The man behind the Trump rally disturbance in Reno,

[Wingnut]

RENO, Nev. — The man who caused a commotion at a Donald Trump rally Saturday said he's a registered Republican who wanted only to show his displeasure with his party's nominee.

Members of the audience at the event for the GOP presidential nominee tackled Austyn Crites, 33, of Reno after someone yelled "gun" while others were trying to rip away his anti-Trump sign.

"I just went with sign that said 'Republicans Against Trump,’ " Crites said. "It’s a sign that you can find online. I held up the sign and initially people around me were just booing me telling me to get out of there. Then a couple of these guys tried grabbing the sign out of my hands."

Crites had no weapon. Secret Service agents later released a statement to that effect and let him go without charges.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/11/06/donald-trump-nevada-rally/93385996/

[Cripplecreek]

someone yelled "gun"

Now why would someone do that?

[Gefn]

Now why would someone do that?

Hmmm.

[Wingnut]

Now why would someone do that?

[mountaineer]

[sinkspur]

Trump supporters are as paranoid as he is.

[ConstitutionRose]

Only an idiot would go to a Trump rally with a sign like that. He was obviously looking to agitate, or maybe position himself for a lawsuit.

He has the same right of free speech as does any other citizen.  For instance, the same right to protest as does a Trump supporter at a Hillary gathering.

[mountaineer]

Protest signs are one thing (yes, he has the right to so express himself), but why rush the stage? What does that accomplish and how could security not see that as a threat?

It's just irrational behavior, but the guy is a Clinton supporter, after all, so lack of a thought process is a given.

[sinkspur]

Only an idiot would go to a Trump rally with a sign like that. He was obviously looking to agitate, or maybe position himself for a lawsuit.

Given the makeup of Trump's crowds, the guy was putting his own life in jeopardy.

[ConstitutionRose]

Maybe not.  We are dual state residents.  My husband chooses to vote in one state, I in another.  So long as we do not vote twice we are not committing vote fraud. 

[sinkspur]

Protest signs are one thing (yes, he has the right to so express himself), but why rush the stage? What does that accomplish and how could security not see that as a threat?

It's just irrational behavior, but the guy is a Clinton supporter, after all, so lack of a thought process is a given.

He didn't rush the stage.  He was rushed.

Some Trumproid shouted "gun" which was why the SS sprang into action.

[mountaineer]

Here's an even-handed description of what happened and who Crites is.

[Luis Gonzalez]

Protest signs are one thing (yes, he has the right to so express himself), but why rush the stage? What does that accomplish and how could security not see that as a threat?

It's just irrational behavior, but the guy is a Clinton supporter, after all, so lack of a thought process is a given.

He didn't rush the stage. He was near the front of the stage.

He held up a sign, and was beaten for it.

From the article:

"Multiple people just tackled me down, kicking me choking me and just beating me up," he said. "That’s when things even got crazier. I was on the ground and people were holding my arms, legs and I kept saying I can barely breathe. I was turning my neck just to get a little bit of air to keep from passing out."

~~~snip~~~

What's baffling to Crites is how anyone could have thought he had a gun. His sign was in the air for some time and he wasn't making any sudden movements, he said.

"It wasn’t like they noticed something suspicious and tackled me," Crites said. "That’s not the case."

[mountaineer]

Okay, he didn't rush the stage. I misunderstood. He had an anti-Trump sign. Got it.

[Oceander]

Only an idiot would go to a Trump rally with a sign like that. He was obviously looking to agitate, or maybe position himself for a lawsuit.

Ahh, so violence is excusable if the victim "asked for it"?

[Cripplecreek]

He didn't rush the stage. He was near the front of the stage.

He held up a sign, and was beaten for it.

From the article:

Nothing really surprises me with the Alinskyite behavior of the Trump campaign and his fans.

[Oceander]

He didn't rush the stage. He was near the front of the stage.

He held up a sign, and was beaten for it.

From the article:

Like Trump, like supporters.  They incite - and engage in - suppression of speech, either by lawsuit or, as in this case, direct violence.

Now I'm thinking the Secret Service was as much interested in saving this poor schmuck from the crowd as they were in making sure he wasn't a threat to Trump.  Mob violence, when directed at a particular individual, is disgusting.

[Luis Gonzalez]

I voted early for the first time in my life.

I did it for two reasons... I wanted to vote with my son who was voting for the first time and came home from college to do it, and I think that there may be incidents at voting places on Election Day so I don't want to be near them.

[TomSea]

This is important and somewhat of what I heard, though the USA Today piece is written glowingly of this guy, apparently he's a known Democratic operative and maybe even mentioned in wikileaks emails multiple times.

[Oceander]

This is important and somewhat of what I heard, though the USA Today piece is written glowingly of this guy, apparently he's a known Democratic operative and maybe even mentioned in wikileaks emails multiple times.

Ahhh.  So it's a real shame that the mob didn't get a chance to finish him off before the Secret Service intervened?  More and more, I think they were as concerned for his safety as they were for Trump's safety.  Mob violence is disgusting, no matter who engages in it.

[Oceander]

I voted early for the first time in my life.

I did it for two reasons... I wanted to vote with my son who was voting for the first time and came home from college to do it, and I think that there may be incidents at voting places on Election Day so I don't want to be near them.

Congratulations to your son.  And an interesting thought re. early voting.  I missed the opportunity to send in an absentee ballot, so I'll just have to wait until Tuesday.  Still, the town where I live is a very quiet little town, and people are almost uniformly decent, so I doubt there'll be incidents to worry about.  Besides, my polling place is in the firehouse down the street; I'm sure they can handle any shmoo who might come along.

[beandog]

Only an idiot would go to a Trump rally with a sign like that. He was obviously looking to agitate, or maybe position himself for a lawsuit.

I agree with you.  I think people who go inside a rally for either candidate to do something like this are just punks looking for trouble.  If you want to protest stand outside the rally with your little sign.  I believe he was looking for attention and that's what he got.

[Oceander]

I agree with you.  I think people who go inside a rally for either candidate to do something like this are just punks looking for trouble.  If you want to protest stand outside the rally with your little sign.  I believe he was looking for attention and that's what he got.

@beandog
So it's too bad the mob inside didn't get a chance to finish him off then?

And provocatively dressed women are just asking to be raped, too (or Trump-groped, perhaps)?

[Cripplecreek]

@beandog
So it's too bad the mob inside didn't get a chance to finish him off then?

And provocatively dressed women are just asking to be raped, too (or Trump-groped, perhaps)?

Remember the Trump supporter screaming in Ted Cruz's face? As I recall, most Trump supporters thought it was awesome.

[Applewood]

Trump was lucky it wasn't a gun, but if he and many of his followers don't curb their violent rhetoric, one day there will be a real gun.  Seems to me they are inviting trouble.  Bad enough we have whackos running around gunning down innocent children without any provocation.  Why are Trump and his surrogates trying to get him killed?