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Sheriff David Clarke’s ‘Pitchforks And Torches’ Tweet Goes Viral

By Tara Dodrill
Published on: 02:51 PST, Oct 16, 2016

Milwaukee Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is a staunch and outspoken Donald Trump supporter. His recent tweet lambasting a Washington D.C. he feels is corrupt and a mainstream media he believes is biased, has gone viral. The “It is pitchforks and torches time” tweet sparked a firestorm of political debate over the weekend.

“It’s incredible that our institutions of gov, WH, Congress, DOJ, and big media are corrupt & all we do is b****. Pitchforks and torches time,” Sheriff David Clarke posted to his more than 311,000 Twitter followers.

Sheriff Clarke published the “pitchforks and torches time” tweet on Saturday, and shared a photo of an angry mob holding the old-fashioned farm implements, with the social media post, the Daily Mail reports.

The Milwaukee Sheriff first garnered national headlines and became a hero of millions of Americans, in 2013. David Clarke urged the residents in his jurisdiction to “arm themselves.” His video message was in response to extensive layoffs of law enforcement officers and support staff in his county.

“I need you in the game,” Sheriff David Clarke Jr. said during a 30-second radio advertisement, which ultimately went viral and landed him on nearly every news broadcast in the nation. “With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option,” Clarke continued in the radio spot.

The Milwaukee Sheriff was one of the keynote speakers during the Republican National Convention. David Clarke has great difficulty uttering his speech during the gathering, but not because of a lack of public speaking prowess. Clarke’s lengthy standing ovation before event reaching the podium momentarily delayed the speech. Additional and massive rounds of applause throughout the GOP convention speech caused the 60-year-old law enforcement official to pause his remarks multiple times.

Never one to shy away from controversy, Sheriff Clarke also made headlines during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement and for his comments about liberal career politicians.

“The Milwaukee riots should be the last time the policies of liberal Democrats are held up as anything other than misery-inducing, divisive, exploitative and racist manipulation of the urban populations,” Clarke said after the rioting. “Unfortunately they won’t.”

The Milwaukee Sheriff again made the news for his Blue Lives Matter comments in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray. The 25-year-old black man died while in police custody after sustaining an injury to his spine. Sheriff Clarke labeled Black Lives Matter protesters as being “hate filled” individuals and responsible for violence against police officers.

“My message has been clear from day one two years ago, this anti-cop sentiment from this hateful ideology called Black Lives Matter has fueled this rage against the American police officer,” Sheriff David Clarke said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’ve been watching this for two years. I predicted this. This anti-police rhetoric has turned out some hateful things in people.”

David Clarke has been called the “people’s sheriff” by his legions of adoring supporters. The Milwaukee Sheriff received the Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award, in 2015, the Heavy notes. Clarke is a fervent Second Amendment and NRA supporter.

Here’s an excerpt from one of the personal safety radio advertisements which propelled the Milwaukee Sheriff to become a household name:

“I want to talk to you about something personal: Your safety. You could beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you could fight back. But are you prepared? Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there. You have a duty to protect yourself and your family.”

What do you think of Sheriff Clarke’s “pitchforks and torches” tweet?

[Image by Shutterstock.com]

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