The Government is Telling You Not to Believe Your Eyes
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖Greg Bovino, a government official, presented an 'Orwellian' narrative on CNN, asking viewers to ignore video evidence of the Alexander Prey shooting.
- ❖Bovino claimed ICE agents were the victims, not Alexander Prey, who was shot and killed.
- ❖Video evidence shows Prey coming to the aid of a woman, being pepper-sprayed, knocked down, disarmed, and then shot by multiple ICE agents.
- ❖Bovino falsely asserted Prey assaulted federal law enforcement and intended a 'massacre' without evidence.
- ❖Despite video showing Prey's gun being taken, Bovino disputed he was unarmed, calling it 'freeze frame adjudication.'
- ❖The ICE agents involved are on administrative jobs but will be redeployed to other cities, not facing significant accountability.
- ❖The host emphasizes that journalists have an obligation to call out lies directly, rather than maintaining false impartiality when facts are clear.
Insights
1Official Narrative Contradicts Video Evidence
Greg Bovino, a government official, presented a narrative on CNN that directly contradicted widely available video evidence of the Alexander Prey shooting. He asserted that ICE agents were the victims and Prey was an aggressor who 'injected himself' into a crime scene, despite videos showing Prey aiding a woman, being pepper-sprayed, and then disarmed before being shot.
Bovino stated, 'The victims are the Border Patrol agents,' and 'The suspect put himself in that situation.' This is contrasted with the host's description of video evidence: 'Prey was coming to the aid of a woman who had been pushed by ICE agents. Those ICE agents then pepper-sprayed Prey in the face. They knocked him down. They pushed him down. They had four or five agents on him. They took his gun, which he was legally allowed to have and then they shot him.'
2Denial of Disarmament Before Shooting
Bovino explicitly denied that Alexander Prey was disarmed before being shot, despite video evidence presented by Dana Bash showing an agent taking Prey's gun. Bovino dismissed this as 'freeze frame adjudication' and claimed, 'We don't know that agent was taking any gun away.'
Dana Bash asked, 'Why was an unarmed man shot multiple times by law enforcement?' Bovino responded, 'You don't know he was unarmed. I don't know he was unarmed. That's freeze frame adjudication of a crime scene via a photo.' The host notes, 'It's obvious that they took the gun from the guy. It's right there. It's on multiple videos.'
3Unsubstantiated Claims of Intent to Massacre
Bovino claimed Prey wanted to 'do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement' and credited ICE agents' 'fantastic training' for preventing this supposed massacre, despite video showing Prey filming and attempting to help an individual.
Bovino stated, 'I believe that the fantastic training that our law enforcement partners have... prevented any specific shootings of law enforcement. So, good job for our law enforcement in taking him down before he was able to do that.' The host counters, 'It doesn't look anything like he's trying to massacre law enforcement. In fact, he was filming and then it looked like he was trying to help another individual there who was pushed down by law enforcement.'
4Lack of Accountability for Agents
The ICE agents involved in the shooting of Alexander Prey are not being held accountable beyond administrative reassignment and are expected to return to field operations in another city.
The host states, 'He was asked by Dana Bash, 'Well, what's going to happen with them? Are they going to go back out into the field? Are they still employed by ICE?' And the answer is, yeah, they're still employed by ICE. Bovino says they're now on administrative jobs in Minneapolis... But then he added an addendum. They will be sent to another city when ICE moves their operations to another city inevitably, and they will be back on the street.'
Lessons
- Critically evaluate official statements from government spokespersons, especially when they contradict readily available video or eyewitness accounts.
- Support journalistic outlets that prioritize truth-telling and are willing to challenge official narratives, even if it means calling out lies directly.
- Understand that administrative reassignments for law enforcement involved in controversial shootings may not equate to true accountability, as agents can be redeployed to other areas.
Quotes
"The victims are the Border Patrol agents. The suspect put himself in that situation. The victims are the Border Patrol agents there."
"Law enforcement doesn't assault anyone. Follow directions of law enforcement. Follow directions of law enforcement in an active crime scene. Uh, it's very evident he didn't want to do that."
"You don't know he was unarmed. I don't know he was unarmed. That's freeze frame adjudication of a crime scene via a photo."
"It's basically you cannot protest the state or the state can shoot you is what he's saying if you take it to its logical conclusion. It's wild stuff."
"The correct journalistic instinct right now is to say, I see video with my own eyes. You are lying. That's our obligation is to be honest and straightforward with the public about what happened here."
Q&A
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