Another day, another police beating in America

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

My guess as far as what the police are doing; is that the city governments have ramped up their protocols to deal with the riots specifically. Of course, there's immediate conflation with any protesting in general, and you're having a lot of departments churn out their true colors in a time involving two completely separate crises going on at the same time.

[Madner Kami]

You are making excuses. Sure, there are lots of problems surrounding "being black", but none of those will be solved by smashing in a store window, taking a TV and wandering off or stealing an entire ATM. In fact, it makes the problems of the black community worse, because they are rightfully seen as a dangerous, criminal mob.

Think about it: What has the store-owner in a black neighbourhood ever done to the people robbing his store? He possibly even had some of them hired, securing their livelyhoods and now the black community turns around, robs the store, making sure that the jobs and lives tied to it are being essentialy ruined and voided. These twats are actively ruining any chances of improving things. Worse yet, they are delivering excuses to crack down even harder. This isn't a situation anymore, where taking up arms and dispatching of your owner will solve your every problem... A bad lot in live is an excuse to steal a loaf of bread, not an excuse to set cities on fire.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Surely if enough Targets and low-income housing is burned down, police brutality will finally end.

That's the real thing that should tick off all the alarm boxes on all sides. This isn't any sort of rally or protest, it's a huge armed robbery. Sure some of those criminals will call the police brutality out and I suppose at least some of the rioters have an actual interest in ending police brutality, but the moment the first shop window gets smashed, should be the moment where everyone who actually wants a better society, should take a step back and not participate in the whole thing anymore.

"If anyone anywhere breaks a window the entire protest is now WRONG!"
In a society that values goods and services above human life, property damage IS a valid form of protest.

This country was built on property damage in protests. Boston Tea Party anyone?

(And that's even setting aside the amount of fires and property damage which has been initiated by plain clothes police officers.)


That said, if you are really concerned about the businesses hurt by this, here are some donation funds for the local shops:

Score Sports Bar https://www.gofundme.com/f/scores-bar-mpls-riot-rebuild

Ghandi Mahal https://www.gofundme.com/f/real-one-gandhi-mahal-revival-fundraiser?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link-tip&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

e&l supermarket and deli https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-eampl-supermarket-and-deli-on-lowry-ave

midori’s floating world cafe https://www.gofundme.com/f/restore-midori039s-floating-world-cafe

SacDelux https://kristina100000.tumblr.com/post/619570180605018112/support-sacdelux-consignment-store-organized-by

[Madner Kami]

You're an absolute idiot and I am hardly surprised. But sure, go ahead. Cheer for people ransacking their own neighbourhoods and communities. It's a great way of keeping poverty there, ensuring further future conflict and I have to guess, that is excatly what you want, is it not? *slowclap*

[Riedquat]

In a society that values goods and services above human life, property damage IS a valid form of protest.

Smashing up random peoples' stuff is just being a waste of space nutter that the world could do without. Such "protesters" are just idiots looking for a feeble excuse to break things. Any bit of genuine anger attracts that scum unfortunately, they see some things being smashed and want to join in, they couldn't care less what started it all off.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

So, my city is continuing the anti-protest Curfew. The damage here is noteworthy but considerably less than, say, what you get when somebody's football team wins.

Madner, I notice you haven't responded to any of my points. Was the Boston Tea Party wrong?

I suspect the venn diagram of people complaining about the property damage and people complaining about Colin Kapernick's peaceful protest is a circle.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

You are making excuses. Sure, there are lots of problems surrounding "being black", but none of those will be solved by smashing in a store window, taking a TV and wandering off or stealing an entire ATM. In fact, it makes the problems of the black community worse, because they are rightfully seen as a dangerous, criminal mob.

I don't find it to be an excusing account. You and everybody else are making it out to be a rational political expression when it's more a matter of people acting as if being backed into a corner.

Granted, i feel that a lot of people on the left have a tendency to factor it into ideological responses, I think proves a bit much.

Think about it: What has the store-owner in a black neighbourhood ever done to the people robbing his store? He possibly even had some of them hired, securing their livelyhoods and now the black community turns around, robs the store, making sure that the jobs and lives tied to it are being essentialy ruined and voided. These twats are actively ruining any chances of improving things. Worse yet, they are delivering excuses to crack down even harder. This isn't a situation anymore, where taking up arms and dispatching of your owner will solve your every problem... A bad lot in live is an excuse to steal a loaf of bread, not an excuse to set cities on fire.

[GreyICE]

Some people here really looking to push a narrative. Too bad it's obvious that we're not buying it. It's not hard to see who is in the wrong here.

[GreyICE]

It's also not hard to see what caused the violence - the cops. 100% the cops. There's many places where violence didn't erupt, cities poor and well to do.

Flint Michigan, one of the poorest cities in America, where the police chief put down his baton, took off his helmet, and walked out to join the protesters:



Miami, Florida, where the cops took a knee in solidarity with the protesters and acknowledgment of how fucked up this is:




Compare to Seattle where the cops threw concussion bombs at protesters who had done no violence. Cops start the violence, it escalates. They know this, they know how to police not to cause violence -and because of that they know how to police to cause violence. This riots? They could be prevented. Cops chose not to prevent them. Everywhere they chose not to prevent them, ask yourself "why"?

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/05/george-floyd-protests-police-violence.html


I should stop even talking about property damage. That's not the real story here. Thank you for reminding me.