Organizers, witnesses say police blew them off after releasing a man who brought out an assault-style gun after confrontation with demonstrators at the 50501 Movement event
That beeping sound you hear is City Hall and the police chief backpedaling on the poor performance by police officers at the rally. I'm really disappointed in our leadership. Self defense? Want to protect yourself from potential harm? Get back in your truck and drive away. Don't go get an assault rifle and start intimidating people.
Ken, I think your concern is understandable, but let’s not confuse disappointment in the outcome with disappointment in the police response. Those are two very different assessments.
If you’re looking to assign blame, it’s worth asking: Where does this really start? The issues here begin far upstream of the officers on the scene. The event organizers clearly anticipated the potential for agitators—why else have designated safety marshals? Yet they didn’t secure a permit or arrange the necessary insurance, and apparently did not communicate enough to ensure a proactive police presence. That’s not just poor planning—it’s negligence.
If corners are cut in the planning phase, we shouldn't be surprised when problems surface in execution.
Expecting officers to arrive and sort through conflicting accounts in a chaotic, emotionally charged moment—without complete information and with competing narratives being shouted at them—is asking them to clean up someone else’s mess. And still, that’s precisely what they did. They secured the scene, eliminated the immediate threat, and began gathering evidence.
What you call “backpedaling” is actually the sound of a responsible process—of facts being collected, video being reviewed, and a complete investigation being pursued. That takes time. Rushing to judgment before the totality of circumstances is known would be reckless.
The only timeline that matters after safety is secured is the one that leads to the truth.
Let’s also not forget that the more emotion involved, the more care we must take to separate perception from evidence. That’s not disrespect—it’s due process. The LPD has collected over 75 video clips and is actively seeking additional testimony. That is precisely what a serious investigative agency should be doing.
I respect the passion people have about this issue. Fear in the community is real. But placing blame on the police is not only unfair—it’s counterproductive. We should demand accountability from everyone involved, including those who organized the rally without adequate foresight or infrastructure.
At the end of the day, if you grab the lion’s tail, you should expect to deal with the consequences—but it shouldn’t be the officers cleaning up the mess that take the bite.
"Yet they didn’t secure a permit or arrange the necessary insurance, and apparently did not communicate enough to ensure a proactive police presence. That’s not just poor planning—it’s negligence."
No, public protests don't necessarily require permits, insurance or additional communication - we all have the right to speak out on public property, like on sidewalks, whether or not the city blesses you with a permit.
The tell is that LPD only committed to collecting evidence after they let the gun bearer go - after arresting the man who arguably protected protesters and their rights to assemble in peace, and blowing off people who demanded more scrutiny of the facts. That they're doing so now is a clear backpedal, and it's what they should have done from go instead of scoffing at organizers. "Cleaning up others' messes" is the responsibility of police and other first responders, and they have a duty to protect all of our rights (not just the 2A freaks).
James and Jessica appear to live on W 300 S, Lafayette. Why take a Saturday afternoon drive through downtown Lafayette with a megaphone, a gun and "trump loving music" playing?
Exactly. I'd be interested to know how frequently they come downtown? From my experience, most "county" folk think downtown is a crime ridden cesspool.
Why don't the police slap him with disorderly conduct and call it a day? Because they identified with him and his concerns, not the protesters.
There's nothing fraught about this scenario. A guy posted that he wanted to freak out some libs and then personally drove to the protest, got out of his vehicle to pick a fight, and waved a gun at them as he had in mind. He could have stayed in his (very clean) truck with his blinkers on and waited for the people to cross the street. He could have minded his own business, not smacked a phone out of anyone's hand and not have grabbed his rifle (with the sights backwards) to further escalate a conflict of his own creation. It's telling that the police are more concerned with his individual rights to self-protection - and now, for their own reputation - than for the safety of a crowd of 500+ people agitating for the legal protection and recognition of their rights.
Nothing sounds more 'Merican than a shoot-out on State Street... the dancing around the line and reality for LPD would be comical.if it wasn't so scary.
-Fringe Democrats - gave fringe MAGA people a reason to react
-Law Enforcement - Grossly Underprepared
-Protest Changed Nothing & left leaning people are disappointed and still left with rage
Unsolved Question:
What happened to the guy who marked vandalized a sticker or something on the MAGA person's truck (bottom right corner of rear window)?
Biggest "What Ifs?" What if his gun accidentally discharged and hurt/killed someone or discharged and caused a panic/stampede or if someone saw him with gun and chose to neutralize him because they determined MAGA man was a public threat?
On the incident at the Tippecanoe Courthouse protest, I have some questions.
Why did an organization who was denied a permit because they could not get insurance decide to hold it at the county courthouse anyway? Was that a violation of a county ordinance?
When did 50501 Movement become the sponsor of the event? I thought it was sponsored by Greater Lafayette Indivisible in conjunction with the National Indivisible Hands Off day. Were they also a sponsor? Do they have insurance?
Who are the officers of the 50501 Movement?
Is 50501 Movement local or just a subsidiary of GLI?
Did 50501 train the Safety Marshals? I know that National Indivisible offers some form of training. What training did the Safety Marshalls’ get and by what organization?
Who cares? I went there to protest the actions of the current government, and I'll do it again for my own reasons, regardless of who organizes it and whether they have insurance. You should join us and help to take back our country.
This is the problem with America. The basic idea of citizens getting together outside to show they have a common message they want to talk about is covered in as much red tape as possible. Everything is, they had us all too scared to do anything. Why do you care who the officers are? The organizer of the one this weekend is a food truck. No one cares about the rules anymore, cause there apparently aren't any.
