Washington D.C.

Black Lives Matter Protesters Harass D.C. Diners at Mexican Restaurant, Demand They Raise Fists

Black Lives Matter protesters in Washington, DC, on Monday harassed diners seated on the patio of a Mexican restaurant and allegedly demanded they raise their fists, according to videos posted on social media. A video showed one black female protester who entered the patio space of Mezcalero Cocina Mexicana on 14th Street NW and confronted a young white couple. A video posted by RawsMedia on Twitter captioned: “Protesters says people who don’t raise there fist is a white supremacist.” The protester can be heard screaming at the couple, “Is that why you don’t want to do it?” Two other diners are seen with their fists raised. Cowbells and shouting can also be heard, as the crowd heckled the couple. One protester yelled, “White supremacy!” at the couple. A staff member at the restaurant confirmed on Tuesday that about 200 protesters came to their restaurant on 14th Street the day before. The incident was a part of a protest in D.C. in support of Jacob Blake, a black man in Wisconsin who scuffled with police before he was seen reaching into his car and then fired upon by police. He is reportedly in stable condition. The shooting, however, has fueled already ongoing protests around the country by BLM and other associated groups. Protesters in recent weeks have been increasingly targeting restaurant-goers, who now with COVID-19 restrictions, are sitting on patios accessible from the sidewalk. Over the weekend, BLM protesters targeted Washington diners in other parts of Northwest DC, with one case leading to a physical confrontation. Metropolitan police arrived shortly after the confrontation, and followed the protesters as they moved on to other restaurants. Protesters also targeted diners in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the Republican National Convention is being held this week.

What a bunch of uncivil losers and thugs..  To see the video of this, click on the text above.   These diners had every right to a peaceful dinner that they paid for.  Just imagine if this had happened to you.  They should have called their waiter or owner of the restaurant and asked them to intervene.  And, if they didn’t, they should have called the police and filed charges against these losers…and asked for a refund for the dinner from the restaurant.  Hopefully the police there have seen this video and are taking action.  God forbid this sorta things happens to you, stand up and don’t take this crap.  We all need to push back against this mob mentality and not just take it.  We shouldn’t have to be assaulted each time there is some (usually perfectly justified) police shooting some place, and BLM, Antifa, and other domestic terrorists use it as an excuse to attack everyone else.  Oh, and shame on those gutless other patrons who raised their fists just so they wouldn’t get yelled at by that obnoxious female and her mob.  I’m so over this crap..

Utah National Guard confirms they were kicked out of DC hotel, mayor claims budget issue

