October 20, 2020

USA: Stepson Of Ex-Democratic State Lawmaker Charged With Assaulting A Police Officer And Planning Sophisticated Attacks Against Police. 118 Seattle Police Officers Left Dept In Mass Exodus.

written by Jason Rantz
Monday October 19, 2020

The stepson of a former Democratic state lawmaker is charged with assaulting a police officer and planning sophisticated attacks against police.

The video of the assault, which showed an officer hit in the helmet with a bat, went viral after a night of intense, escalating violence against police officers.

Jacob Greenberg, 19, is in King County jail on charges of assault in the first degree, attempted arson in the first degree, and reckless burning in the first degree (a charge from an earlier case). Note: Charging documents misspell his last name as “Greenburg.”

His alleged accomplice has been identified as Danielle McMillan. She has been charged with attempted arson and has a criminal history including assault in the fourth degree and reckless driving. Several other suspects have not yet been publicly identified.

Greenberg is the stepson of former Democrat representative Laura Ruderman of Kirkland. Last month, the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH first reported Greenberg was the suspect in the assault. She used her position as a state lawmaker to convince a judge to lower the bail on the previous charge and release him to her custody.

“He is basically a good kid, straight ‘A’ student,” Ruderman said. “I’ve served the state in the legislature we will make sure he follows all the provision.”

If even a small portion of the allegations against Greenberg are true, he’s not a “good kid” at all.
Charging documents allege Greenberg and McMillan “spent their time this fall plotting various assaults and fire bombings on police officers.”

The conversations between the two showed “a high degree of sophistication and planning for their attacks, identifying targets (Seattle Police Officer’s Guild, East Precinct), itemizing the needs for set numbers of Molotov cocktails, calculating expected loss for failed bombs, and where to obtain supplies.”

Greenberg and McMillan allegedly discussed “Molotov cocktail tattoos to memorialize their attacks,” while “sharing news articles of their criminal activities with pride.” Specifically, they said they were “proud of Greenberg” for his assault against the police officer.

They even communicated ways to “destroy evidence of their attack plans.” They obviously failed at that.

Sept. 1: Molotov cocktails

On the night of Sept. 1, a group of nearly 100 black bloc agitators met at Cal Anderson Park across the street from the East Precinct. The park has long been used as a staging ground for violent assaults against police targets.

Earlier that day, Greenberg texted a friend identified as “Mariel,” who allegedly texted, “I want to get some stuff going tonight. Like some real , ya know?”

Mariel then discussed “what’s needed for the cocktails” and Greenberg replied, “Gas, mid sized bottle, wicc, rag.”

After a short march, the agitators arrived at the East Precinct, many committing acts of vandalism. Greenberg, McMillan, and a third suspect huddled behind an umbrella — a common tactic to shield illegal behavior from surveillance cameras. Moments later, probable cause documents say McMillan lit the wick of a Molotov cocktail, then launched it at the precinct. It didn’t explode.

Then, Greenberg was seen throwing a Molotov cocktail, striking the East Precinct, which was occupied by officers at the time. Both Greenberg and McMillan are associated with other suspects accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the precinct.

Police say the “group had clearly orchestrated the obscuring of security cameras, and the shielding of the criminal actors as they prepared their Molotov cocktails for throwing.”

Afterwards, Greenberg texted Mariel again. She talked about her failed Molotov cocktail attack. But Greenberg was an understanding friend, texting, “I think we were both nervous as and so yea but next time you’ll get it.”

They then discussed recruiting people “who are willing to do stuff like us,” with Greenberg threatening action at the Seattle Police Officers Guild. “I say we make SPOG a bit toasty like we did to ep tonight” (“ep” presumably stands for East Precinct).

Sept. 11 and 23: Bat to the head Greenberg, wearing the same outfit and carrying the same backpack as he did on Sept. 1, allegedly participated in other demonstrations on Sept. 11 and 23, according to video surveillance.

While he didn’t commit any illegal acts on Sept. 11, he’s accused of participating in a riot on Sept. 23.

A group of nearly 300 agitators, mostly dressed in black bloc, marched through Capitol Hill and downtown, smashing windows along the way. Officers dispersed the crowd and followed them back to Cal Anderson Park, where the agitators regrouped before marching again.

While officers were making arrests, an unknown suspect grabbed an officer’s SPD-issued bicycle, causing the officer to crash to the ground. As he was getting up, Greenberg allegedly came from behind with an aluminum baseball bat and, “with the full swing of a baseball bat, struck the back” of the officer’s head.

According to police documents, the “force of the strike was powerful enough that [Greenberg’s] follow-through from the strike … appeared to throw [him] off balance and caused him to stumble to the ground …”

Sept. 26: Fire

There was another agitator gathering on Sept. 26 that led to yet another riot outside the East Precinct.

About 100, dressed in black bloc, created a barricade of dumpsters and other materials. They were set on fire outside of the precinct.

