Video from Minneapolis shows a man calmly and methodically breaking windows to seed looting

[ehrnst]

Interestingly, this owner of the twitter account is a RW conspiracy theorist, however, the video in this tweet shows a man (revealed later in the video to be a white man) calmly walking up and breaking windows at an Autozone with small tool - wearing gas mask and holding an umbrella, then walking away, clearly not interesting in looting himself, but leaving the Autozone open to looting. The video shows people confronting him and trying to stop him from doing this, and following him as he walks away, and someone yells "are you a fucking cop?" He turns on the person who is recording him.

This has false flag written all over it.

Link to tweet

More video here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100213500655

Edited to add: Minneapolis police state that this is not Jacob Pederson

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/jacob-pederson-auto-zone-cop-not-umbrella-man/

[Faux pas]

1. I think

it's a cop, for sure. Probably a coworker of the murderous 4.

[geardaddy]

2. He was revealed to be a St. Paul cop. n/t

[exboyfil]

8. I don't know if that is confirmed

It sure should be investigated and that guy questioned (by who??? without a functioning police department or federal law enforcement).

[geardaddy]

9. You're right

Not completely confirmed.

[exboyfil]

3. Where are the good old boys in a pick up

That can point guns at him and conduct a citizen's arrest? That is a felony.

[Blue Owl]

4. Suspicious AF

This person of interest needs to be ID'd, and whomever he is working on behalf of needs to be exposed...

[Shell_Seas]

5. They found out he was a cop.

[janterry]

10. twitter asserted it was police

and perhaps an ex of the officer.

that appears not to be true.

[ehrnst]

18. It's been debunked that it's Jacob Pederson. It may be another cop, but no identity yet

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/jacob-pederson-auto-zone-cop-not-umbrella-man/

[al bupp]

24. If "debunked" means the police department denies the allegation w/o any evidence...

then I guess so.

[GemDigger]

28. This! They denied it incredibly quick considering the whole force was out at the protest.

But they had the time and manpower to investigate thoroughly enough to say it wasn't a cop mighty damn quick.

[superpatriotman]

27. Bullshit

Nothing has been "debunked" No investigation has been performed. Don't fall for it.

It's obvious to even a casual observer that the subject is a trained agent provocateur.

[ehrnst]

37. Doesn't mean it's this guy. We need to get it right, because we are no better than

the RW if we don't verify with facts.

Social media made Adam Lanza's brother's life hell for awhile before Adam Lanza was identified.

Anyone can claim something on Twitter.

Imagine if you were guy who really did this, and saw social media directing everyone to someone else. You want to be his tool?

Let's let the RW be the ones who go for the red meat and be distracted...

[Jamastiene]

48. Exactly. n/t

[jalan48]

6. Was the guy with the umbrella part of it to?

[janterry]

7. when this was posted earlier, it mistakenly asserted it was a police

officer - identified by his ex.

That has been debunked.

IMO it's better to wait for substantiated info. Twitter is awash with conspiracies.

[Laelth]

11. Debunked?

Who is it, then?



-Laelth

[cayugafalls]

21. Let's just say there are other tweets and facebook posts that make it hard to discern.

I was on a thread last night and got scolded for my response, and the OP got removed for even putting this out there.

I firmly believe this is a paid bad actor. Do not get me wrong, I am not in disagreement on that point. It is just after almost all night of doing more reading and research that I have to say, nothing is certain.

It could be a Boogaloo Bois, they were known to be in the area and they were advertising they wanted to start some action.

It could be a member of Antifa or Black Bloc, umbrellas have been used before.

It could be a cop, paid by Kroll and supported by the local union wanting to discredit the protest.

The tweet claiming it is a certain officer could also be part of the COINTELPRO as a way to further discredit the movement. If it is easily provable that it was not that officer, the accusation and aftermath would backfire.

I don't know what to think right now...

[Laelth]

22. Thank you for the response. n/t

-Laelth

[ehrnst]

39. We don't know for sure yet. Attacking the wrong person on social media gives

the RW ammo to say that we're the ones who don't respect fact.

[LeftInTX]

12. You can tell by the side by side, that they aren't the same person

The vandal has lighter eyes and appears older than the cop.

[GeorgeGist]

25. What side by side?

[LeftInTX]

29. Here:

Link to tweet

/photo/1

[GemDigger]

31. You could tell that through the gasmask?

[blogslut]

13. Can you provide a link to the debunking?

[geardaddy]

14. +1

[soothsayer]

15. This?

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/jacob-pederson-auto-zone-cop-not-umbrella-man/

[blogslut]

19. Thanks

I would still very much like to know who that guy was.

[ehrnst]

40. Well, we may not know. We may have to accept that.

Going after the wrong person on social media discredits us, and makes an innocent person's life hell.