The Utah National Guard confirmed Friday that 200 service members are being kicked out of hotels in the nation’s capital as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser clashes with President Trump over the handling of the George Floyd protests in the city. Bowser, who wants all non-D.C. troops out of the city, blamed the National Guard relocation on a budget issue and said the city will not pay for the accommodations — amid days of protests over racial injustice, some of which have been violent. “Last night, we were informed that our service members would be relocated from their hotel rooms,” the Utah National Guard said in a statement Friday. Maj. Jaime Thomas told Fox News they identified another hotel and will relocate Friday. “It has been heartbreaking for our Utah National Guard service members to witness the pain, suffering, and frustration in our communities across the nation,” the National Guard added. “The Utah National Guard has been supporting civil authorities with our top priority of protecting lives as well as preserving property and critical infrastructure in our nation’s capital.” The District of Columbia’s National Guard said it is working to resolve the matter after hundreds of soldiers had been staying at a Marriott hotel near downtown Washington since being activated on Monday. On Friday, Bowser said the removals were over a budget issue, saying D.C. residents would not cover the hotel bills. “This is overbilling,” she said. Pressed on the matter, the mayor said they did not “evict anybody from a private hotel” but said the city will not pay for National Guard housing. She said they have no desire to see soldiers on the street but said the armory or the home state of the National Guard should pay for their arrangements. “If they are going to use rooms we reserved, they have to pay for them,” she said. “At no time did we intend or would we would be able to effect evicting any guardsman from any hotel,” Bowser added. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah – who broke the news Thursday about the removals “Fox News @ Night” – has slammed Bowser as an “ungrateful mayor” over the situation. Bowser said Friday she hasn’t had a chance to talk to Lee. In a new statement Friday afternoon, Lee said: “Evicting Utah National Guard personnel from their hotels after a late-night shift risking their lives to protect Washington is a shameful, petty, discrediting decision by Mayor Bowser.” Lee, who has worked in all three branches of the federal government, said on Fox News he’s “never seen a situation like this.” “I find this very strange,” Lee said. “They [the soldiers] came here at the request of their country and now, in the middle of it, in the middle of a deployment, in the middle of their fourth consecutive all-nighter, they’re being told they’re not welcome there. That is unpatriotic; that is unacceptable.” The senator explained these young soldiers – with 10 hours notice – left their homes to protect the White House and other properties. He said many soldiers work overnight and will have to collect their belongings at 10 a.m. and find another place to stay. President Trump slammed Bowser over the issue on Friday. He tweeted: “The incompetent Mayor of Washington, D.C., @MayorBowser, who’s budget is totally out of control and is constantly coming back to us for “handouts”, is now fighting with the National Guard, who saved her from great embarrassment over the last number of nights. If she doesn’t treat these men and women well, then we’ll bring in a different group of men and women!” Heavily armed federal officers in tactical gear have been on the district’s streets for days, after demonstrators set fires, broke store windows and stole items from the shelves and left police officers injured. The Trump administration has made an effort to show the use of force in Washington. Hours before a 7 p.m. curfew on Tuesday, cars were being stopped at military checkpoints downtown, and a cavalry of armored military vehicles could be seen driving through the district. Bowser said the administration had floated the idea of taking over the Metropolitan Police Department, a proposal she strongly rejected. She threatened to take legal action if the federal government attempted to do so. Trump announced from the White House on Monday that if “a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”

Wow..  Absolutely stunning..   Mayor Bowser (D) is a disgusting, petty, ungrateful, bitch….and that’s being nice.  Shame on her for putting these poor Utah Guard troops through all of this.   As an update, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have secured hotel alternative accommodations in Washington, D.C. for these fine Guard troops from Utah and South Carolina.  So, we’re happy to report they’ll be ok.  That being said..  This Mayor needs to be called out for her politically-motivated stunt.  Billing issue, my ass.  She spent today renaming a street across from the White House to “Black Lives Matter” Blvd.  Yeah..no joke.  So, somehow she found the funding, and had a sign made up and everything…because that fit her political agenda.  BUT, taking care of heroes who left their families on a moment’s notice, and flew from their home state to protect the White House, monuments, and have been washing profane graffiti …were kicked to the curb because she doesn’t like the military.  What a nauseating piece of you-know-what.  Kudos to Sens. Lee and Graham for stepping up and making those Guard members are being taken care of.