Greenberg is accused of helping set some of the fires. He was arrested that night.

The physical evidence

Using video surveillance, detectives were able to connect Greenberg to the other criminal demonstrations.

Among the items seized were distinct pants, a full face respirator mask with white round filters, a Nikon camera, a black balaclava, branded gloves, and other items that detectives say tie him to the earlier alleged actions.

A search warrant was executed on Sept. 27 at his parent’s home, where he lives. Former State Rep. Ruderman was present.

Investigators recovered two bats, including one aluminum bat. They suspect it was the same one used to assault the police officer. Two days later, a detective obtained a warrant to search Greenberg’s car. They found a helmet they allege tie the suspect to the Sept. 1 and 11 events.

The text evidence

The detective found a treasure trove of allegedly incriminating text messages to and from Greenberg.

On Sept. 2, the day after he was accused of using Molotov cocktails against the East Precinct, Greenberg texts: “How many Molotovs are you think we should have by Labor Day. Cuz we shouldn’t over use our resources ya dig?”

In another text thread, Greenberg writes, “Oh I was also a part of the youth jail fires. Hell yea dude. That’s awesome. I was the one who Molotov the east precinct and other then that I’ve broken windows for other people …”

Later that night, Greenberg allegedly shared a KOMO news article that shows his assault against the officer. His friend joked about calling 911 on him. He then texted McMillan a link of a video of the officer being assaulted.

“I AM SO PISSED AT THE COPS!!! I WENT OFF ON THEM TONIGHT!,” he texted. He opined, “I’m proud too hehe. Wish he didn’t have a helmet on lol,” and McMillan replied, “Well still a great shot though.” Greenberg agreed.

Greenberg and McMillan discussed destroying evidence of their crime, according to detectives. The texts indicate the two used the texting apps Signal and Telegraph, which allow untraceable chats.

Other “notable quotes” highlighted from the Greenberg texts including, “And can we like pls slit every spd throat,” and “I want the whole damn system to just burn the down!!! Btw I really like fire.”

What’s next

Greenberg has been charged and the King County Prosecutor’s Office recommended bail at $750,000. A judge agreed. They also asked $100,000 for McMillan and a judge agreed there too.

The charges came the same day that they received the investigation from police, but neither have been arraigned yet.

That hearing is scheduled for Oct. 29. He will remain in jail until then, unless he posts bail.

UPDATE: Will U.S. Attorney get involved?

U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran has been more involved in taking over federal cases similar to what’s alleged here. Will he intervene? A spokesperson says they’re monitoring:
We continue to work closely with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on this matter. In deciding whether a case should go federal we consider many things including the available federal vs state charges and the various penalties. The information uncovered in the investigation to date indicates state charges carry significant penalties which are appropriate to the conduct described. For example, there is no federal charge relating to the assault on the officer that carries the same significant penalty as the assault charge under state law. That said, we will continue to work with our King County colleagues if further investigation indicates federal prosecution is warranted.

 👇 CNN glorifying the Communist movement 👇

Northwest.com
written by Jason Rantz
Friday October 16, 2020

At least 118 Seattle police officers separated from the department, the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH has confirmed. In September alone, 39 officers left the force when the typical number for that month is between 5 and 7. Even new recruits are leaving.

There are now only about 1,200 officers in service for the entire city, the lowest it’s been in two decades. And even this number is misleading. Many officers are using their accrued sick time as they begin their escape to other agencies or wait for retirement.

The City of Seattle unveiled this officer separation data on Friday morning.

At the same time, a developing and alarming side note: the Seattle Police Department withheld staffing numbers, ignoring a public disclosure request. Indeed, the SPD claimed a staffing issue was to blame. But that doesn’t appear to be true.

At least 118 officers left the Seattle Police Department

At least 118 officers have separated from the force in 2020, with the bulk leaving after the Seattle City Council embraced radical activists pushing to defund the police. Separations are all-inclusive, including resignations (including lateral-moves to other agencies) and retirements.

While council members either stayed quiet as criminal activists attempted to murder police or defended death threats, officers gave their notice. Some went to other departments, others retired. The downward trend is expected to continue.

The mass exodus of officers started in May with 10 separations, followed by 16 in June, 10 in July, and 14 in August. In September, that number jumped to 39. So far in October, there have been eight separations according to a source, though this is not in the mayor’s report. Police Chief Carmen Best, who resigned this year, is included in the statistics.

Not all of these monthly numbers directly match a partial list of data circulated internally within the SPD or mayor’s office. They have, however, been confirmed by two police sources and match the total number of separations outlined in the mayor’s forthcoming report.

The majority of the resignations and retirements were patrol officers. As a result, service calls will not receive the attention they deserve.

“Your 911 call for help will go unanswered for a significant amount of time,” Seattle Police Officer Guild President Mike Solan told the Jason Rantz Show on KTTH.

