Call it trial by fire; call it intentional PR. Or just call it an unfortunate turn of events, for Mayor Pete (Buttigieg), that is.
One by one, people at the “Justice for South Bend” rally Friday night confronted Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Police Chief Scott Ruszkowski, calling for everything from firing police officers to requiring more training programs for the city’s police force. As the 150 or so demonstrators circled in, the event billed as a march actually spent its first 40 minutes in a tense discussion in front of police headquarters on West Sample Street, featuring shouts, expletives and raw emotions.
The rally was another gathering this week in the wake of Sunday’s shooting of Eric Logan, 54, by Sgt. Ryan O’Neill in the parking lot of the Central High Apartments. While responding to a call for someone breaking into vehicles, O’Neill confronted Logan, who reportedly had a knife. O’Neill shot Logan when he went toward the police officer, officials have said.
Preferring to address his city’s protesting of a black man killed by cops, Buttigieg opted not to attend a South Carolina event held this weekend, meant to place the most visible 2020 Dem contenders in the spotlight, all while cementing the major role of that state’s primary process in crowning the eventual nominee for POTUS.
