Reposting this here, because I'm curious about what people think; Like, the validity of Floyd's death aside, the actions since haven't exactly smoothed things.
good that theyre getting a handle on it with the NG fully agree with the message behind the initial protest but as with all large scale protests they can slip very quickly into groups of people unrelated to it merging in and looting/rioting makes it unsafe for the actual protestors, the general public and small businesses in the area once its under control actual organised protests can be arranged and monitored so people are actually safe (look at that truck guy who could have easily plowed through 50+ people if he didn't change his mind right before for example)
In a society where capital and property are typically valued over human life, looting and destroying property is an entirely valid means of protesting. Let's keep in mind that proper protesting is supposed to not be comfortable, it's supposed to be agitating. Would we really all be talking about this as seriously as we are if the protests remained 'peaceful'? I doubt it. They would have happened and then stopped just like all the other peaceful protests with a similar message before. Also fuck 12 (and the military) those assholes are typically the ones to instigate the violence, be it through plainclothes cops pretending to be protesters that begin to destroy buildings or them just being super aggro towards protesters who then defend themselves but the cops get all scared because they actually fucked up and begin to toss tear gas and use rubber bullets.
even if you agree with rioting and looting being a valid form of protesting doing it during a global pandemic where governments already have to put themselves into major defecits is a bad idea literally just weakening yourselves new corona infections aside as these huge gatherings are ideal conditions for it
For the first bit, good. The economy is weaker, therefore the state and big businesses take hits easier now than they would before. For the second bit, we're all between a rock and a hard place. Just prior to this idiots were protesting the actual measures that were put in-place to assure the health of as many people as possible themselves; however the protests now are against state violence. If we sat back because of COVID-19, you're right the infection rate might be lower than it is now - but again no one would be talking about the issue, which sorely needs to be addressed.
i actually disagree with both parts here id say reducing your governments ability to help you by wasting tax money on repairing the damage caused by these riots on top of the already huge spending on corona is a bad idea at best - look at the 2008 recession for examples, and that was supposedly not even close to corona alone for the second half; the case this time is very clear, there's no denying what happened - the cop in question failed to follow protocol and kept his knee on his neck for over 17 minutes. Several ex-LEOs have explained what he did wrong and how its inexcusable, no doubt that that cop will go down for 2nd degree manslaughter at least There's literally no way that cop won't be punished severely for his actions as he knew what he was doing was dangerous. Going this overboard by rioting and looting literally helps no-one, divides the country more and puts your own officers and civilians at risk. I've seen footage of numerous civvie and cop casualties now all over one very clear cut case that would have almost certainly been dealt with quickly and swiftly anyway.
The problem is that this keeps happening. It's been happening for decades and centuries; and sure there are cases where the officers do get actually punished, but it keeps happening.
imagine screaming light 'em up and acting like a meathead when you're just a discount soldier aren't all national guardsmen just civilians playing dress up actually pathetic stay safe broski wtf
So you've got, what, 15 paragraphs of explanation? 15 paragraphs that, if read by most people, would evoke a sense of understanding, perhaps even tone down the riots and protests. But that isn't going to happen, because people aren't interested in the details like this - or at least, never have the time nor patience to actually read them. What 98% of the nation sees is the immediate video, the allegations and headlines, and draw the conclusion that he was the victim of a racially motivated murder. My biggest thought was always exactly that, "Why would he even consider attempting to murder someone with all those cameras on him?" - it just doesn't really add up. Regardless, Chauvin may as well have been put on death row because he's no doubt going to get murdered once he gets inside the nick. Merged: >cops being petrol bombed in their own vehicles >police being run straight over by protestors >rioters murdering each other >people being dragged through the street and beaten black and blue >people being hit with rubber bullets and maimed as a result Nah, sorry man but you can't make a case for yourself when you advocate all of the above simply because 'hnnng hate the state!'. It's a recurring theme with all commies and anarchists posting on these threads, you're just happy you have an opportunity to attack the state and/or corporations, rather than rioting for the cause which is George's death. I'd rather you didn't riot altogether, but I'd much rather you be doing it for George rather than opportunistically doing it for your own political goals. I'm just wondering - for all the advocacy you've got for violence and 'uncomfortable' rioting(likely just a wet dream for a revolution) have you actually been out and burned down any corporations yourself? Or attacked police?
"get inside" >doesn't get inside "get inside now" >doesn't get inside "get inside your house now" >doesn't get inside "get inside now" >doesn't get inside "light em up" >still doesn't get inside >gets hit with pepper bullets(?) "This is so brutal, fuck the police"
Violence is no laughing matter, you're right. I protest for Floyd who died of state violence, another name added to the very long list. All cops are bastards. I say this systematically, as I know individually there are plenty of good men and women who join up for what they think are noble reasons - I personally know many of these people. The problem lies in the fact that regardless of their intentions, they are ordered to and will typically carry out orders to suppress the homeless, the poor, minorities, workers, queer folk, those protesting, and so on. No I have not harmed anyone. I dread thinking of the day that I may need to out of defense of myself or others, as I personally will continue on this path that I feel is correct and so realistically may come to that point some day. I have been protesting though, and I have been tear gassed by police and so have good friends of mine. Speaking of protesting, here's a few decent pictures that were taken at one I went to recently. This is an hour or two before the tear gas was deployed and rubber rounds were used. (All started because an officer assaulted a protester.) Spoiler: PROTEST PICTURES
And where do you draw that conclusion from? I highly doubt any documentation has been released that officially decrees police officers have a suppression quota on the homeless, poor and minorities. Then what makes you think it's acceptable for other people to go out and do it? You're like politicians during wartime, it's all well and good to sit there and say "continue fighting"(or, in this case, "be violent") when your own skin isn't in the line of fire.
no, unless all soldiers are playing dress up as well irks me when people shit on reserve forces - theyre just as good as the actual military and just as necessary, especially in response to situations like this where the cops aren't sufficient in number to deal with fucknuts piggybacking off a legitimate protest to burn and steal shit also bear in mind that those soldiers also run the risk of being called up to protect the nation's interests abroad and possibly lay down their lives (and many did not that long ago) cops and NG aren't there to hurt you, they're there to keep the peace. if they're using riot control gear on you you're either extremely unfortunate to have been both in the wrong place at the wrong time and have missed all the loud verbal warnings (like screaming commands at you ironically enough) or you're someone deliberately taking part in a riot/ignoring reasonable commands from LEOs. i get being pissed off at what looks unfair to you but at the end of the day the NG and cops have a job to do
Where is the source? I’ve heard this thrown around by proponents of the idea that police shouldn’t exist and/or are evil so much but not once has it been backed. Where are the documents or laws or orders where it is specified to do any sort pf action to opress these specific people? Or, as most likely is the case, is it just a summarized statement based on anecdotes from people in certain cases, majority of these people holding some sort of grudge or bias against the police? I think you underestimate the ability to which individual police officers are actually able to interpret orders and be corrupt which is the actual cause behind all this injustice.