Currently, due to low staff, the median priority 1 response times — that is, dangerous, in-progress crimes that demand immediate response — was an astounding nine minutes in the North Precinct from July through September, according to city documents.

Things are worse than they seem

With just about 1,200 officers in service, Seattle is staffed at lower levels than they were in 1990. The population has increased by 44% since then. And crime is surging, with a reportedly 60% year-over-year increase in homicides.

The mayor’s office believes the number of deployable staff could drop to 1,072 officers if the trends and hiring freeze continues, along with the council’s vote to fire 70 officers.

But these numbers don’t tell the whole picture. Sources reveal that many officers are using sick time at higher than normal rates. Many of them are looking for other jobs in different agencies. When they leave, some officers fear the separations could hit 200.

And to put it in perspective: in 2018, when I broke the story of a then-mass exodus of officers, it was called “historically large” by the department. That number was 108 for the entire year. It coincided with the council’s ongoing attacks on police and working without a salary.

SPD was withholding staffing numbers

The Human Resources Department within SPD was not forthcoming with the staffing numbers. Indeed, it seems apparent that they purposefully withheld them.

In July, the Jason Rantz Show put in a public disclosure request for separation data from the previous two months. I make this request every month or so. This time, however, the SPD rejected the request.

The Public Disclosure Team within the SPD told me that “Your request seeks information or asks questions and does not identify specific public records. As such it is not a request for identifiable public records.”

My request for data used the near-exact phrasing submitted many times before. I’ve always received the data. After pushing back, the SPD responded saying they would, finally, send me the data, but I’d have to wait until October 7.

That date came and went, but they didn’t send the data. I followed-up asking why.

“I have reached out to SPD’s HR Department requesting a status update regarding the responsive data. I have not received a response to date,” the analyst said. They also said “This data to date, has not been compiled.”

I assumed this to be false. Thirty-nine officers separated in September and HR doesn’t notice or compile that data for the chief of police? It represents a staffing crisis.

I reached out to SPD and I was told that the Public Disclosure Team is understaffed and just needed more time to submit the information. This didn’t match what the staff analyst relayed to me.

Michael Fields, the Executive Director for Human Resources, did not respond to requests for comment.

The PR push will likely fail because Durkan isn’t a leader

The mayor’s office release of the staff report Friday morning is meant to spotlight the consequences of the council’s reckless action to defund the police. This isn’t just a poorly thought out plan, it’s likely too little, too late.

You’ll notice a media push by Mayor Jenny Durkan and other community voices that understand the significant public safety consequences of such a low staff number. But the decision to release the data on a Friday is baffling.

When you want news to influence decision-makers, you release it on a Monday or Tuesday. Then you let media outlets create momentum with reactions and different angles for the entire week. News usually dies on weekends.
Durkan has lost police support. She deserves to.

Further, Durkan has lost the little support she gained from police officers when she advocated for a new contract. Since then, she’s been mostly silent while cops are dehumanized by activists and even some city council members. She’s been almost completely silent after criminal activists have attempted to murder police.

Do you remember any statements from Durkan after criminal activists used quick-dry cement to seal shut the door to the East Precinct before trying to burn the building down? Did you see a press conference condemning any of the frequent Molotov Cocktail attacks against police? Did you even read a tweet reacting to an Antifa agitator hitting an officer in the head with a bat? If a reporter pushed, they might get a statement from her office condemning the violence. The statement is almost always attributed to a spokesperson. Durkan is hesitant to openly support the police. She’s scared she’ll alienate the activist crowd that poses a direct threat to her re-election.

Durkan may be a politician, but she’s not a very good one. The activist crowd will never back her and will do whatever they can to defeat her, including backing the inept and radical Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (who is a likely mayor contender). Nothing Durkan says or does — or doesn’t say or doesn’t do — will change that.

SPOG President Mike Solan, however, is unafraid to back his members and call out the city council.

“This is fixable if our elected leaders start supporting police, instead of pandering to a large activist crowd that’s dividing us when we need unity,” Solan tells me. “False narratives about good people doing policing, pushed by the defund movement, is making our public safety efforts devolve further.”

Yet, Durkan won’t publicly back cops in a meaningful or consistent way. She seems content lazily fighting the council. Durkan has little power to wield, but she does have a bully pulpit she chooses to ignore. When she does use it, she couches everything in carefully chosen social justice buzz words. Sometimes she fights with a power point presentation and a report. Yeah, that’ll change minds.

UPDATE 10/15/20 at 10:15pm In a Thursday evening email to officers, interim chief Adrian Diaz acknowledged this report. He wrote: “I also want to acknowledge the press reporting, which will be more widescale tomorrow, about the extent of the employees separating from the department. As I have said before – I know these are incredibly hard times. I also have said I will do everything I can to keep this department whole. Each of you is needed. More people in this city want you doing your job than don’t. We are pursuing multiple ways to improve your day-to-day experience – I can only ask that you give us time to see if they are successful.”

Posted by Princess Mononoke at 10:03 PM

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