A video of a Massachusetts cop emerging from McDonalds and being called out for parking in a handicap space has gone viral, as an example of what happens when citizens police the police.
The cop, carrying a sack of burgers and a tray of junk, walks (able bodied) to his cruiser but is interrupted by a man who asks him if he is aware of the parking infraction.
The officer responds by first claiming that the spot isnt a disabled bay, a clear lie, as the video footage verifies, and then saying that he can do whatever he wants.
So you get to park wherever you want? the man asks.
Thats right replies the officer.
As the man pursues the matter, the cop busts out the age old line Do you know who I am?
The law-breaking cop then resorts to intimidation, asking the man for his name and pulling out a notepad, as if hes about to issue a citation or report a crime.
The man stands his ground and tells the cop that he doesnt have to tell him his name or show ID simply for pointing out police wrongdoing.
The video was posted to the Webster Police Facebook page, prompting several pointed responses.
Coverage of the incident prompted the department to initially respond by defending the officer and claiming that the parking space was a regular spot. However, the Facebook post now seems to have disappeared, along with the entire Webster police Facebook page.
The posts were mirrored on Twitter however:
These kinds of videos are increasingly popping up as more law abiding citizens stand up to law breaking cops. Recently, a video showing a cop being pulled over by a citizen for speeding received a huge amount of attention.
It seems that showing cops that they are not above the law is immensely popular.
The new direction at Infowars is welcome. This is classic IW material but presented in a little more mainstream. I think IW will see some growth, could even start to rival WND or TheBlaze with its longtime viewers. IW could finally break through into the second tier of news brands.
They have always carried stories like this and frankly there haven't been any false flag ops lately.
It's the difference in the tone of how they report the news. Their stories have a calmer and more mainstream tone.
A few years back, this same story at IW would be "Uniformed swine shove crippled aside to take handicapped slots at favorite McDonalds pig trough" or something similarly titled.
In the new IW, it just gets reported as straight news in the text but with a "viral video" to support it and the video adds the cop-outrage-of-the-week flavor. Notice that they are in a position to deny any blame or lawsuits as they are just promoting a YouTube video. It's clever. They paid almost nothing for this perfectly serviceable story that has a broad audience for Jonesy types and for the conservatives they are trying to expand to.
These are small but significant differences in tone and style. They're prepared to appeal to a wider audience while holding on to the existing Jonesy audience. It's a delicate balancing act.