I am fed up with the narrative of the media

"Rioting and Looting" is how the media is selling this story instead of overwhelming and unnecessary police force against the protesters is fueling the violence. We have seen that time and time again starting long before Ferguson, but that is one of the first places I remember the cops starting to use the military equipment. Who can forget that scene where a cop is on top of a bearcat pointing his rifle at a group of unarmed people standing there with their hands up? The protests were mostly peaceful UNTIL the cops showed up and starting stirring shit up. Why? Because they could. And if the militarized outfitted cops weren't enough many states sent in the national guard. Yeah cuz that has always turned out well.

ap_ferguson_protest_kb_140814_16x9_992.jpg
10ed74ae-16c2-445e-8fcf-7ae82e6f8bf0.jpg

Salt Lake City came out to protest Friday and for the most part it was peaceful and in my opinion that was because there was no huge presence of militarized cops outfitted in their super predator gear with militarized bearcats and other military equipment. A group of young and mostly black people overturned a police car which was uncalled for of course and that led to the streets being flooded with cops. From there the protests turned violent. Saturday was so violent it was one of the first states that ordered a curfew from Saturday 9pm to Monday 6am.

Where are the violent crowds of protesters threatening the cop who pushed this man to the ground? He could have been seriously injured if he had fallen differently. 2nd tweet. (wish Twit would allow separated tweets again)

Will this cop be disciplined or have to go through anger management classes or any redemptive actions so that he knows that he can not get away with treating people like this? Probably not. And if this man sues then he will end up paying for his settlement just like every one of us that first pays the cops to do whatever the hell they want to us and then have to pay out because of their actions. Let's make them put skin in the game. Oh wait. Cops have the most powerful unions in the country and they wield that power with donations to both parties, but more so the DP.

Chad Loder's twitter page is filled with video after video of cops committing assault on unarmed people. Click on any one of them.

Look at what a cop is doing in the second tweet here. He put his knee on this person's neck which just happens to be what the incident was that started this shit show in the first place. This cop did that again in another tweet too.

Check out the number of times a cop killed or brutalized a black person and in most cases got away with it.

Again shame on America for allowing this for so long.

There are tons of videos of cops shooting people from the press even after they identify themselves and have their hands up or pepper spraying them while they are on the ground with their hands out. Or just shooting and pepper spraying people for no GD reason.

So yeah media pull your heads out and cover the real story here which is that while some people are taking advantage of the situation and are committing mayhem, the main story is why people are protesting against the cops in the first place. That is that they have been given a license to kill anyone they want without any consequences. Oh yeah here is another thing you can bring to the country's attention. WHY THE HELL ARE COPS SENT TO ISRAEL FOR TRAINING IN THE FIRST PLACE? We are not supposed to be seen as their enemy.

I posted an article from the BAR in my essay that talks about how Obama fueled the transfer of military equipment to the police by 2,400%. And Marie posted tweets showing how cops in some cities joined the protests instead of assaulting them.

The Empty Suit president has weighed in with lots of Empty Words:

If we want our criminal justice system, and American society at large, to operate on a higher ethical code, then we have to model that code ourselves.

Second, I’ve heard some suggest that the recurrent problem of racial bias in our criminal justice system proves that only protests and direct action can bring about change, and that voting and participation in electoral politics is a waste of time. I couldn’t disagree more. The point of protest is to raise public awareness, to put a spotlight on injustice, and to make the powers that be uncomfortable; in fact, throughout American history, it’s often only been in response to protests and civil disobedience that the political system has even paid attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, aspirations have to be translated into specific laws and institutional practices — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands.

Seriously, dude? We just need to elect the right government officials and then things will change for the better? Well wasn't that what the country did when it elected you and you had all branches of government for 2 years? Just what did that accomplish for us? Exactly. Nada. Almost every bill you passed helped the donor class at the expense of the working class and especially for blacks in America. This has been well documented. So take you piety and purtiy and put it where the sun don't shine. Or in a room in your $15 million mansion you were able to buy with help from the friends that rewarded you for what you did for them.


Finally, the more specific we can make demands for criminal justice and police reform, the harder it will be for elected officials to just offer lip service to the cause and then fall back into business as usual once protests have gone away.

Tell us what changed after Cleveland police were reviewed after Tamir Rice's murder, Barack. They had been under review for 10 years before his death and nothing had changed during that time. How about telling us what came from the investigation into Homen Square in Chicago that happened during your friend Rahm Emmanual, a Democratic Mayor? isn't that what you're telling us? That if we just elect enough democrats to run city and states then things will be all roses and unicorns? Hey wasn't that kinda hard to do after during your tenure over 900 states were lost and turned over to republicans? Why yes that did happen. SO as I said just empty words from an empty soul.


