A police officer, identified as Sgt. Jeff Rothecker in St. Paul, Minnesota, is under investigation for a Facebook post he made on Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday which suggest drivers encountering Black Lives Matter protestors on January 15 shouldn’t “slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street” and that they would be able to get away with hitting them in court.
Rothecker says you should tell the cops you justified hitting the protestors “because you feared for your life since in the past people in this group has [sic] shown a propensity for violence.”
The post was published under the name “JM Roth,” but was discovered to be by Rothecker by Andrew Henderson, a local resident who frequently films the police to hold them accountable for their actions.
“If you hit someone make sure you call 911 to report the accident and meet the cops a block or two away,” the instruction states, adding that fear of violence from the demonstrators would be a good reason to stop farther away from them.
“Since they are trying to block the street and/or cross where there is no crossing you should not be charged with anything. Now, these idiots could try and sue you in civil court, but remember that it will be jury trial and so most likely it will come out in your favor,” the post suggested. — RT.com
St. Paul mayor Chris Coleman and the SPPD have condemned the comments, the latter of which has placed him on administrative leave for further investigation.
