On his radio program Wednesday morning, Brian Wilson, the host of 99.7 FM WTN’s Nashville’s Morning News, wondered out loud whether Nashville Mayor John Cooper engaged in a “quid pro quo” with Black Lives Matter to reduce police protection during the Nashville riot on Saturday night in exchange for support of his proposed 32 percent property tax increase.
Wilson, the veteran broadcaster and former Fox News reporter, began by discussing the marathon 11 hour Nashville Metro Council hearing that began at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and did not end until 5:15 a.m. Wednesday morning.
Here is a partial transcript of Wilson’s remarks during the 8 a.m. hour of his program on Monday:
The hearing was hijacked by commenters saying that we should defund the Police Department. Where was that coming from? That was not organic. That’s what you call astroturf. It was planned. And I now have and I’ve posted it on my social media page on Facebook, Brian Wilson Radio the evidence of this.
The thing that kept the Council members occupied all night long was an organized effort by Black Lives Matter and others. I have here a posting they put on there giving people the talking points that they were supposed to talk about when they called into the council chambers.
When they went to the Council chambers to talk about the budget. And it’s very clear. Every talking point is what you heard all night long. This was very much organized by Black Lives Matter. And because they overwhelmed the phone system and because they dominated an 11-hour council meeting with discussions and insane discussions about defunding the police department.
We did not get to hear those people who have a legitimate concern about a 32 percent property tax increase. And you’ve got to say wow there was that. Ok. That was one story. The other storyline that we are developing here this morning has to do with the police department’s response or lack thereof during the riot.
And some of the decisions that were made at the highest levels of the police department to not allow police officers to wear the protective gear that they had. Somebody made a decision to pull back the police officers that were defending the courthouse.
Police officers who were in danger because they weren’t allowed to have the proper gear. Somebody apparently decided that we don’t want to look militaristic. We don’t want to look like we are military police. We want to look approachable and nice. So no you can’t wear your riot gear.
Every police officer on the force that was required to go out there and try to be a police officer without using their best gear to protect themselves has a bone to pick with the mayor and the hierarchy of that police department who made that decision.
And believe it or not, I now believe that what happened with the council hearing last night being hijacked by Black Lives Matter and what happened with the police response to the rioting over the weekend are somehow connected.
You say, well how does that work, Brian? I can’t quite connect the dots. Let me connect the dots for you. It was always a mystery to me why Mayor Munchkin, Mayor John Cooper posted something on social media saying you should in violation of his own COVID-19 orders, you should go and attend this rally downtown today.
It was a mystery to me why he would do that. Because it goes against everything that he has said that he wanted us to do. You are not supposed to have gatherings of more than 25 people according to the mayor’s order. And yet he has a social media following followed by thousands of people and he posted come on down!
Participate in this rally! That doesn’t make sense. Why would he do that? Why would you then go to a rally when you knew full well there was a very good chance it was going to devolve into something other than a peaceful protest as the day wore on. I mean you didn’t have to be a genius to figure that out.
Just look around the country and see what was going on. They always start peacefully and then they get out of control. Why then did he do that? Well, it now makes very good sense to me. It now almost appears as if there was a quid pro quo with the mayor and Black Lives Matter.
The mayor apparently made decisions that kept Black Lives Matter’s free from policing while they rioted in this city and caused problems. He basically endorsed a rally that put people there and then made decisions with his police department that left large swaths of the city unprotected.
It’s almost as if the quid pro quo was, I’ll stay out of your way while you bring mayhem upon our city, and then you need to help me out when it comes time for the budget discussion by blocking anybody who wants to complain about my 32 percent tax proposal. It sort of makes sense doesn’t it? Now did that happen?
We’ll never know. Was it something that was unspoken? I don’t know. Something that was planned? Who knows? All I know is these two things are true. The police department’s response was woefully inadequate. Decisions were made at the highest level to not give police officers the protective gear they needed to defend themselves.
As a result of that decision and where they placed the police officers we left the courthouse at risk. We left Lower Broadway at risk. We heard testimony today from somebody that was an eyewitness that said he got there when the windows had been smashed and the fires were burning in the Boot Barn and there wasn’t one police officer on the street! Was there a deal cut? I don’t know.
Sure looks suspicious, doesn’t it? Black Lives Matter, don’t worry, we’ll stay out of your way but I need your help when it comes to the budget. Something doesn’t smell right about this. Something doesn’t smell right. And I think there are real legitimate questions that can be asked.
Why am I the only one who seems to be asking them? Why is this radio station alone in its coverage and criticism of these two things that are going on? Anybody who has a business in downtown Broadway has every reason absolutely PO’d this morning.
To learn that in the middle of a riot there was nobody there to protect the most iconic important economic engine of our entertainment industry, Lower Broadway. The Ryman left uncovered. Why? Why were police officers put on the street without the protective gear they need to defend themselves?
It was because of that decision they had to pull back from the courthouse and the courthouse was set on fire as a result of that decision. They weren’t covering the places they needed to cover and they put police officers at risk telling them that they could not use the protective gear because they didn’t want to look like they were military police. Am I the only one outraged about this?
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Photo “Brian Wilson” by SuperTalk 99.7 WTN.
“You are not supposed to have gatherings of more than 25 people according to the mayor’s order. And yet he has a social media following followed by thousands of people and he posted come on down!”
So is Mayor Cooper’s order to limit social gatherings to 25 still in effect? Was it briefly suspended? Or are the current protests given a discriminatory preference? I would think the protesters would be supporting “the equal protection of the laws” . Will other Metro citizens be cited and penalized for not following the 25 limit–even though his orders aren’t laws??
Cooper is the biggest turd in the pool! Where’s Phil Williams? The TBI or the FBI should get involved or both, it stinks to high heaven. Everyone can see it. Bob Mendes is involved also, a damn attorney, need I say more.
COOPER is a crooked DEMOCRAT, worse that Berry and Briley!!
There certainly was something “fishy” with the meeting last night. Several associates tried all night long to get through with zero success. Were the phone lines somehow being “manned” by BLM people, or did Cooper’s Troopers rig the phone system, preventing access by regular citizens.
Somebody needs to get the TBI/FBI involved!
the whole thing smells to high heaven.And the biggest stink comes from Mayor Cooper.