I recognize that these past few months have been hard and dispiriting — that the fear, sorrow, uncertainty, and hardship of a pandemic have been compounded by tragic reminders that prejudice and inequality still shape so much of American life. But watching the heightened activism of young people in recent weeks, of every race and every station, makes me hopeful. If, going forward, we can channel our justifiable anger into peaceful, sustained, and effective action, then this moment can be a real turning point in our nation’s long journey to live up to our highest ideals.

Let’s get to work.

Yeah it has only been a few months that have been hard and dispiriting and not the 8 years of your empty presidency or the decades before that or the centuries of what Blacks, Native Americans and other minorities have experienced. Swell of you to pipe up and let us know that we hold the answer if we just vote in the right people. Good Gawd and yet people swallow this swine up.

The "He was the best president in my life time" crowd weighs in, but fortunately others see him for who he was.

But Hope is on the way right?

Nope just more Empty Words from the person who was most responsible for the legislation that have given us this situation.

And why do I have the feeling that the violence is being fueled for some other nefarious purpose because the PTB know that this country is ripe for exploding after the greatest transfer of wealth from the lower to upper class in history? If the Floyd murder wasn't the match that lit what is happening then millions of people starving and being thrown out of their houses would have been. And then what? Just how close are we to martial law being declared? Cuz you know that is where we are headed.

And the violence isn't just being spurred by ANTIFA, but boy isn't that a great narrative? Let's just blame one group of agitators just because it fits your narrative. Blehh!! Besides I thought this was right out of Russia's playbook?

How about this instead, Susan?

Why the hell haven't the 3 other cops been arrested yet and FFS why was Chauvin not arrested for 5 days after he murdered George Floyd? Again look at the power of the police unions.

Dr. Cornell West says America is a failed social experiment:

Amen, Doc!

Share
up
33 users have voted.

Comments

CB's picture

up
19 users have voted.
longtalldrink's picture

@CB So the issue is police brutality...and just like that, the narrative is changed to riots and looting...ya know...good old fashioned gas lighting. That being said, people are using the only power they know against police brutality and the President decides to throw gas on the fire, by calling for "dominance"? Dominance? What a VERY authoritative word.

Let's NOT try to de-escalate the situation by actually listening to the people...noo the people have nothing to say in his opinion, best to just squash any dissent like any died in the wool narcissist will say.

up
21 users have voted.

Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin

boriscleto's picture

@CB

up
22 users have voted.

" In the beginning, the universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry, and is generally considered to have been a bad move. -- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy "

thanatokephaloides's picture

@boriscleto

Then he ran to his bunker

Who does that remind you of?

(Good evening, Counselor Godwin!)

Wink

up
10 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

snoopydawg's picture

This is why the media is focusing on the looting and outside agitators instead of the police brutality.

- The ruling-class calls the revolution "riots" hoping they can stop the revolution before we all start calling it a revolution.

- We heard the same story during the Ferguson demonstrations. Why should anyone trust someone who protects murders?

- Is it "outside agitators" firing tear gas and marker rounds on identified street medics trying to help any injured, including cops? Where's the outcry for this from the powerful?

- It was the cops Now I get it The outside agitators are actually the cops themselves

The real looting of America is being done by the government and corporations and banks and whomever else can get away with it.

up
24 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg I used to think that Chris Hedges was too much doom and gloom. Not only do I think he is dead on right, but he might even be more optimistic than I am right now. His depiction of what our prison system gives us a glimpse into our own future as a people.

And not one elected official on the national level is actually speaking out on our behalf.

up
14 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

ggersh's picture

@gulfgal98

And not one elected official on the national level is actually speaking out on our behalf.

If I had the resources I'd be outta here, pronto

up
9 users have voted.

I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish

"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"

Heard from Margaret Kimberley

Creosote.'s picture

@gulfgal98 @gulfgal98 [w late cx edit]
you and snoopy seem to be referring to:
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/06/02/treason-ruling-class
(my mistake: The Hedges you point to is in the Dore video above.
But I place you both at Hedges' side.)

up
3 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Creosote.

I missed it on my browsing through common dreams this morning. Thanks!

