Here is more detail:
RADFORD — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump got lots of support from people dissatisfied with current government leadership Monday, but he was also interrupted at least seven times by protesters unhappy with what they said was a message of hate.
The biggest disruption during the Trump event at Radford University’s Dedmon Center came from a group of a few dozen, mostly black Radford students chanting “No more hate! No more hate! Let’s be equal, let’s be great!” That group’s protest then touched off an incident between a photographer and a Secret Service agent.
The group locked hands as they were marched out of the Dedmon Center by security to a flurry of boos and cursing.
The group had students from the Black Student Alliance, Latino Student Alliance and the Muslim Student Association, said Omawali “Omar” Murray, the president of the Muslim student group and a participant in the rally.
The inspiration for the group was simple: Have minority students heard above the fiery voice of Trump, said Geoffrey Preudhomme, a Radford student dressed in an all-black suit for the event.
“He’s the biggest face of modern American racism,” Preudhomme said. “Silence is consent. We could not be silent with this coming to our campus.”
He said the group had been planning the event in the days after they got tickets to protest.
Then, as the group, was removed from the building, a Secret Service agent grabbed photographer Chris Morris by the neck and slammed him to the ground after he appeared to bump the agent.
Morris, who was working for TIME magazine, told The Roanoke Times that he put one foot outside of an assigned media area to get a better angle for photos of the protesters.
At that point the secret service agent touched his neck, Morris said.
Morris said he responded by saying “don’t f—ing touch me,” and attempted to brush his hand away.
The agent slammed him to the ground by the throat and the two scuffled briefly before he was escorted out of the building.
The incident was caught on video and in photos that had hit the Internet minutes after it happened.
TIME released a statement saying the news magazine contacted the Secret Service about the incident, expressing concern.
“We are relieved that Chris is feeling OK, and we expect him to be back at work soon,” the statement quoted a TIME spokesperson saying.
By 4 p.m., the video from the event was viral and Secret Service was trending on Twitter across the country.
The Secret Service released a statement saying that the Roanoke field office of the agency was investigating and had no further details to provide Monday afternoon.
These Trump rallies are toxin. Normal human beings simply shouldn’t be acting like this. Watching the video, it is like a free-for-all to start with.
This is what happens when leaders set the tone by bullying and belittling others. The mutual respect isn’t there. That’s why these events end up like they do. Can it just be over–soon!!!
A federal agent violently striking members of the press during a political rally- looks like 1939. Germany.
That sure didn’t look very good, did it?
I think that’s just what it has come to. That is what has me so alarmed. Everything about Trump reminds of Nazi behavior–starting with the bullying, the dehumanizing, propaganda, attempts to “make America Great” again, (like what’s wrong with it now). The thuggery and the appeal to the lowest common denominator is very much like Nazi Germany historically. These are very serious times.
Man, the Secret Service doesn’t mess around. That guy got off pretty easy after he tried to kick the agent while on the ground and then reached for his neck when he got up.
Maybe you should be asking why he was on the ground in the first place? Is this acceptable behavior out of someone representing your government?
Hate to defend Trump, but this wasn’t private security. This was the Secret Service. They don’t act on the orders of the campaign. They operate under agency protocols. The same thing could have happened at any of the various campaign’s events.
I think this reflects poorly on the Secret Service, which has had a series of embarrassing events in recent years. It’s not a reflection of the Trump campaign, which is perfectly capable of embarrassing itself without the help of a deteriorating Secret Service.
I am not blaming Trump directly for what happened. I am saying he sets a tone that creates the idea knocking people to the ground is ok. I agree that it reflects poorly on the secret service.
My Nazi feeling is not new. Its been around as long as I have been watching Trump the politician. There are just certain similarities, including the Trump crowds.
The same thing could have happened at any political event, but would it have? I looked at several videos of this event. It was a crazed atmosphere with BLM all acting like a-holes in the background. The reason I looked at so many videos is because most of the really good ones didn’t have a way to embed on the blog. I had to kiss a lot of toads to get one to work last night.
How many Secret Service heads is it going to take to clean out the riff raff? That agency has been under a cloud for several decades. I would guess there is probably just a little too much testosterone.
It seems that every Trump event someone is threatened, someone ends up on the ground, or Trump barks to “get em out of here.”
A few things…
* The video doesn’t show the entire story. It starts out right at the point the confrontation started so I would agree with you in wondering why he was on the ground in the first place. The photographer says he stepped over a point he wasn’t supposed to in order to get a better picture. That is one side of the story, what is the other? What happened before that? Do you know?
* Who exactly are you talking about when you reference “someone representing your government”. Are you talking about the Secret Service agent or are you taking about Trump? Trump did not direct the Secret Service agent to take the guy down so your question is a little confusing.
