Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Trump did not coin the phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” The line is half a century old, and combative Miami Police Chief Walter Headley Jr. originally used it during the height of civil rights protests in the 1960s. “This is war,” Headley told reporters, according to a United Press International article from the time. “They haven’t seen anything yet.” The police chief then explained that he maintained order by threatening violence: “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” His comments angered civil rights leaders at the time.

Source: Huffington Post May 29, 2020 15:10 UTC