The above video—of a Trump supporter cold-cocking a protester, then the cops knocking said protester to the ground instead of arresting the cold-cocker—has circulated pretty widely on the Internet this morning.
Ronnie C. Rouse, a man who shot one of the videos, was with Jones at the rally.
“We’re definitely anti-Trump,” Rouse told The Post.
Rouse said as soon as Trump’s speech began, someone in the crowd singled out him and his friends, screaming, “You need to get the f— out of there!” Rouse said that his group had not said anything and that the comment was unprovoked. But he said they were almost immediately surrounded by eight Cumberland County sheriff officers, who escorted them out. On the way up the stairs, the attack came.
Rouse, a 32-year-old musician, said he didn’t see the punch but saw the aftermath — his friend “slammed” by officers to the ground and handcuffed. Noting that someone in the crowd shouted, “Go home n—–s,” he said he was taken aback.
As it turns out, the INDY’s circulation director, Brenna Berry-Stewart, was also at that rally. She shot this video.
Here’s her account of what transpired:
The man in the hat and orange shirt was sitting in my row, several seats to my right. I was on the aisle. When the handful of protesters started up, across the aisle and a couple of rows down, the man jumped over me, went to the row where the protesters were, and pushed his way over several people in an attempt to remove the protesters himself. As you can see in the footage, he was told he had to leave. He and the protesters left. What happened next was more interesting. The deputy sheriff, bald, says to the crowd around him, “Anyone need some seats?” He was clearly being a bit of a smartass.
Protestors were dealt with swiftly. Small groups of deputy sheriffs would charge up into the stands, demanding the protesters go. As long as you were compliant, the deputies would just walk behind you and escort you out. However, if you argued, they would try and take you by the arm, hoping you would get the hint. Sadly, the worst confrontation happened directly behind me. A group of deputies physically took one man down and cuffed him in front of me. I don’t know what happened prior, but I saw the deputy grab the man with both hands, pushing him to the aisle. The man then pushed the deputy away. The deputy responded by putting the man into a headlock. The protester went down to the ground with the help of other deputies. He didn’t resist being cuffed.
At least Trump didn’t ask them to salute.
