First Responders Vehicles Vandalized By Protesters
by Alex Lloyd Gross
UPDATE : several vehicles were damaged a different shopping centers in the Northeast Philadelphia/Lower Bucks County region. The most recent was today June 14 2020 at the Wal-Mart Bensalem store. At the Philadelphia Mills location, a first responded was accosted by a white male wearing a BLM shirt who made remarked about the police and the vehicle they were driving. The incidents are sporadic, not happening all at once. While they could be acts of random vandalism , ( except the Phila Mills incident) no other vehicles were touched. This happened several times over the past week. that, is indicative of a pattern.
. There are many people that peacefully protest . Others, a small faction of that group or those who claim ties to the group will cause trouble, or cause trouble in the groups name. The victims requested anonymity which is why no photos or names have been released. Original story is below.
Black Lives Matter protests across the country have taken some twisted turns.Most have been peaceful. A fringe group has taken a more violent and destructive path to protesting. They were directed at police for their tactics that resulted in black males being shot and killed by police. They then morphed into demands that statues come down and slave reparations be doled out. In some parts of the country, armed marauders have taken over city streets and are charging white people to come in to their self described “cop Free Zone”, or what ever they want to call it. All of it is illegal. Now, some misguided individuals are targeting first responders.
First responders are front lines responders who run with a fire company, including firefighters, fire police and EMT’s . Their personal vehicles have been vandalized. By this fringe group. This happens when they are inside supermarkets or other stores. The vandals scope out vehicles that have blight bars, dash lights, or other insignia , such as stickers, or license plates. They then vandalize the vehicles and run away,. Several vehicles have been targeted in recent days. 
The ironic thing is first responders help people. If the vandals house was on fire , that first responder could get a notification of the fire while shopping. . They leave WAL-Mart, only to find their vehicle damaged. They drive a fire truck. Since they could not get to the firehouse becuase of the damage done to their vehicle , the engine does not get out and the vandal’s house burned down. First responders help people without regard to the color of their skin or religious affiliation. Should the vandal be caught in the act , most first responders will hold the individual by any means necessary . Because the vandal targeted the first responder, there is a chance they could face increased charges. Even if they are a juvenile.
Police in Bensalem have been notified . They are looking at security camera footage from where one of the incidents took place. Protests have run the gamut from shutting down an expressway, to burning buildings. Now this. The damaging of innocent people’s property is not the answer to stopping the problems that are the reason for the property being damaged. Most first responders outside of Philadelphia are volunteers. That means they do not get paid. As of Sunday, at least three different incidents have been reported. No other cars in the parking lot have been touched.