The Murder of George Floyd & Subsequent Protests/Riots

[anticlimatic]

 

[FemMecha]

I'm not convinced this is what people are saying.

Some are saying that worrying about property damage more than human life is a problem. Some I think are trying to listen and be sure they are not continuing to dismiss. Listening and condoning are not the same thing. The basic premise now from most involved is to stop the violence and do peaceful protests. I think there is also an understanding that the majority of the violence is coming from extremist groups with their own agendas and so are hijacking the original intentions of the protests.

 

[Jonny]

I'm not convinced this is what people are saying.

Some are saying that worrying about property damage more than human life is a problem. Some I think are trying to listen and be sure they are not continuing to dismiss. Listening and condoning are not the same thing. The basic premise now from most involved is to stop the violence and do peaceful protests. I think there is also an understanding that the majority of the violence is coming from extremist groups with their own agendas and so are hijacking the original intentions of the protests.

I think the video below is a good example. In it, a young man enters a building with a gun, presumably with the intent to kill. But rather than meet him with force, the football coach met him with a hug. Nobody would say the coach thought that the gun was fine. That trying to shoot up a school was OK. But sometimes compassion is a better preventative measure than force. Sometimes it helps to listen. To understand. Looting, violence, etc. do not come from nowhere.

Let me be crystal clear: Nobody here thinks looting and violence are fine. Nobody here thinks that the people who engage in those behaviors are doing something good.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

To be clear, I only like the above image because the world is on fire, and I cope best by acknowledging that and maintaining just enough detachment to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I'm not taking a side here and I'm too exhausted to participate in this discussion (I do have opinions but "liking" the image is not indicative of where I stand).

Kbye.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Cop(s) that killed Floyd deserve life in jail or a noose.

Looters and rioters deserve bullets.

Two things can be true.

 

[EcK]

it's in the name.

If you're anti-antifascist, it's clear what you are.

yes, it's clear you are virtue signalling.

Cop(s) that killed Floyd deserve life in jail or a noose.

Looters and rioters deserve bullets.

Two things can be true.

But how can that be, that would have to mean the world is not a unidimensional construct purpose-made for the morally challenged.

 

[anticlimatic]

I'm not convinced this is what people are saying.

Some are saying that worrying about property damage more than human life is a problem. Some I think are trying to listen and be sure they are not continuing to dismiss. Listening and condoning are not the same thing. The basic premise now from most involved is to stop the violence and do peaceful protests. I think there is also an understanding that the majority of the violence is coming from extremist groups with their own agendas and so are hijacking the original intentions of the protests.

I know a lot of people who believe in institutional racism in america and can think of no other solutions beyond tearing down the system, eating the rich, and revolution. Other than far right nutjobs, most people I know who are the type to attend protests believe this to be true on some level. These people only seem happy to me when the country is in a chaotic state of emergency, because it hints at the possibility of the destructive anarchy they perceive to be necessary as paving the way for their ideal nation. I'm sure they don't like watching their sausage get made, but intrinsically they know it's the only actual path towards their desires. These riots are who they are, form and substance. I see them.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Also the argument against the 2nd Amendment in America is now officially dead because of all this shit.

 

[Jonny]

Also the argument against the 2nd Amendment in America is now officially dead because of all this shit.

I don't personally know anyone who would ever defend what those people did in that video. Deplorable.

Here's another:

And, thankfully, here are some peaceful protesters fighting back against the looting/violence:

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

David Dorn retired police chief shot dead. Warning graphic.

https://twitter.com/JoeBorelliNYC/status/1267962405117706245?s=20

This video sums up most of last nights violence.

https://twitter.com/US_News_Updates/status/1267869749037477890?s=20

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

You know who didn't start any shit and cleaned up when they left? The Va gun rights rally attendees.

And they still got shit on by the media.

When rioters in Minn burn down a target they are "speaking the language of the unheard"

It's all bullshit.

 

[Jonny]

You know who didn't start any shit and cleaned up when they left? The Va gun rights rally attendees.

And they still got shit on by the media.

When rioters in Minn burn down a target they are "speaking the language of the unheard"

It's all bullshit.

Pro-gun rally by thousands in Virginia ends peacefully

Virginia gun-rights rally concludes peacefully despite earlier fears of extremist violence - CNNPolitics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/

Virginia: thousands of armed protesters rally against gun control bills | US news | The Guardian

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Pro-gun rally by thousands in Virginia ends peacefully

Virginia gun-rights rally concludes peacefully despite earlier fears of extremist violence - CNNPolitics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/01/20/virginia-gun-rally-updates/

Virginia: thousands of armed protesters rally against gun control bills | US news | The Guardian

Fears of extremist violence stoked by the media.