The ruling elites no longer have legitimacy. They have destroyed our capitalist democracy and replaced it with a mafia state. What the Roman philosopher Cicero called a commonwealth, a res publica, a “public thing” or the “property of a people,” has been transformed into an instrument of naked pillage and repression on behalf of a global corporate oligarchy. We are serfs ruled by obscenely rich, omnipotent masters who loot the U.S. Treasury, pay little or no taxes and have perverted the judiciary, the media and the legislative branches of government to strip us of civil liberties and give them the freedom to commit financial fraud and theft.

The loss of control over our system of rulership, the misuse of all democratic institutions, the electoral process and laws to funnel money upwards into to a handful of oligarchs while stripping us of power, ominously means that the ruling elites can no longer claim the right to have a monopoly on violence. Violence employed by police and security agencies such as the FBI, which have devolved into occupying forces, to protect the exclusive interests of a tiny, ruling criminal class exposes the fiction of the rule of law and the treason of the ruling elites.

“In order for nonviolence to work, your opponent must have a conscience,” Stokely Carmichael warned. And if your opponent is bereft of a conscience, then state violence is inevitably met with counter-violence. Tyranny takes the place of reform.

This is what many of us have been saying about our government. They are no longer a legitimate representative government because they have abdicated their oaths to serve us and they are no longer upholding their oaths of office. They have perverted everything that makes this a republic and they are nothing but whores to their donors.

The fact that the people who watched as Floyd was murdered should have had the right to intervene by whatever means necessary to stop them from doing it. If Chauvin didn’t have to follow the law then why should they have had to either? No jury would have held them accountable for defending a man’s life. I am also okay with protesters defending themselves from the cops who are firing their weapons at them or beating them with riot sticks. I watched 2 videos tonight of cops being out of control. One cop arrested a young woman and grabbed her breasts. She of course broke free from him and 3 cops rushed her. One pepper sprayed her in the face another one hit her with his stick around her hips and legs. In another video 3 women were on the ground with their hands up and a cop sprayed them right in their face. One had her hands over her face, the cop pulled them away and sprayed her. Surely people should be allowed to defend themselves from that?

I am okay with whatever looting is happening because if rich people and crimes members don’t have to follow the law then why should we peons and especially after congress looted the coffers of the money that was supposed to come to us? Trillions went to their donors while we got a one time payment of $1,200 if we’re lucky. How many people didn’t receive that or were able to get unemployment benefits?

up
5 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@Creosote. Everything is so dystopian right now. Hedges painted a very dire picture of our future in this country. I wept when I read it. Thank you for sharing it with us.

up
3 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

snoopydawg's picture

@snoopydawg

This is a perfect example of how the media is ignoring and usually ignores or changes the narrative as they help manufacture consent for whatever the power elite wants us to believe.

Why didn't the guy who was shot at have the right to confront the cop that did the deed?

Time after time we have watched as cops have assaulted anyone that they damn well wanted without any consequences or just outright murdered them as we have helplessly watched them do it because we know that if we interfere then we too will be assaulted, arrested and found guilty because that is how the laws are made up.

How many of the people that watched Floyd being murdered wanted at the time to intervene, but were too scared to do so? How many of them are now agonizing over their decision not to? I hope they can find peace with that because if they had who knows what would have happened to them? How many of us are asking what we would have done if we watched Chauvin and his fellow cops slowly murder Floyd in front of us? Or wonder what we would have done in any of the other countless assaults and murders? And why the hell aren't millions of cops around the country right now asking what they could have done to stop the countless criminal cops from murdering people just because their badge and the laws behind them have given them the right to do so? Look at how nonchalance Chauvin looked while he was slowly first torturing and then murdering George Floyd to death. His had his fucking hands in his pockets while he was doing that. And he did it even knowing that he was being filmed. Why did he think he would get away with it? Because he has seen countless other cops get away with it. Watch the video posted in the body that shows numerous times cops killing blacks. Most of them have gotten away with it.

Either the attorneys don't charge them or the grand jury will dismiss the case or if it ever gets to trial the jury will find them not guilty. Why? Cops are keeping us safe and they have the hardest job in the country. Not really, but that is what too many of our fellow citizens believe.

Sorry,, I know I am ranting. Again. But for now it's all I can do. All most of can do. I just hope that the protests don't fade away again like they have after the many other times blacks have come out and said that this is unacceptable. Looks like this time more people here and around the globe are also saying that too. Now is the time and we need to keep it going until there are real reforms. Not the bogus ones that happened during the Empty Suit's presidency. Did y'all read what he threw up at the country? Vomit!

Caitlyn is fond of saying, "Those who set the narrative...." sorry I have forgotten the rest right now but I will find it. But that is what we are seeing over and over isn't it?

