The Black Lives Matter movement has gained momentum amid increasing tensions between various black communities and the police. However, the actions of activists during Saturday's march to the gates of the Minnesota State Fair has left police officers unamused.
Near the end of the demonstration, according to the Star Tribune, several protesters were at the front carrying a banner and shouting, "Pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon!"
David Titus, head of the St. Paul Police Federation, didn't think highly of the chant saying, "Quite simply - that promotes death to cops...Statements and chants like that are just ignorant - I find it absolutely disgusting."
By various accounts, the march was a peaceful gathering and beyond the aforementioned chant was relatively uneventful.
However, what was ironic about that statement and what particularly upset police was that the officers were there to escort the protesters, reported CBS Minnesota.
"Here we got these cops protecting this march ... and then all of a sudden they make the message about violence against police officers," Titus said. "I don't find it peaceful talking about offing cops."
One issue that Titus zeroed in on was the fact that just several hours before that chant was said, an officer in Texas was murdered.
Rashad Turner, the Black Lives Matter St. Paul organizer in charge of the Saturday event, disagreed with Titus' assessment, saying there's a big difference between rhetorical chanting and somebody's actions. He went on to explain that the chant was meant to question why a cop can kill someone, be seen on camera doing that, be charged or indicted with murder, and still be able to post bail. He claimed the chant's purpose was to simply assert that if black people who kill police officers are going to "fry," then officers should receive the same treatment when killing civilians, according to the Grand Forks Herald.
By the end, neither side saw eye-to-eye on the issue.
"To pick on one chant out of four hours of marching or protest, I don't have any more comments for them," Turner said.
"I don't think any cop cares if there's an apology - just knock it off," Titus said.