* You may have mistaken me for a Trump supporter. I have stated many times here that I do not support Trump and believe that if it comes down to Trump and Clinton it will be the worst two choices for President in my life time.
Also, can we please for the love of God quit the Hitler/Nazi comparisons. I thought that we had done away with that a long time ago, it is highly offensive and inappropriate.
Trump isn’t representing my government….yet. Shudder
I looked at many different videos before selecting this one. Part of the problem is that the video isn’t “official.” No one got the very beginning because who starts filming before there is action.
I am not sure that a man with a camera should be on the ground in the first place. I believe he said F-Y to the secret service agent. That really isn’t a reason to get beaten up. (I have wanted to before but that doesn’t make it acceptable)
You sound like you support Trump. You know the old adage, if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck.
No. I won’t stop saying Trump reminds me of Nazis. He does. It’s my blog and if you are offended, I am not keeping you here. Why should I not express my feelings just to accommodate you? Do I come to YOUR house and tell you how to behave? Maybe you need to watch some old pre-war footage and review some of the propaganda techniques used. Then you would understand the likeness.
@MoonHowler
I agree with you that this guy probably should not have ended up on the ground. However, lets not forget that he is a complete moron. When a Secret Service agent attempts to stop you from going somewhere they don’t think you belong the last thing you should do is tell him “don’t f—ing touch me”.
Then while on the ground try to kick him and then get up and go for his neck. Like I said, this guy got off pretty easy considering his actions after being taken down. Should he have been taken down? That is the question I suppose…
I still do not know exactly who you’re taking about when you asked “Is this acceptable behavior out of someone representing your government?”. Are you talking about the Secret Service agent?
I don’t support Trump but I think that it is a stretch to attribute this to him in any way. This was the Secret Service and like Steve mentioned, they have been pretty good at embarrassing themselves over the past few years. Remember when drunk Secret Service agents crashed into a barrier outside of the White House? What that because of Obama? No, it was because of the Secret Service.
@MoonHowler
I found another account of the incident… apparently the photographer was trying to get pictures and had wondered outside of the press pen. The Secret Service agent asked him to get back inside the pen at which point the photographer yelled “Fuck you. Fuck you.” and then continued to leave the press pen. That is when the agent grabbed him at which point he yelled “don’t fucking touch me” and then the agent took him down.
The more I read about this the more this looks like the photographer is a jackass and appears to have been deliberately provoking the agent.
So now reporters are kept in pens? Holy Buddha.
I have seen about 10 videos of the same incident. What I saw was clearly poor deportment on the part of the Secret Service agent. Look, if it has been behavior around the president, fine. Take them down. That wasn’t the case. It was protestors he was photographing.
I am not questioning whether the photographer was a jackass or not. He can be one if he wants. If you represent the govt, you really aren’t supposed to be. A higher standard is called for.
@MoonHowler
“So now reporters are kept in pens? Holy Buddha.”
This is nothing new. If the campaign is paying for the venue, they have the right to dictate who has what access. And its “Sweet Buddha”, unless of course you are a Buddhist.
“I am not questioning whether the photographer was a jackass or not. He can be one if he wants. If you represent the govt, you really aren’t supposed to be. A higher standard is called for.”
If your mission is to protect an individual, then you protect the individual. You don’t have the luxury of being wrong. Someone with a press cred is pointing a camera at the subject of your protection, becomes confrontational when challenged, you have to react. The KGB developed a gun in a camera, for targeted assassination…but you had to get close to use it. The Secret Service knows this.
I had a bit of experience with this, when Romney held his event in Old Town, while I was the local GOP chair. Not that I had all that much “inside info” there was a certain amount provided to help us manage the expectations of supporters who were expected to show up. Considering Trump is much, much, much more controversial than Romney ever was, I am guessing that the “threat matrix” the Secret Service is dealing with, is a bit more involved.
Everything I have seen on this issue shows excessive force. He was pointing a camera inside the pen or outside the pen…we are talking a foot step or two. I think the SS agent showed excessive force. Would I be angrier if a private security person had behaved that way….probably not.
Don’t you remember Hillary Clinton doing this last year?
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/hillary-clinton-campaign-uses-rope-corral-media-new-hampshire
You don’t see people getting beaten up at Clinton or Sanders rallies.
@Starryflights
You also don’t see assholes screaming “fuck you!” multiple times in the face of Secret Service agents.
I think that might be the point…the tone isn’t there. When the tone is to mimic, degrade, and act derisively towards individuals or groups, the bad just seems to come out of people.
