The issue is not speech — the raid was illegal! — but rather that we have a cultural reverence for the police. We’ve insulated them from accountability so much that they can basically do shit like this with impunity.
Who watches the watchmen? Mostly nobody. And a lot of us seem to like it that way.
there is a growing number of people who espouse the belief that grievances towards the police/government/military are by their very nature anti-patriotic, and there is a pretty real history of coercion towards 'under-reporting' on certain stories in the media; it's not real surprise to me that this exists on the lower scales of local municipality/etc, as well.
'chilling' is a very real concept, and it seems to snowball.
Other countries protect cops more than regular citizens yet don't experience the same level of police raids and death by cop.
I think the problem is rather that sheriff's departments in the US are run like small businesses; fining people, raiding and confiscating.
Preemptive brutality is a sign that these people are not first and foremost protectors, but have to meet a quota.
Mercenaries.