We have to be twice as good and are offered no benefit of the doubt.

Hope y'all are ready for another long violent night. Not here in FL tho we've got a great governor and no reports of serious violence in the state compared to the burning husk of urban America writ large.

 

[Jonny]

We have to be twice as good and are offered no benefit of the doubt.

I've heard this before from folks of color. That's what many Americans face on a daily basis at the hands of corrupt law enforcement.

The difference is, for you it's getting your feelings hurt...it's politics. For them, it's life and death. Though that doesn't mean what you experience isn't valid. It is. People should be compassionate, and look to understand one another.

Nobody here supports looting or acts of violence. Nobody here supports looting or acts of violence. Nobody here supports looting or acts of violence.

 

[FemMecha]

I think the video below is a good example. In it, a young man enters a building with a gun, presumably with the intent to kill. But rather than meet him with force, the football coach met him with a hug. Nobody would say the coach thought that the gun was fine. That trying to shoot up a school was OK. But sometimes compassion is a better preventative measure than force. Sometimes it helps to listen. To understand. Looting, violence, etc. do not come from nowhere.

Let me be crystal clear: Nobody here thinks looting and violence are fine. Nobody here thinks that the people who engage in those behaviors are doing something good.

Well said. I wanted to also expand a little on my phrase about listening doesn't mean condoning, because I want to be sure it doesn't imply listening involving judging. The point of true deep listening is that conclusions are not drawn quickly, but the goal is understanding. I like this post you provided because it focuses on listening with compassion.

That first protest in Minneapolis started peacefully, but the police shot tear gas, rubber bullets and mace into the crowd. If instead they had brought cameras and microphones and let the people's voices be heard, the rest could have played out differently. It is also important to note that even this first protest that turned to property damage did not result in people being beaten up and maimed and killed by protesters. There was one fatal shooting that night, but the focus was property damage and not violence towards humans. That second level is what has happened after the white supremacists and other extremist groups showed up.

 

[Luminous]

What happened in my town yesterday was peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters being spit on by pro-Trump confederate flag-waving morons. And private citizens, who because of rumors of people coming here to riot, meeting in the mall parking lot, with guns. I don't want some moron with a gun shooting innocent people because they're paranoid. Thankfully the cops here kept the PRO-Trump people who would have started fights from doing so and told the would-be vigilantes to step down. And no rioters showed up.

 

[FemMecha]

"State of Minnesota files civil rights charge against Minneapolis Police Department"

State of Minnesota files civil rights charge against Minneapolis Police Department

 

[anticlimatic]

And private citizens, who because of rumors of people coming here to riot, meeting in the mall parking lot, with guns.

And no rioters showed up.

This is my takeaway.

 

[rav3n]

What happened in my town yesterday was peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters being spit on by pro-Trump confederate flag-waving morons. And private citizens, who because of rumors of people coming here to riot, meeting in the mall parking lot, with guns. I don't want some moron with a gun shooting innocent people because they're paranoid. Thankfully the cops here kept the PRO-Trump people who would have started fights from doing so and told the would-be vigilantes to step down. And no rioters showed up.

There's a reason for this.

The FBI Finds ‘No Intel Indicating Antifa Involvement’ in Sunday’s Violence | The Nation

The FBI’s Washington Field Office “has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence” in the violence that occurred on May 31 during the D.C.-area protests over the murder of George Floyd, according to an internal FBI situation report obtained exclusively by The Nation. That same day, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that he would designate “Antifa” a terrorist organization, even though the government has no existing authority to declare a domestic group a terrorist organization, and antifa is not an organized group. Following the president’s tweet, Attorney General William Barr said in a statement, “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.”

The FBI report, however, states that “based on CHS [Confidential Human Source] canvassing, open source/social media partner engagement, and liaison, FBI WFO has no intelligence indicating Antifa involvement/presence.” The statement followed a list of violent acts like throwing bricks at police and the discovery of a backpack containing explosive materials, which were flagged by the FBI under a “Key Updates” section of the report. The FBI has been issuing such reports daily since the weekend, according to a Bureau source, who added that none of these documents contained any evidence of Antifa violence.

Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” is a type of militant anti-racist, anti-nationalist organizing that does not rely on the justice system to confront the far right. Groups associated with antifa have destroyed property and committed violence in the past, but the fact that the FBI’s situation reports cannot find any evidence of such involvement now suggests that fears about such groups may be exaggerated.

The report did warn that individuals from a far-right social media group had “called for far-right provocateurs to attack federal agents, use automatic weapons against protesters.” (The Nation is withholding the name of the group in order to not disrupt any potential law enforcement investigations.)