D.C. Circuit lets stand concealed-carry ruling, cheering gun-rights activists

In a win for gun rights advocates, a federal appeals court on Thursday decided to let stand a ruling that found it is unconstitutional to require firearms owners prove a “good reason” in order to be permitted to carry a concealed handgun in the nation’s capital. The D.C. government had petitioned for the full D.C. Circuit to rehear the case en banc, but the court declined to revisit the 2-1 decision handed down earlier this year, noting that none of the 10 judges who considered the matter requested a vote on it. The decision leaves in place the D.C. Circuit’s prior ruling, which found that the city’s “good reason” requirement was unconstitutional. It also sets up the potential for the Supreme Court to take up the case, as the decision creates a split with other federal circuits that have found discretionary permitting schemes elsewhere are legal. “Sometimes the most important thing a court does is not do anything,” said Adam Winkler, a University of California at Los Angeles law professor who has written extensively on the Second Amendment. “Because of what the D.C. Circuit didn’t do today, the Supreme Court is now far more likely to take a concealed carry case.” D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine said he was disappointed in Thursday’s decision, but it was not immediately apparent if his office would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. “As we review options for next steps in consultation with the mayor, the council and the Metropolitan Police Department, our primary concern will be ensuring public safety through reasonable gun laws,” Mr. Racine said. But the circuit split created by the D.C. ruling is the type of scenario gun rights activists have salivated over for years, with the hope that the Supreme Court would take up a case on concealed carry rights and rule to expand Second Amendment protections. Four other federal appeals courts have ruled in favor of similar restrictions elsewhere. The city’s law had required gun owners to prove they have a “good reason to fear injury” or another “proper reason,” such as a job that requires carrying large amounts of cash or valuables, in order to get a concealed carry permit. Under the city’s law, living in a high-crime neighborhood was not reason enough to justify approval of a concealed carry permit. Second Amendment advocates who brought the lawsuit said the city’s law was so restrictive that most law-abiding citizens would be unable to obtain permits. As of June, the Metropolitan Police Department reported having granted just 125 concealed carry permits. The city’s strict concealed carry laws have remained in effect while the D.C. Circuit was considering whether to rehear the case, so the ruling marks the first time the “good reason” requirements will be cast aside.

It’s about time!  Glad to see the D.C. Circuit slap the fascist, Democrat, D.C. city government’s unconstitutional “good reason” requirement down.  Outstanding!!    🙂

Judge blocks D.C. from enforcing ‘good reason’ requirement for concealed carry permits

In a strike against the District’s strict firearms laws, a federal judge has blocked the city’s police chief from requiring gun owners to prove they have a “good reason” to obtain a concealed carry permit. Tuesday’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon revives the battle over gun rights in the nation’s capital by temporarily banning enforcement of a key portion of the city’s “may issue” laws, which have kept the number of concealed carry permits to a minimum. “Because the right to bear arms includes the right to carry firearms for self-defense both in and outside the home, I find that the District’s ‘good reason’ requirement likely places an unconstitutional burden on this right,” Judge Leon wrote in a 46-page opinion that granted a preliminary injunction while the case plays out in court. The lawsuit is at least the second to challenge concealed carry laws adopted by the District to comply with a federal judge’s 2014 ruling that overturned the city’s long-standing ban on the carrying of firearms in public. Some states have sought to restrict concealed carry permits more than others. In Missouri, lawmakers last week approved a sweeping expansion that allows people to carry guns without obtaining permits. Meanwhile, federal appeals courts have upheld restrictive “good reason” requirements similar to the District’s in New Jersey, New York and Maryland. A decision is pending from the full 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a “good reason” challenge in California. The case in which Judge Leon issued his ruling Tuesday was brought last year by D.C. resident Matthew Grace

Excellent ruling…however temporary it may end up being. 🙂

Federal Appeals court strikes down parts of D.C. gun registration requirements

A federal appeals court has struck down as unconstitutional some of the District’s handgun registration laws, including requirements that gun owners re-register firearms every three years and are limited to registering only one pistol per month. Among the provisions that the appeals court struck down Friday was a requirement that registrants bring their firearms with them to MPD headquarters to be inspected and registered by police noting that the District had offered no “substantial evidence” that the requirement enhances public safety. Also overturned were provisions that gun owners are limited to registering only one pistol per month. The case follows a lawsuit filed by Dick Anthony Heller that led the Supreme Court in 2008 to overturn the District’s 32-year ban on virtually all handgun ownership. After the city adopted gun laws to comply with the Supreme Court ruling, Mr. Heller again sued the District over the laws. The District argued that by limiting the number of guns that could be registered, the city would crack down on illegal firearms trafficking by limiting the number of guns in circulation. Judge Ginsburg said that the District failed to provide evidence to that end, writing that the “conclusion that limiting gun registrations would likewise reduce trafficking is the suggestion that a gun trafficker would bring fewer guns into the District because he could not register more than one per month there lacks the support of experience and of common sense.” The court did uphold other parts of the law, including the requirement that gun owners be fingerprinted and photographed. The practice “will directly and materially advance public safety by preventing at least some ineligible individuals from obtaining weapons and, more important, by facilitating identification of the owner of a registered firearm during any subsequent encounter with the police.”

