In an article the chief of police says that an "elected official" gave the order to not enforce vandalism. I read that as the mayor told police to stand down. As far as the angry men, we don't live in Portsmouth and don't want to go to Portsmouth. Let them try that shit in Gloucester where there's a similar Confederate monument and you will have armed men guarding it, they don't put up with that shit out there. They had a protest out there recently and it looked more like an anime convention. Half the people marching down the street looked like they were in middle school.