FBI fires agents who, to de-escalate the situation, knelt at protest after George Floyd's death: Sources

[essentialsaltes]

The FBI has fired a group of agents who kneeled during a civil rights-related protest in Washington, D.C., in the wake of George Floyd's death in 2020, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.

At least some of them were reassigned earlier this year, but now as many as 20 agents have been fired, the sources added.

One source familiar with the matter said the agents kneeled during the protest as a de-escalation strategy, after angry protesters -- outnumbering the agents -- urged them to kneel. The source said a previous internal review of the agents' actions found that the kneeling was not meant to be a political statement of solidarity with the protesters.

 

[PloverWing]

Would it have been so bad if the FBI agents had chosen to kneel to show solidarity with the protestors?

In the march in our town in 2020, some police officers walked alongside us to help ensure that everything stayed peaceful and to make sure traffic stopped for us when we crossed streets. When we got to the park that was our end point and had a short ceremony (prayers from local clergy, etc.), the police officers knelt when we did. I took that as a statement from them that they disapproved of Floyd's killing and similar acts of excessive police violence, and I was encouraged that our local officers were making that statement.

 

[Tuur]

Would it have been so bad if the FBI agents had chosen to kneel to show solidarity with the protestors?

On duty? Very much so. It would be like wearing a MAGA cap while on duty. On their own time? As long as they don't advertise they're LEOs, no.

 

[BPPLEE]

On duty? Very much so. It would be like wearing a MAGA cap while on duty. On their own time? As long as they don't advertise they're LEOs, no.

There was a Capital Police Officer who put on a MAGA hat to work his way through the crowd during the January 6th riot and he was demoted and reassigned

 

[ThatRobGuy]

Sounds like they may have not been cut out for the job...

Nobody ever said "Law enforcement is supposed to be an easy risk-free job"

An LEO could de-escalate a bank robbery situation (in the name of saving their own skin) by saying "okay, I'll leave, just take whatever money you want", but that's not what we're paying them to do.

Outside of an official undercover situation, LEOs shouldn't be (quite publicly and visibly) bending to social pressure in front of a crowd. It conveys weakness.

If a person is an LEO, and they're in a dangerous situation where they're outnumbered, the various toys they have on their tool belt are the "de-escalation strategy".

 

[Yarddog]

On duty? Very much so. It would be like wearing a MAGA cap while on duty. On their own time? As long as they don't advertise they're LEOs, no.

Why some police officers stood with protesters outraged over George Floyd's death

Police officers in some cities joined up with protesters demonstrating against police brutality and racism.

abcnews.go.com

 

[Yarddog]

Why some police officers stood with protesters outraged over George Floyd's death

Police officers in some cities joined up with protesters demonstrating against police brutality and racism.

abcnews.go.com

Dallas police march in 'Blue for Black Lives Matter' demonstration

Several hundred police and protesters — about a quarter of them uniformed officers — marched from Dallas Police Department headquarters to City Hall and back

www.police1.com

 

[Yarddog]

Police officers kneel in solidarity with protesters in several U.S. cities

Officers in other cities also knelt in solidarity — including in New York, where a demonstrator hugged an officer after he took a knee.

www.cbsnews.com