Outstanding ruling! And, its VERY fair! So, kudos once again to Mr. Heller for taking on D.C.’s fascist mayor and chief of police (who are pissed! lol) in the courtroom. Every law abiding gun owner in D.C. should thank Mr. Heller for taking them on, and wining in the courtroom. Excellent!! 🙂

Federal Judge’s ruling allows concealed-carry for D.C. gun owners, shoots down police objections

A federal judge on Thursday rejected a short-term stay of a decision that blocked the District from enforcing a key provision of its restrictive concealed-carry laws — prompting the city to move to issue carry permits to the gun owners who had sued after being denied permits. However, U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. left open the possibility the District could obtain a stay pending appeal of his previous ruling, which called the city’s requirement that gun owners demonstrate a “good reason” to obtain a permit unconstitutional. He set a hearing on the matter for July 7. In the meantime, the ruling means the Metropolitan Police Department may end up issuing concealed-carry permits to applicants who previously were denied because they could not demonstrate they faced a specific threat of injury or harm. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said the only applicants who will see the immediate effects of the ruling are those who are party to the lawsuit. “Those that are part of the lawsuit can be issued the permits,” the chief said. The three gun owners who brought the case against the city received phone calls from MPD on Thursday advising them to come to the department’s Firearms Registration Section for approval of their concealed carry permits, said Alan Gottlieb, vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, which backed the lawsuit. “It’s our understanding now that they’ve at least called our plaintiffs and said come get your permits,” Mr. Gottlieb said. For others seeking concealed-carry permits, the end result isn’t as clear. To comply with the ruling, Chief Lanier said the department would not deny any permit applications based on the “good reason” requirement. For applications that are pending, the chief said MPD would not yet issue permits. She said the department is working with the D.C. Office of the Attorney General to interpret how to comply with the ruling in those cases while the judge mulls over the city’s request to stay pending an appeal. Mr. Gottlieb said officials have told at least one pending applicant that the department would take extra time to review his application, based on Judge Scullin’s May 18 ruling. In a letter to the applicant, police Sgt. Colin Hall of the firearms section wrote that although the department already had taken the allowed 90 days to review the permit application, it would “invoke the additional 90 day period” allowed under D.C. law to process the application. D.C. lawmakers drafted the concealed-carry laws last year to comply with a July ruling by Judge Scullin that overturned the District’s long-standing ban on carrying of firearms in public. The legislation created a process by which D.C. residents and non-residents could apply for concealed-carry permits by showing proof that they need to carry a weapon for self-defense. Chief Lanier was given the authority to decide who meets the criteria.

Chief Lanier, being the nazi that she is, is doing everything she can to deny the good citizens of Washington, D.C. their 2nd Amendment rights to “keep and bear arms.”…and is fighting tooth and nail. But, we’re seeing the courts just slapping her, and the city’s attorney general, around like red-headed step-children in decision after decision. One would think they’d start to get the message. Oh well.. Apparently not. Anyway, glad to see Judge Scullin not buying Chief Lanier’s nonsense. It’s not perfect. But, we’ll take it! 🙂

