What If?

A quiet morning in West Philadelphia. Organizers are preparing for a peaceful protest march from Clark Park when suddenly there is the crash of stun grenades and a fog of lung-choking tear gas. 

A horde of unmarked, gas-masked, gunned up, camoed troops in full body armor appears and begins to grab protesters – men, women, old men, old women, kids, young kids – and herd them into unmarked vans.

Philadelphia police, already on the scene, stand by, watching. A protest organizer warily approaches the police lieutenant in charge and asks, “Aren't you going to do anything? They're kidnapping peaceful protesters!”

“Take it up with the mayor, lady,” she is told.

In the mayor's office, Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Outlaw are already aware of the situation, thanks to word from a police helicopter that was hovering over Clark Park, but flew away when the assault began.

“Can we do anything? Could we arrest them?” the mayor asks.

“I don't know,” Outlaw says. “I asked the district commander that and he said he doubts that his people would actually make arrests. He says that the Fraternal Order of Police will defend any officers who refuse a direct order to arrest them and the feeling he gets is that after we used tear gas previously they see nothing wrong with these federal people doing the same thing and even going further. Truthfully, I don't see our people taking on the federal people.”

“You mean we just let them take over our streets?” Kenney asks.

“Well, it's not all the streets,” Outlaw says. “Just that West Philly area. Maybe they'll just keep it contained to that area.”

“What if they come in to Center City and start there? There are sure to be more protests now. Probably in Center City. What if they come in town and start grabbing people here?” Kenney says.

“I guess we could get an injunction or something,” Outlaw says. 

“What if they just ignore it and keep tear-gassing and beating and grabbing people?”

“I don't know,” she says. “I've never come up against anything like this before. Do you think the governor would send in the National Guard to restore things?”

“I have a call into him,” Kenney says.

His phone rings. It is the governor. Kenney listens silently for what seems a long time. “Yes, sir. I understand,” he says and hangs up. 

“Yes?”  Outlaw asks.

“He wants us to find out if the federal people have live ammo and then call him back.”

“Wait. I'll call the district commander,” Outlaw says. She makes the call and listens attentively. Then hangs up. “He says when he asked the fed in charge if they have live ammo, he said, “What do you think?”

Kenney relays that message to the governor. He listens, shakes his head and hangs up.

“The governor says that he doesn't want to risk an armed confrontation and won't send in the National Guard right now.”

“Did he say what we should do?”

“He said to just monitor the situation for the time being. He's going to call the President and demand the withdrawal of the federal presence.”

“Or what?” Outlaw asks.

“He didn't say.”