Article makes it a point to slant against "white supremacists" (""Our neighborhood is under threat from white supremacists coming into Minneapolis," it says."), and show anarchists in a good light ("a white man named Jordan — he wouldn't give his last name but described himself as working with anarchists — walks over in a bulletproof vest with a yellow walkie-talkie attached. He approaches Madrigal and Hernandez. He explains he and others will be in the empty building next door to the market to provide security for a nearby theater.").
But regardless, at least the citizens of the city are taking upon themselves the responsibilities their city and state governments have failed to provide. I wonder if they'll remember any of this come the next elections, or just re-elect the same people and party that got them here, and if they'll keep paying taxes for services not rendered?
Mr. Blair- it was interesting here to see when they planned protests for both West Los Angeles (very progressive white area) and East L.A. (very Latino), how the East L.A. event didn't happen- the locals were rightly suspicious, and no one showed up there. The few black clad youths with backpacks that did show up were chased off with gunfire. They weren't having it, there would be no agitating or looting there.
I passed through a local town that was having a BLM “solidarity” march. Probably entirely by coincidence, a bunch of local clubs had lined the streets with motorcycles. For a change the police seemed positively delighted by that.
My wife asked one of the cops what the protest was about. He replied, “It’s one of those marches against law enforcement.”
It ain't real yet. When it is real, there will be no BS about those who are "licensed to carry". And how stupid do you have to be to let an unknown group set up on an opposing roof? I can't decide if the reporter was terminally stupid, the "defenders" terminally stupid, or the entire city of Minneapolis terminally stupid. So far, I am thinking #3.
Raven, what choice do they have? It's not their roof. If it turned out they were actually scouts for a coming force of looters. I suppose then maybe you could do something, but it would still be fraught with risk unless they actually *shot* at you.
I wonder, if this crap show continues, if one might need to have a go-pro camera on their weapon to be able to verify the righteousness of their shoot later. Of course, always the risk of it being used against you. Tough call.
Oh, and no one talks about this, but part of the problem in Seattle in the first place was that their police force was already operating at only 60% strength because everyone with an opportunity got the heck out of that force as soon as they could find a job somewhere else. It will only accelerate, I presume.
The thing is, I'm prepared to accept that there are bad cases of police misconduct that should generally be addressed much more harshly than usually. Somehow this turned into also accepting the destruction of statues of Thomas Jefferson, and the defacing of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War, and in fact rejecting the American Revolution and the Founding altogether.
Yet there were tremendous steps made in that revolution that are without peer elsewhere in human history. I'm unwilling to walk away from that heritage.
I might be willing to let some looting and burning in Minneapolis pass, from the first night especially, when tempers were hot over what was clearly an egregious crime. But somehow we've been asked to accept looting as a semi-permanent feature of our society, and "in the interests of justice"! Police chiefs, like the one in Charlotte, declare that our society bears sufficient blame that it should simply accept destruction or theft or property, and the police will do nothing to stop it; but they will arrest you if you should defend your own.
This is in fact unsustainable on several levels. It's a failure of the legitimacy of the government of multiple cities, and perhaps some states.
Fortunately, some Americans seem to be stepping up.
I might be willing to let some looting and burning in Minneapolis pass, from the first night especially, when tempers were hot over what was clearly an egregious crime. But somehow we've been asked to accept looting as a semi-permanent feature of our society
The trouble is that when you do the former, you open the door to the latter.
Crimes of passion badly want punishment, too. These are rational, adult human beings, not rabid animals.
"Crimes of passion badly want punishment, too. These are rational, adult human beings, not rabid animals."
That some leaders see the riots as inevitable, and that they can only simply hope to contain them tells you something about how they see some of their constituents, doesn't it?
There is footage out there of Chicago Latino gangs running off *any* black person they see, on the assumption they're out to loot.
ReplyDeleteWell, this is the world they wanted.