Federal judge halts D.C.’s ‘good reason’ concealed carry requirement

A federal judge on Monday put on hold the District’s requirement that gun owners demonstrate a “good reason” in order to receive a concealed carry permit — saying the licensing scheme deprives citizens of their Second Amendment rights. U.S. District Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. granted a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought by three gun owners that seeks to overturn the new D.C. firearms law on the grounds that the regulations are so strict that they make it impossible to exercise their right to bear arms. In the 23-page opinion, the judge wrote that the District’s “good reason” requirement goes far beyond reasonable concealed carry restrictions, that the gun owners are likely to win the case and that the city cannot enforce the law in the meantime. “For all intents and purposes, this requirement makes it impossible for the overwhelming majority of law-abiding citizens to obtain licenses to carry handguns in public for self-defense, thereby depriving them of their Second Amendment right to bear arms,” Judge Scullin wrote. D.C. lawmakers drafted the concealed carry laws last year to comply with a ruling by Judge Scullin that overturned the District’s long-standing ban on the carrying of firearms in public. The legislation created a process by which D.C. residents and nonresidents could apply for concealed carry permits by showing proof that they needed to carry a weapon for self-defense. D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier was given the authority to decide who met the criteria. After being denied concealed carry permits by Chief Lanier this year, D.C. residents Brian Wrenn and Joshua Akery, and Tyler Whidby, a Florida resident who maintains a residence in Virginia, filed suit. All three men applied for permits but were unable to demonstrate “a special need for self-protection distinguishable from the general community” or to provide evidence showing that they have been subject to “specific threats or previous attacks,” according to the lawsuit. The judge said it was appropriate for the District to impose some restrictions on the carrying of guns in public, but granted the injunction on this provision noting that the plaintiffs likely would succeed in their claim that the city’s requirement to provide a “good reason” was a violation of the Second Amendment. “The issue here is not whether the District of Columbia’s ‘good reason’/’proper reason’ requirement is a reasonable or wise policy choice. Rather, the issue is whether this requirement, no matter how well intended, violates the Second Amendment,” Judge Scullin wrote. The preliminary injunction leaves in place other concealed carry permit requirements, including the completion of firearms training and restrictions on where concealed weapons can be carried. The lawsuit is not challenging those restrictions.

Yes!! Excellent decision by Judge Scullin!! 🙂

Washington, D.C. gives up on ban on carrying guns in public

Washington, D.C., will drop its appeal of a federal court ruling that overturned the city’s ban on carrying handguns in public, Attorney General Karl Racine announced Wednesday. City attorneys will instead focus on defending concealed-carry laws adopted by legislators in the months after U.S. District Court Judge Frederick J. Scullin Jr. declared the ban was unconstitutional. “We need to focus our energies not on litigating old laws, but defending new ones that our leaders enacted in good faith to comply with court rulings while still protecting public safety,” Mr. Racine said. Up until Judge Scullin’s ruling in July, D.C. residents could only legally posses registered firearms in their homes. The Palmer v. District of Columbia ruling led lawmakers to approve a permitting scheme that would allow gun owners to apply for concealed carry licenses. But gun owners have criticized the permitting scheme as too restrictive, citing the fact that the Metropolitan Police Department requires proof of a “good reason” why a gun owner would need to carry a firearm for protection. The Attorney General’s office is already defending two challenges to the permitting scheme in court. Plaintiffs in the Palmer case have asked Judge Scullin to review the city’s concealed carry permitting scheme to determine whether it complies with his order. Meanwhile, gun owners who were denied concealed carry licenses have also filed a lawsuit challenging the city’s rules on the matter.

Glad to see the good folks in D.C. aren’t taking that fascist crap. And, so far, seems like the courts are on their side…knock on wood.

Federal judge considers contempt charge against D.C. over gun laws

A federal judge is weighing a request to hold the District in contempt of court for enacting new gun laws that are so restrictive as to be out of compliance with his order to allow for firearms to be carried publicly in the city.

Hopefully this judge WILL find the City of Washington, D.C. in contempt.  The notion that the applicant has to “demonstrate a special need for self-protection” is outrageous and is inherently unconstitutional.  The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution specifies that ALL Americans have the right to “keep and bear arms.”  PERIOD.  It does not say that an American citizen has to “demonstrate a special need for self-protection.”  These anti-gun Nazis are trying desperately to undermine the ruling that allows for D.C. residents to secure conceal carry permits, and in the process are clearly in contempt of this judge’s ruling.  Again, hopefully he’ll find these fascists in contempt.