Police Chief Ordered to Resign After Supporting Armed Citizens Protecting Their Businesses
A Michigan Police chief was ordered to resign after showing support for armed citizens protecting businesses from looters. Stephen Bukala was forced out after posting a picture of armed citizens patrolling while legally carrying firearms on Lowell Police Department Facebook page.
“We at the Lowell Police Department support the legally armed citizen and the Second Amendment,” Bukala said on the post.
The City Manager, Michael Burns, ordered Bukala to remove the caption from the post. The police chief later posted on his Facebook page saying how “fine” armed men called on him while going out on patrol on Main Street. He said the men informed him they were keeping the street safe to prevent a repeat of what happened in Grand Rapids. Looting and destruction of properties had taken place in Grand Rapids after protestors broke windows and set buildings on fire.
“So these fine young men called me today. They wanted to exercise their Second Amendment rights and walk down Main Street. They saw what happened in Grand Rapids. They said it’s not going to happen here,” Bukala wrote. “We have your backs. I thanked them for letting me know they were in town and to call if they see something.”
Burns ordered the police chief to resign or face termination. Lowell Police Department later posted a message on Facebook apologizing for the previous post made by Bukala. The post said the department failed in providing leadership, will avoid such posts in future, and work together with the community to defeat racism. Burns said Bukala’s behavior was unbecoming of a police officer and that he allowed his feelings to interfere with his professional conduct.
Bukala’s only mistake was taking the side of the law-abiding citizens who wanted to protect property from organized criminals. The armed citizens never caused any problems or violated any laws, and yet it was a crime to support them. Additionally, the responsible gun owners respectfully called the police chief to inform him of their presence.
Their conduct was an indication that they had good intentions. In such cases, nothing would prevent the police chief from supporting their actions. Similarly, there was no display of racism in supporting the law-abiding citizens who took the initiative to ensure businesses belonging to all races were protected. It appears that doing the right thing hurts the feelings of some people, and innocent citizens have to be sacrificed to appease the criminals.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is pushing universal background checks in our state, and if left unchecked, it will not be long until we see bills like this getting traction in Austin. Texas is embarrassingly ranked 29th for gun rights, and with the help of the political elites in Austin, we will surely rank among New York, California, and Illinois if left to their own devices. Please join our fight today, and help us restore Texas' place as the standard for the U.S.
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