Here are some of the people who were arrested over the weekend in SLC, UT.

27845884.jpg

Way more white people than black who are being blamed for the looting and the violence and lots of women too. I thought that was interesting. This is from this article on an investigation into outside agitators.

“I honestly, honestly, honestly believe that there were people from out of state that came in here to instigate some of this violence, but we will follow through with that,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown.

BTW Saagar is pissing me off big time because he too is just focusing on the LOOTING and not so much on why people are in the streets which is because of not only the murder of Floyd, but for all the other murders that went unpunished. Saagar, people have had enough! Krystal too has finally had enough of his viewpoint and I thank her for doing it. IT was around the 3:45 spot.

Ugghhh no the military should not be used for police actions to stop unlawful conduct because we have laws against that. But in this day and age laws be damned right Saagar?
YOU ARE ASKING THE WRONG QUESTION!! Damn right, Krystal.

up
10 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

snoopydawg's picture

@snoopydawg

Mimi posted it in Wendy's essay and Trevor absolutely nails it here. He starts out talking about how Amy Cooper knew damn well that she was weaponizing the black man's identity against him by saying she was going to call the cops on him and say that it was an African American man who was threatening violence against her.

And again about the media narrative this comment nails it:

Floyd didn't die after being pinned by his neck, as the article describes. He was handcuffed, restrained by three officers, then an officer put his full weight on his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly 9 minutes, The last 3 of those minutes Floyd was unresponsive and motionless. Despite stating multiple times "I can't breathe". Floyd didn't die, He was murdered by the one we trust and pay to protect us. All this for what? Allegedly passing on a counterfeit $20. Don't like the protest or the riots? You should have acted when it was just a knee. In fact, Trump had the power to prevent all of this when it was just a knee.

This could be a stand alone essay.

Thanks, Mimi.

up
8 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@snoopydawg

BTW Saagar is pissing me off big time because he too is just focusing on the LOOTING and not so much on why people are in the streets which is because of not only the murder of Floyd, but for all the other murders that went unpunished.

Typical (bowel) movement conservative. Money and property before people. Gag-o-maggot!

Where's William F. Buckley when we need him? Wink

Saagar, people have had enough! Krystal too has finally had enough of his viewpoint and I thank her for doing it. IT was around the 3:45 spot.

5:00, to be precise, Captain. Biggrin

up
4 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

Creosote.'s picture

@snoopydawg
'How much longer is it ethical for me to share a program with this man?'
Here in my town I understand that some of the police themselves were breaking store windows and "looting."

up
4 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

@Creosote.

I have seen Krystal listening to Saagar many times and wondered why she was letting him go on sputtering gibberish. I know that he is on to give a different perspective on things, but today she hit her limit with his missing the point on the protests. I’m glad she called him out on this since it’s the point of this essay

Good to see you. Doing okay?

up
4 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg Krystal and Saager were on split screen. When he launched into his shallow screed about property damage, I watched her face visibly change. It was the first time I noticed how obviously she was "annoyed" with what he was saying. It was then I thought she hit her limit too. Several people in chat noted that Saager is a man of color and wondered did he not realize that he could be targeted by police due to his skin color.

up
2 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Creosote.'s picture

@snoopydawg
took some time away after a mild fall, decided to "retire" as an independent contractor (since 1993).
I like seeing your analysis and writing constantly growing stronger!

up
2 users have voted.
snoopydawg's picture

Global Protests Erupt in Solidarity With Racial Justice Defenders in US

"Police brutality has created a flashpoint for unrest that was already simmering," read an editorial published Monday inPeople in a number of international cities violated bans on large gatherings over the weekend to show solidarity with protests against police brutality that have exploded in at least 140 cities across the United States.

The US media has ignored every protest that has been happening in France for over a year and elsewhere, but those people are just as fed up with the global elite's police forces because they see them as protecting the globalist's agendas at the expense of themselves. This solidarity is grand to see and I hope that they are causing a few people to sweat a tad and lose sleep. The response to this uprising is going to be interesting to watch. You can only push people so far until they are backed up against the wall and they start pushing back. Hopefully this will continue and take off and not fizzle out. That so many people are off work now because of COVID might be a blessing in disguise.

Hope people watched Chris Hedges in the above video because he explains this much better than I can. Now we need cops and especially the military to see how they too are being exploited for the Powers That Be.

up
20 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

longtalldrink's picture

@snoopydawg "Now we need cops and especially the military to see how they too are being exploited for the Powers That Be."

