.9 percent” of the estimated 40,000 anti-racist protesters “were here for the right reasons” and that “overall it was a good day for the city.”
Evans confirmed the number of arrests at 27 (later updated to 33), noting that most of the arrests were for disorderly conduct, with a few assaults against police officers. He characterized the mischief as “a lot of pushing and shoving,” and confirmed that some bottles of urine were thrown at police, and that confrontations occurred as police escorted some of the right-wing Free Speech Rally attendees through the larger crowd. “And sometimes that’s not pretty,” he said.
Said Evans, “99.9 percent of the people were here for the right reason and that’s to fight hate and bigotry,” and that “40,000 people [were] out here standing tall against hatred and bigotry in our city and that’s a good feeling.” Boston Mayor Marty Walsh characterized the event as “a very successful day” for the city and police.
According to the commissioner, “no one got hurt, no one got killed, and there was no significant property damage.”
The characterization of the day’s events countered an earlier tweet by President Donald Trump, who decried “many anti-police agitators.”
During the press conference held by Evans and Walsh, Trump tweeted an update on the day, applauding “the many protestors in Boston who are speaking against bigotry and hate. Our country will soon come together as one!”
Just prior to that tweet, Trump reiterated a point from his controversial post-Charlottesville speech by noting that division is nothing new. “Our country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal, & we will heal, & be stronger than ever before!”
That tweet had quickly repealed and replaced a similar, soon deleted tweet misspelling the word “heal.” So for the historical record:
Here are the president’s subsequent tweets:
Our great country has been divided for decades. Sometimes you need protest in order to heal, & we will heal, & be stronger than ever before!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2017
I want to applaud the many protestors in Boston who are speaking out against bigotry and hate. Our country will soon come together as one!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 19, 2017
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