[ecstatic]

52. "St. Paul Police Say"

The same shitty ass police department that employed the 4 thugs who murdered a man in cold blood?

Um. OK. Not debunked.

[hardluck]

53. The four were Minneapolis PD

Not St. Paul.

[ecstatic]

54. They're all corrupt, unfortunately. nt

[Qutzupalotl]

23. Denied, rather than debunked.

The article says the officer has an alibi and his department is backing him up. Okay.

[ehrnst]

38. +1000.

[MineralMan]

16. Pretty difficult to compare those two photos, actually.

I wouldn't make an ID based on them at all. It could be the same person, but there are also differences, especially in the eyes.

I think we'll need more information on this, although the actions certainly seem suspicious.

[ehrnst]

17. Yep, I edited my post. The identity is being debunked

https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/jacob-pederson-auto-zone-cop-not-umbrella-man/

[MineralMan]

20. Yes. I just saw that.

Social media is great, but it often gets things wrong and such mistakes are very difficult to counter.

[GeorgeGist]

26. This thread is a hot mess.

[rockfordfile]

30. some of this is going to comeback and bite people in the ***

I don't care if he's a cop just that he's arrested for breaking those windows.

[Tipperary]

32. How do you "seed" looting?

I could see a store with its windows broken, and I would not steal. I assume most of us would not.

[Doremus]

33. Apparently the provocateur, and whomever he was taking orders from, had a reason to do it. nt

[ehrnst]

35. Presenting an opportunity for looting where one was not available otherwise.

It's very clear that he wasn't enraged and he wasn't interested in looting for himself.

He is hoping that others will loot, and that the owner of the store will blame the protesters.

[Tipperary]

36. It does not excuse theft. nt

[ehrnst]

41. I agree. However, clearly that was the intent of the person in the video. (nt)

[Blue_true]

49. Very good point. Even if all the walls were down and merchandise was

just sitting there, I wouldn't take a thing because it wasn't mine.

[mainer]

34. Snopes is noncommittal on whether this is Pederson

They call it "unproven." Leaving the possibility open.

[ElementaryPenguin]

42. I think it definitely DOES look like Pederson!

[ehrnst]

43. It also looks like my Brother in Law, a geophysicist in Denver....

If it's not Pederson, then spreading the word that it is lets the real guy off the hook, doesn't it?

[roamer65]

44. Definitely a provocateur.

Odds are it’s a MAGAt or LEO.

[Hortensis]

45. How about adding a RW agent for consideration?

Aren't they the obvious beneficiaries of stoking racist divisions? Russia and other foreign enemies also of course. They all sure think so because they've been at this all along.

And this guy gives every appearance of being a paid pro. That does not exclude a rogue local cop, but my money's on a pro who travels around lighting fires where directed.

[Jamastiene]

50. Think first. Who has the motive for sending an agent provocateur to an Auto Zone there?

Who has the heat turned all the way up to Hi on them right now for killing yet another black person needlessly? Motive matters. Russia has no motive. They can just sit back and watch. LE, on the other hand, has a very real motive to do this.

[Hortensis]

55. Russia has been stoking divisions and chaos all along.

And I just pointed out what we all know, that both domestic and foreign enemies have been working to splinter black support away from the Democratic Party. It's a huge goal for them.

Even if this one guy were a local cop, something no one should just to assume with so many hostile actors involved, you could be sure there were others sent there to stoke violence on behalf of other interests.

[Blue_true]

46. I looked at ordering one of the types of respirator masks

that he was wearing a month ago on Amazon, the masks were withheld for only First Responders, a regular citizen could not order one. When I saw the guy in that mask, I thought that was suspicious, unless he was lucky enough to buy such a respirator mask months ago, there is no way that he should have had one.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

51. My first thought as well, as I've used many of that type pro-level PPE....

on my field service jobs including SCBA. It's either a full-face or half-face dual cartridge mask (which I still own). Used extensively for hazardous industrial protection as well a police and rescue squads.

Cartridge sets and masks are quite expensive. Not something the public is likely to have unless stolen or owned by radical militants or survivalists.


KY.......

[Blue_true]

56. He could have been from those boogaloo idiots, their game is to

amplify the flames of racial conflict. If I understand what I read about them, they are ok with setting off riots, killing POC and police officers, if that ignites a race war.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

57. Who are they? I've seen that name pop up several times.

That dude was geared-up and had a game plan. Total skin covering, professional PPE, dressed in black and with a backpack and tools to do his dirty work. Even an umbrella to conceal his identity.

This was some kind of evil character definitely on a mission........

[Jamastiene]

47. Agent provocateur.

Cops hire these assholes to dilute the message of peaceful protesters and cause trouble.

[RandiFan1290]

58. Here's an example from Canada

Cops caught with rocks in hand trying to incite before being gently led away by their bros

Here is a shot of their boots for further proof

[rockfordfile]

59. I remember