@Starryflights
Clinton acting like a bully telling a Marine to ‘sit down’ and ‘shut up’: http://wncn.com/2016/02/27/former-president-clinton-tells-marine-vet-to-sit-down-and-shut-up-during-sc-appearance/
What Nazi like behavior, right?
You are serious? Clinton was not being the bully. He tried to answer the man and he was talked over. Did you read the text and watch the video?
The “Marine” was escorted out. He should have been.
You have a low tolerance here.
The “Marine” was a real a-hole. You just don’t behave that way. I doubt if he really was a marine.
@MoonHowler
“SS agent showed excessive force”
SS….Ironic. Perhaps Waffen SS Agent?
I meant secret service but the irony did not escape me.
This is rich. The last candidate I want to defend is Trump, but the intellectual dishonesty being displayed here is kind of forcing the issue. Have you stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, the press is a bit more compliant at a Clinton or Sanders rally?
The fact that Trump pens them and then mocks and insults them can’t be that good for morale.
If you cross a security line set by the USSS, you can expect to have your ass set upon fast and with force. The identity of the assigned protectee doesn’t matter. Nor does yours — since they cannot be sure who you are or if you really are who you may appear to be.
“Assume nothing” — the go-to words for a protective detail.
I found the entire episode to be appalling. I don’t directly blame Trump. I feel his behavior and tone lead to acceptance of that behavior.
I have been in some fairly high security situations, where your ass would be knocked to the ground because of the dignitaries. I thought this was just out of line.
Would any of you take your kids or grandkids to a Trump rally? I wouldn’t.
In this day and age, I imagine that Trump has received a whole lot of anonymous death threats. Don’t mess around with the USSS, even if you claim to be a press photog.
He wasn’t anywhere near Trump. That is the problem. The USSS agents are there to protect the candidates, not to enforce who is being rude, yelling, or stepping out of the pen by a foot or two. The USSS dude over-reacted and once again made his agency look ridiculous.
I wouldn’t take any of my kids or grandkids to a Hillary rally. It could scar their reputations for life.
I guess they will have to get enlightened on their own. It sure isn’t going to happen under your watch.
Enlightened/Indoctrinated… toe-may-toe/toe-mah-toe
Disagree. Not in this age of terrorism and just plain whack jobs. Tough work when you have to protect in this kind of fluid situation. Your perimeter cannot be so close to the protectee that the assassin gets near enough for a shot. It used to drive the agents nuts when Clinton broke their perimeter so often to “work” the rope lines.
That photog apparently thought he was something special, and the agent taught him he was not. As I said, agents must assume nothing.
He was over near the protestors, not the candidate.
Check out what the USSS says about their duty during campaigns. It really is to protect the candidate, not regulate who says what.
My only point is, that the Trump tone creates an atmosphere of chaos and anger. Have you seen the video of the girl being pushed and shoved out? Assault and battery unacceptable and I am assuming illegal in Kentucky..
Disagree. Not in this age of terrorism and just plain whack jobs. Tough work when you have to protect in this kind of fluid situation. Your perimeter cannot be so close to the protectee that the assassin gets near enough for a shot. It used to drive the agents nuts when Clinton broke their perimeter so often to “work” the rope lines.
That photog apparently thought he was something special, and the agent taught him he was not. As I said, agents must assume nothing.
They’re lucky to have me.
My machine is acting up by delaying the posting function for some reason.
The key word in your post is “protesters.” Otherwise described as disrupters and hecklers. Of course, the agents should go sniffing around that part of any crowd. You never know who else might sneak in under the cover of the disturbance. And you want to ensure that they stay a good distance away from the protectee. It’s got nothing to do with what the protesters may be saying. It has to do with the physical safety of the protectee Give the USSS guys a break. That is one helluva difficult job in difficult, sometimes uncontrollable, circumstances. And there is little margin for error.
We apparently will never agree theater own accord. The the behavior of the USSS agent was over the top and he was out of control. I tend to get alarmed when the government starts beating up private citizens. For the record, the students that went out left of their own accord.
Bear in mind, I never said the reporter was not a jackass. Even a jackass doesn’t deserve to be choked.
You and I obviously see govt in different roles. The guy was singled out in a sea of disturbance.
Still disagree. Looks to me like the photog tried to cross the perimeter and, when stopped, dropped an f-bomb on the agent. He singled himself out. Beaten up? Nah. I’ll wager he resisted when moved back over the perimeter and tripped over his own feet.
Check your glasses and then take a new look at the smaller video I just added. It seems to me that you simply want to argue with me. You spent many years defending our freedom from those who would oppress us. Why would you give the thumbs up to tyrannical behavior and mob rule?
I see a person trying to buy an emperorship. If anyone gets in his way he will beat them up or have his followers beat them up. (or the hired hands, or …oh hell…just deport them)