'What a clown': Amid claims that state trooper hit anti-ICE protester with cruiser in middle of road, cops bring the receipts



The Tennessee Highway Patrol said Tuesday that social media posts have alleged that one of its troopers hit an individual on a Memphis street with a cruiser. But the THP said the claims are "false."

"Have a look for yourself," the agency said amid its release of a dashcam video of the incident.

'My God, this just keeps getting even more ridiculous.'

The clip — time-stamped Sunday just after 5 p.m. — shows a male dressed in an orange vest and carrying what appears to be a walkie-talkie exiting an SUV parked sideways on a street and approaching the oncoming state trooper's vehicle as anti-ICE protesters mingle in the background.

The male raises his arms and blocks the trooper from advancing on the road — as if he were permitted to do so.

RELATED: Blocking ICE with 'micro-intifada': Good's group taught de-arrest, cop-car chaos before her death

Image source: Tennessee Highway Patrol video screenshot, redacted

What's more, he wags his finger "no" as if he's giving the trooper an order — all while the trooper's cruiser appears to be flashing its lights.

The trooper, as you would expect, is livid and hollers at the male from inside the cruiser: "Move! Get outta my way! Get outta my way! Move! Move! Move! Move! Move! Move! Get out! Come here!"

But the male not only fails to obey the trooper's commands, he actually holds on to the front of the cruiser and drops the rest of his body down.

RELATED: VIDEO: Unhinged anti-ICE extremists hurl profanities at agents in Minneapolis: 'Get the f**k out!'

Image source: Tennessee Highway Patrol video screenshot

Then he pops back up, wags his finger again, and walks back to the SUV.

RELATED: Shocking cellphone video of Minneapolis lethal shooting from ICE agent's perspective released — and JD Vance reacts

Image source: Tennessee Highway Patrol video screenshot

Check out the dashcam video below.

RELATED: 'She was not just ... there to observe': Expert reveals to Glenn Beck Renee Good's radical ties

The THP in response wrote, "We respect and protect the right of people to protest peacefully. That right, however, does not include entering active roadways or placing themselves in danger."

The agency added, "In this case, video clearly shows the individual holding onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, lying down, then standing right back up afterward and leaving the scene under his own power. At no point does the video show the individual being run over or injured, despite the narratives circulating on social media."

The incident occurred during an “ICE Out for Good” protest by Indivisible Memphis, WSMV-TV reported, following the fatal shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis last week.

Blaze News reached out to the THP and inquired if the male who blocked the road has been identified. The license plate on the SUV appears to be from Tennessee, and the plate number is clearly visible in the video. However, the THP on Tuesday didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' inquiry.

But commenters under the THP's Facebook post have been letting their views be known loud and clear; as of Tuesday afternoon, about 1,300 — and counting — comments have rolled in. The following are a few of them.

  • "Why is beetle juice in the middle of the road?" one commenter asked. "What a clown!"
  • "Imagine thinking you have the authority to tell a cop to stop driving," another user noted.
  • "Make batons great again," another commenter quipped.
  • "Why wasn't he arrested?" another user inquired. "Nobody should have the right to try and get in front of a police officer to cause disruption or stop their vehicle or put their hands on their car. The more these fools find out [there] are real consequences, they may slow down the instigating and getting in officer[s'] faces. That's not peaceful protest at that point."
  • "Protest all you want, but once you start blocking traffic, that’s when the problem starts with the police," another commenter said, adding that "some are looking for their 10 minutes of fame ... is it worth it???"
  • "My God, this just keeps getting even more ridiculous," another user observed. "Get out of the road; you can still protest, [but] stop getting in the way of traffic! There could be a medical emergency that somebody is trying to tend to, and you are delaying care which could cost somebody’s life! Stop acting like children! STAY ON THE SIDEWALK!!!"

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The Ron DeSantis/Rebekah Jones Florida Conspiracy EXPOSED Guest: Glenn Beck | Ep 279
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The Ron DeSantis/Rebekah Jones Florida Conspiracy EXPOSED Guest: Glenn Beck | Ep 279

Facebook announces major clampdown on vaccine, coronavirus 'misinformation'



Facebook announced Monday a major clampdown on the spread of what the tech giant considers to be "false claims" about COVID-19 and vaccines.

Moving forward the company will be removing from its platform any misinformation regarding the coronavirus and vaccines, including claims that the virus was manufactured in a lab, that vaccines are not effective at preventing disease, that it's safer to get the disease than the vaccine, and that vaccines, in general, are toxic, dangerous, or cause autism.

"In addition to sharing reliable information, we are expanding our efforts to remove false claims on Facebook and Instagram about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general during the pandemic," the company's head of health, Kang-Xing Jin, said in a newsroom update. "Today, following consultations with leading health organizations, including the WHO, we're expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about COVID-19 and vaccines."

The exhaustive list of of false claims that are now subject to removal are listed on Facebook's Help Center webpage. It broadly includes any content that downplays the severity of COVID-19 or discourages good health practices such as wearing a mask.

"We will begin enforcing this policy immediately, with a particular focus on Pages, groups and accounts that violate these rules, and we'll continue to expand our enforcement over the coming weeks," Facebook's vice president of Integrity, Guy Rosen, wrote. "Groups, Pages and accounts on Facebook and Instagram that repeatedly share these debunked claims may be removed altogether."

Rosen added that the company plans to access to credible information by "promot[ing] relevant, authoritative results" when people search for vaccine or coronavirus-related content on the platform.

He noted that content monitoring regarding the coronavirus pandemic has been going on since December, only now the list of false claims has expanded.

The move does mark a significant departure from past actions, however. As the New York Times reported, in the past, the company has opted to "downrank" misinformation about the coronavirus, or push the content lower in people's news feeds. But now the company is taking action by removing such content altogether.

According to the newsroom update, the new action is in response to a ruling by the company's Oversight Board, which found that its rules and standards for health-related misinformation were "inappropriately vague."

The news comes as Facebook and other major social media companies are under intense scrutiny for their censorship practices. If the new action serves as any indication, it appears that Facebook does not intend to relent from engaging in aggressive content suppression.