Article makes it a point to slant against "white supremacists" (""Our neighborhood is under threat from white supremacists coming into Minneapolis," it says."), and show anarchists in a good light ("a white man named Jordan — he wouldn't give his last name but described himself as working with anarchists — walks over in a bulletproof vest with a yellow walkie-talkie attached. He approaches Madrigal and Hernandez. He explains he and others will be in the empty building next door to the market to provide security for a nearby theater.").
ReplyDeleteBut regardless, at least the citizens of the city are taking upon themselves the responsibilities their city and state governments have failed to provide. I wonder if they'll remember any of this come the next elections, or just re-elect the same people and party that got them here, and if they'll keep paying taxes for services not rendered?
Mr. Blair- it was interesting here to see when they planned protests for both West Los Angeles (very progressive white area) and East L.A. (very Latino), how the East L.A. event didn't happen- the locals were rightly suspicious, and no one showed up there. The few black clad youths with backpacks that did show up were chased off with gunfire. They weren't having it, there would be no agitating or looting there.
ReplyDeleteI passed through a local town that was having a BLM “solidarity” march. Probably entirely by coincidence, a bunch of local clubs had lined the streets with motorcycles. For a change the police seemed positively delighted by that.
ReplyDeleteMy wife asked one of the cops what the protest was about. He replied, “It’s one of those marches against law enforcement.”
Interesting, and instructive, that NPR has chosen to assume there are no antifa thugs, only white supremacists.
ReplyDeleteEric Hines
I don't seem to know which world this is. It looks like DYing LIght or some other current apoc zombie pc game though.
ReplyDeleteTHis is a very interesting plot humanity has created for itself.
It ain't real yet. When it is real, there will be no BS about those who are "licensed to carry". And how stupid do you have to be to let an unknown group set up on an opposing roof? I can't decide if the reporter was terminally stupid, the "defenders" terminally stupid, or the entire city of Minneapolis terminally stupid. So far, I am thinking #3.
ReplyDeleteAlong with all Douglas's points.
Raven, what choice do they have? It's not their roof. If it turned out they were actually scouts for a coming force of looters. I suppose then maybe you could do something, but it would still be fraught with risk unless they actually *shot* at you.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, if this crap show continues, if one might need to have a go-pro camera on their weapon to be able to verify the righteousness of their shoot later. Of course, always the risk of it being used against you. Tough call.
Oh, and no one talks about this, but part of the problem in Seattle in the first place was that their police force was already operating at only 60% strength because everyone with an opportunity got the heck out of that force as soon as they could find a job somewhere else. It will only accelerate, I presume.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, I'm prepared to accept that there are bad cases of police misconduct that should generally be addressed much more harshly than usually. Somehow this turned into also accepting the destruction of statues of Thomas Jefferson, and the defacing of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier of the Revolutionary War, and in fact rejecting the American Revolution and the Founding altogether.
ReplyDeleteYet there were tremendous steps made in that revolution that are without peer elsewhere in human history. I'm unwilling to walk away from that heritage.
I might be willing to let some looting and burning in Minneapolis pass, from the first night especially, when tempers were hot over what was clearly an egregious crime. But somehow we've been asked to accept looting as a semi-permanent feature of our society, and "in the interests of justice"! Police chiefs, like the one in Charlotte, declare that our society bears sufficient blame that it should simply accept destruction or theft or property, and the police will do nothing to stop it; but they will arrest you if you should defend your own.
This is in fact unsustainable on several levels. It's a failure of the legitimacy of the government of multiple cities, and perhaps some states.
Fortunately, some Americans seem to be stepping up.
I might be willing to let some looting and burning in Minneapolis pass, from the first night especially, when tempers were hot over what was clearly an egregious crime. But somehow we've been asked to accept looting as a semi-permanent feature of our society
ReplyDeleteThe trouble is that when you do the former, you open the door to the latter.
Crimes of passion badly want punishment, too. These are rational, adult human beings, not rabid animals.
Eric Hines
"Crimes of passion badly want punishment, too. These are rational, adult human beings, not rabid animals."
ReplyDeleteThat some leaders see the riots as inevitable, and that they can only simply hope to contain them tells you something about how they see some of their constituents, doesn't it?