When the six of the nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court decided to collectively roll back (and set up language for further rollbacks) civil liberties for half of the country at once by overturning Roe v. Wade on June 24, protests erupted across the country. Many of these protests have have been met with violence at the hands of the over-armed on-duty police and tactical teams such as the LAPD. Another such instance included an off-duty cop in Rhode Island by the name of Jeann Lugo. He was seen attacking an opposing candidate for state Senate, Jennifer Rourke.
If you’re wondering what happened right before this clip, a longer version posted by Bill Bartholomew shows Liberty Quahog Media journalist, and member of local far-right group Rhode Island Freedom Fighters, Josh Mello being told to leave. After a verbal back and forth, Mello agrees to at least move to the outside of the crowd, and both Rourke and another woman motion to clear a path. When Mello reaches the top of the steps, a random person in a green tracksuit attacks him. In pulling them apart, Lugo is seen attacking, striking Rourke across her face.
In a call with The Providence Journal later that night, Lugo stated, “I’m not going to deny. It was very chaotic, so I can’t really tell you right now. Everything happened very fast.” He accused Rourke of attacking him first, and Rourke denied this. She told the AP, “I’m disappointed he chose to use violence in this way. As a police officer, he’s trained to deescalate. He did not do what he was trained to do.”
According to The Hill, within 24 hours of the assault, Lugo said he was suspending his campaign, and then, later, his social media accounts appeared to be deleted.
The police response and his connections with far-right groups
Later that night, Lugo and three others were arrested in connection with that protest. According to the Fall River Reporter, after Lugo turned himself in, the Justice of the Peace released Lugo on personal recognizance (basically a bond that is based on your word), and he’s set to appear in court on July 8. This was conspicuously generous, considering police and pro-police groups fight against limiting the cash bail system (the alternative). Opening an internal investigation, the Providence Police Department (PPD) said it placed him on leave with pay. In a surprising turn of events, a letter signed by the police chief just a few days later called for the termination of his employment with the department.
The Providence Journal found that part of his campaign involved going to at least one meeting of another local anti-government group called Citizens Organized to Restore Rights (C.O.R.R.). This group rallies against covid-19 safety precautions such as masking in school, any form of gun safety legislation, and any questions about the detrimental policy of qualified immunity. In addition to saying “woke” a bunch and vaguely nodding to “thrusting” identities onto school kids, Lugo applauded this group for their work.
“Seeing you guys, seeing other groups go out [to] the State House, getting in front of people’s faces, it’s bringing a lot of hope.”
(via TikTok, featured image: screenshot via WPRI-12)
—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—
Published: Jun 30, 2022 12:01 pm