That whole thing just stressed me out. So much stuff could have gone wrong. You have no idea how scary it is to have to control a crowd that hates you and everything you represent. I don't know the details but rest assured that those officers were told by somebody higher up than them to disperse that crowd.
Maybe they didn't get the permit to gather. Maybe they were blocking traffic. Maybe they were on private property. Either way, those cops had to go in there and maintain some sort of order in a hostile situation. They did a good job, too. I bet if those same people went to city hall and got a permit to protest at the appropriate date and time, those exact same cops would be protecting them while they protested. They would have directed traffic, got rid of any disorderly element, or did anything else they could do to assist. It's not an easy job.
You have the right to carry a gun but you have to get a permit. You have the right to free assembly but you have to do it without putting somebody else at risk. And in the end, what was accomplished?
