If they can't gas people, they're not coming

More than 100 United States police agencies are withdrawing from agreements to send personnel to bolster security at next month's Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in part because they are concerned about a recent directive ordering police in the city to stop using tear gas to control crowds.

[...]

The original plan was to have 1,000 officers on hand from outside agencies to assist with security.

  alJazeera

Number one: Why in hell are the Democrats having a convention during a pandemic? That should be left to Republicans.*

And, number two: This is totally outrageous. The need to use chemical weapons against our own citizens is beyond fascist. Hell, just hire some off-duty Chicago police to beat the shit out of people like they did in the old days of Democratic conventions.

The convention, scheduled for August 17 to August 20 at the Wisconsin Center in downtown Milwaukee, has been scaled down to a mostly virtual event, with only about 300 people expected to attend in person.

And they think they're going to need 1,000 officers to control them????

Despite the event's smaller scale, police are preparing for potentially large protests in and around the venue.

I guess they ARE.

Fond du Lac, Wisconsin Police Chief William Lamb told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper that the agreements were collapsing, saying he expects other agencies in the state to also withdraw.

[...]

Lamb sent a letter to Milwaukee police on July 6 outlining his organisation's concerns about limiting the use of tear gas and pepper spray.

[...]

The police chief of Waukesha, Wisconsin said he was consulting with the city attorney's office on how to withdraw from the agreement, which had promised about two dozen Waukesha officers.

[...]

Lamb chairs the Wisconsin Police Executive Group, which is made up of police chiefs from cities with populations of more than 20,000 people.

And they are a disgrace to the idea of policing to protect and to serve.

The Madison Police Department notified Milwaukee early this month that "an accelerating COVID-19 pandemic coupled with ongoing protests in Madison" had strained its resources, making it impossible to commit resources to the convention, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

Maybe.

Madison originally committed to providing 100 officers to Milwaukee for what was to have been a 10-day convention before it got shortened and postponed until August.

It should be cancelled. WTF?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

*