That beeping sound you hear is City Hall and the police chief backpedaling on the poor performance by police officers at the rally. I'm really disappointed in our leadership. Self defense? Want to protect yourself from potential harm? Get back in your truck and drive away. Don't go get an assault rifle and start intimidating people.
Ken, I think your concern is understandable, but let’s not confuse disappointment in the outcome with disappointment in the police response. Those are two very different assessments.
If you’re looking to assign blame, it’s worth asking: Where does this really start? The issues here begin far upstream of the officers on the scene. The event organizers clearly anticipated the potential for agitators—why else have designated safety marshals? Yet they didn’t secure a permit or arrange the necessary insurance, and apparently did not communicate enough to ensure a proactive police presence. That’s not just poor planning—it’s negligence.
If corners are cut in the planning phase, we shouldn't be surprised when problems surface in execution.
Expecting officers to arrive and sort through conflicting accounts in a chaotic, emotionally charged moment—without complete information and with competing narratives being shouted at them—is asking them to clean up someone else’s mess. And still, that’s precisely what they did. They secured the scene, eliminated the immediate threat, and began gathering evidence.
What you call “backpedaling” is actually the sound of a responsible process—of facts being collected, video being reviewed, and a complete investigation being pursued. That takes time. Rushing to judgment before the totality of circumstances is known would be reckless.
The only timeline that matters after safety is secured is the one that leads to the truth.
Let’s also not forget that the more emotion involved, the more care we must take to separate perception from evidence. That’s not disrespect—it’s due process. The LPD has collected over 75 video clips and is actively seeking additional testimony. That is precisely what a serious investigative agency should be doing.
I respect the passion people have about this issue. Fear in the community is real. But placing blame on the police is not only unfair—it’s counterproductive. We should demand accountability from everyone involved, including those who organized the rally without adequate foresight or infrastructure.
At the end of the day, if you grab the lion’s tail, you should expect to deal with the consequences—but it shouldn’t be the officers cleaning up the mess that take the bite.
"Yet they didn’t secure a permit or arrange the necessary insurance, and apparently did not communicate enough to ensure a proactive police presence. That’s not just poor planning—it’s negligence."
No, public protests don't necessarily require permits, insurance or additional communication - we all have the right to speak out on public property, like on sidewalks, whether or not the city blesses you with a permit.
The tell is that LPD only committed to collecting evidence after they let the gun bearer go - after arresting the man who arguably protected protesters and their rights to assemble in peace, and blowing off people who demanded more scrutiny of the facts. That they're doing so now is a clear backpedal, and it's what they should have done from go instead of scoffing at organizers. "Cleaning up others' messes" is the responsibility of police and other first responders, and they have a duty to protect all of our rights (not just the 2A freaks).
Some additional history on local permitting and public protest (also by Dave): https://www.jconline.com/story/opinion/columnists/dave-bangert/2017/08/07/rallies-face-new-rules-tippecanoe-county-courthouse/535298001/
James and Jessica appear to live on W 300 S, Lafayette. Why take a Saturday afternoon drive through downtown Lafayette with a megaphone, a gun and "trump loving music" playing?
Exactly. I'd be interested to know how frequently they come downtown? From my experience, most "county" folk think downtown is a crime ridden cesspool.
Why don't the police slap him with disorderly conduct and call it a day? Because they identified with him and his concerns, not the protesters.
There's nothing fraught about this scenario. A guy posted that he wanted to freak out some libs and then personally drove to the protest, got out of his vehicle to pick a fight, and waved a gun at them as he had in mind. He could have stayed in his (very clean) truck with his blinkers on and waited for the people to cross the street. He could have minded his own business, not smacked a phone out of anyone's hand and not have grabbed his rifle (with the sights backwards) to further escalate a conflict of his own creation. It's telling that the police are more concerned with his individual rights to self-protection - and now, for their own reputation - than for the safety of a crowd of 500+ people agitating for the legal protection and recognition of their rights.
Nothing sounds more 'Merican than a shoot-out on State Street... the dancing around the line and reality for LPD would be comical.if it wasn't so scary.
In summary:
-Fringe MAGA people - looking for trouble
-Fringe Democrats - gave fringe MAGA people a reason to react
-Law Enforcement - Grossly Underprepared
-Protest Changed Nothing & left leaning people are disappointed and still left with rage
Unsolved Question:
What happened to the guy who marked vandalized a sticker or something on the MAGA person's truck (bottom right corner of rear window)?
Biggest "What Ifs?" What if his gun accidentally discharged and hurt/killed someone or discharged and caused a panic/stampede or if someone saw him with gun and chose to neutralize him because they determined MAGA man was a public threat?
On the incident at the Tippecanoe Courthouse protest, I have some questions.
Why did an organization who was denied a permit because they could not get insurance decide to hold it at the county courthouse anyway? Was that a violation of a county ordinance?
When did 50501 Movement become the sponsor of the event? I thought it was sponsored by Greater Lafayette Indivisible in conjunction with the National Indivisible Hands Off day. Were they also a sponsor? Do they have insurance?
Who are the officers of the 50501 Movement?
Is 50501 Movement local or just a subsidiary of GLI?
Did 50501 train the Safety Marshals? I know that National Indivisible offers some form of training. What training did the Safety Marshalls’ get and by what organization?
Who cares? I went there to protest the actions of the current government, and I'll do it again for my own reasons, regardless of who organizes it and whether they have insurance. You should join us and help to take back our country.
This is the problem with America. The basic idea of citizens getting together outside to show they have a common message they want to talk about is covered in as much red tape as possible. Everything is, they had us all too scared to do anything. Why do you care who the officers are? The organizer of the one this weekend is a food truck. No one cares about the rules anymore, cause there apparently aren't any.