Delivering the strongest rebuke yet from Mayor Gondola’s administration, City Manager Justine Wellington spoke out against the violence following the recent Freedom Forever Rally. Ms. Wellington condemned the actions of rioters and praised law enforcement, promising severe consequences for all those that destroyed property and assaulted law enforcement agents.

“Cinniapolis will not tolerate the actions that followed the Freedom Forever Rally. It is unacceptable for citizens to reject orders from our CSD officers. It is also unacceptable to assault CSD officers. This administration will not stand by and watch our law enforcement become targets for spineless, wanna-be revolutionaries. I want to thank the brave men and women of the CSD, HSL, and CFPS who responded to the scene. Your courage helped return order to this chaos. This administration promises to bring your attackers to justice,” she said. Ms. Wellington also took a moment to remember the Cinniapolis Performing Arts Theatre, which was burned down during the riot. “We lost a historic Cinniapolis landmark that night. The Performing Arts Theatre was more than just a landmark, it was a symbol of freedom. Originally built in the 1931, it served as a boarding site for soldiers preparing for deployment to Europe and Asia in defense of freedom. It was a home for true patriots. From there, it was transformed into one of the world’s iconic theatres hosting memorable events for decades. And, it was all lost due to confused, angry thugs. I promise Cinniapolis that we will find those thugs and deliver severe punishments,” she said.

The rally organizers also received a special mention from Ms. Wellington, “There are a handful of loud voices whipping up the masses into a frenzy. You know who you are, we know who you are, and soon, the entire city will know what you’ve planned, coordinated, and executed,” she said, hinting that the rally wasn’t the only planned event for that night.

While Mayor Gondola has remained characteristically silent on the matter, Ms. Wellington made the administration’s intentions clear. “Whatever role an individual or group had in planning the rally and inciting the unruly crowd to action, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she said.

The rally organizer, Chess Murphy, did not provide a comment to the Chorus. However, one of the rally’s special guest speakers was not as bashful. Waldo Penney said, “The events are proof this administration is out of touch with the citizens. The angry response to the Mayor’s security forces was not only to be expected, it was appropriate.” While the other guest speaker, Gregory Dragg, struck a more conciliatory tone, “What happened after the rally was just awful. It wasn’t our intention to provoke people to violence. But, this is a natural reaction to tyranny. It’s an ugly situation but we will continue to fight for our freedom.”