Since we’re currently right in the middle of grave concern on the left about incitement and the threats to life and limb created by partisan rhetoric, you can be sure this story will launch 100 think pieces and wall-to-wall coverage. Or maybe just a brief, anodyne story at the Washington Post:

On Saturday, a man wearing a red MAGA hat was approached by two men in the 18000 block of Cottage Garden Drive in Germantown, Montgomery County police said in a statement. Police said the man was harassed and asked why he was wearing the hat. The two men then struck the victim until he fell and told him to take his hat off, before taking his property and destroying it, the statement said.

That’s about as bloodless and disinterested as a news report can get. Here’s the same story as reported local outlet WJLA 7:

Atsu Mable scarfed down a hefty supper Saturday, prompting him to take an evening stroll in his Germantown neighborhood to help burn some calories while also enjoy the fresh springtime air. Mable — a proud supporter of President Donald Trump — decided to sport his bright red “Make America Great Again” baseball cap during the leisurely walk. As he rounded the corner to his building at the Seneca Club Apartments near Northwest High School, three men approached Mable and began to make snide remarks. “They were asking me, ‘Hey bro, why did you put that hat on?’ And I didn’t say anything, I just passed by.” Mable continued to make his way down the apartment complex sidewalk when two of the three men began to pummel his head and upper body with their fists. “All of a sudden, I got a punch on my head. Boom!” Mable said. “They took my headphones and smashed it to the ground and tried to take my phone.”

Atsu Mable is a legal immigrant from Togo who became a U.S. Citizen. He has been a Trump supporter since before the election and attended campaign events and volunteered during the inauguration. He tells Fox 5 (see below) “I came here for freedom.”

Fortunately, a bystander saw the attack and called 911. When sirens approached the attackers ran off and tried to hide themselves with some kids playing basketball. The police canvassed the area and arrested Jovan Crawford, 27, and Scott Roberson, 25. They have been charged with robbery, assault, and destruction of property. Mable says he has forgiven his attackers (he’s Catholic) but has no doubt where this was coming from:

“They felt like a black man should not be wearing a Trump hat because it’s like when you are black, you have to be a Democrat,” said Mable, who has a laceration of his nose and lingering pain in his jaw. “I’ll wear it again. The movement is still going on, Trump is still in power and in 2020 we will win again.”

Again, one of the biggest stories for the past week has been claims by nearly every leading Democrat and candidate for president that Rep. Ilhan Omar’s life is being put in danger because of political rhetoric. How in the world is this act of political thuggery not viewed as something that connects to that larger narrative? The answer is obvious and it gives away the whole game. Democrats (and the media) don’t really care about incitement or political violence unless the victim is on their side. Atsu Mable supports Trump, so they’ll leave this to the local news outlets. No grand conclusions from this story. But just wait until someone on the left is roughed up and suddenly you’ll see the entire national media lunge for the story.

Here’s the Fox 5 report on the incident: