Welcome to Philly?!

As I wrote in these pages recently, we can expect for a variety of reasons serious state violence in Philadelphia at the RNC protests.

Little did I know that John Street, the African-American mayor of Philadelphia, would virtually guarantee the accuracy of my speculations. Street recently told George magazine:

"I have strong feelings about First Amendment stuff," Street tells his cabinet, "but we've got some idiots coming here. Some will come, say whatever little obnoxious thing they want to say, and go home, but some will be coming here to disrupt, to make a spectacle out of what's going on. They're going to get a very ugly response.

Disruption from "idiots," some of whom will only say "whatever little obnoxious thing[s] they want to say, and go home," will be met by "a very ugly response." The threat of State violence couldn't be clearer, nor could it be less justified. Disruption isn't illegal. The RNC convention will be disruptive to Philly residents, most of whom couldn't care less about the quadriennial convocation of Republican whores and their corporate pimps.

What's notable about Street's comments is the depth of fascist, totalitarian sensibility which they reveal. Clearly what the Mayor means by "strong feelings about First Amendment stuff" is that he's strongly opposed to the freedom of speech, and he plans to do all within his considerable power to make life painful for those who strongly support it.

Why else would he be so hostile to "idiots" who seek nothing more, by their own admission, than redress of their grievances? Street's hostility, to what the vast majority of Americans take for granted as essential to democracy, betrays a callous, totalitarian antipathy toward ordinary folks that will trickle down to the rank-and-file of Philly law enforcement. His callous stupidity will make their jobs harder, will increase the likelihood of serious injury, and will expose ordinary Americans to State violence almost certainly exceeding that in Seattle.

Mayor Street is stupid, venal and authoritarian. Others will pay for his sins.