I think the cops might take a little longer to "see the light", even though evidence is showing that many cops have surprisingly taken a knee in solidarity with the protestors, but most I fear are just too "roided" up. This is your brain on ROIDS.

up
16 users have voted.

Well done is better than well said-Ben Franklin

The Liberal Moonbat's picture

What does he mean?

America is a social experiment, certainly, but I don't think it failed at all.

I think it was sabotaged.

up
12 users have voted.

In the Land of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man is declared mentally ill for describing colors.

Yes Virginia, there is a Global Banking Conspiracy!

polkageist's picture

up
19 users have voted.

-Greed is not a virtue.
-Socialism: the radical idea of sharing.
-Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.
John F. Kennedy, In a speech at the White House, 1962

snoopydawg's picture

@polkageist

I wish I could do more than just write about what is happening, but we can all bear witness to what is.

New Zealand is also marching in solidarity with us.

No wonder the elites are getting nervous. We need to keep this thing going somehow.

up
19 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

thanatokephaloides's picture

@snoopydawg

New Zealand is also marching in solidarity with us.

The People of Aotearoa know well that we must shake the Shiverman loose

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N47KnuP8B9Q]

if there's to be hope for this generation or any other.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08BmDkcHg9w]

Smile

up
3 users have voted.

"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar

"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides

I actively protested the Vietnam war and watched protests turn violent. It always happens like this. Motivated protesters show up to speak their minds through protest. They are for the greatest part not wanting violence and are hard on protesters who throw rocks. Then the cops show up. They march on the peaceful protesters singing some patriotic song. They marched in a tight rectangle. This looks like medieval war making, for a good reason. As soon as they physically engage with the protesters they start swinging clubs, to the head, kidneys and legs. The only alternative is to get away. They will chase you, drag you to the ground and club you. The local hospitals were filling up with clubbed protesters. I saw a guy on a bike on a cross street. They chased him down, pulled him to the ground and thoroughly clubbed him about kidneys. This is the point when all hell breaks loose. Local young tough males show up looking for a good and violent time. They break windows, set fires to banks, overturn cop cars, and throw bricks. And yes, I was clubbed about the head. I saw my picture in the Boston Globe getting clubbed in the early edition, but it then soon disappeared in the later edition.

Some of the cops showed support for the protesters as we marched peacefully along the street previous to the violence. They made it clear that they supported our protest. During the violence it was all out war.

There is a plus and negative side to all of this. The plus is that you make your protest clear and people hear it on the news. Today it's clear that police racial violence is unacceptable. The second positive point is that business as usual has been destroyed. This has enormous impact on citizens as a whole. It even deeply affected Nixon as he went out on the street to talk to the protesters in DC.
It's a social psychological impact. People's sense of society has been changed for ever. The niceness of calm and process is gone. But that's the point, that wasn't working as it was.

One of the negative sides is that this polarizes society. Those on the right want the protesters rounded up and put away. They want their social calm back. Trump and the Republican party will promise restoration of law and order. Those who feel the anger will side with the protest, but not with the violence, understanding that this is an unfortunate by-product of protest when you live in a country with Cops who are addicted to violence as a reaction to their authority being challenged, well in some cases more of an excuse to do what they really want to do.

People watch the violence on their TVs and react strongly. The challenge for the country is to find a way to resolve legitimate grievances, and at the same time restore order. This is, in fact, impossible given the people and political climate in the US today. Trying to exploit this from either side is tricky business, but my guess is that Trump will go to the strong law and order side, claiming that the many issues of the protesters have already been solved by himself or are false. On the other hand, this is a process of America feeling her way as to who she really is and where she wants to go, and that's an enormous problem.

Protest to the war in Vietnam produced drastic social changes in the US and we eventually got out of an illegal, immoral, brutal war. Today we are also at war, but it's at war with our own country and what we are as a nation and a society. These are the same unsolved problems from the days of war protest. We understood those problems but could not stay motivated to protest once we were out of Vietnam. Since these issues themselves are the cause of protest, maybe this time will be different. It's important that these protests become ingrained in our society and politicians need to address them if they want to remain relevant. It's time to go listen to some of Bob Dylan's old protest songs from the 60s.

up
20 users have voted.

Capitalism has always been the rule of the people by the oligarchs. You only have two choices, eliminate them or restrict their power.

snoopydawg's picture

@The Wizard

The second positive point is that business as usual has been destroyed.

Lots of businesses have been destroyed by the lack of government bailouts after the shutdown and this is going to just add to the misery. I think protests would have broken out in the near future anyway and maybe the response from cops is to push through draconian laws to derail them from happening? Yeah I hate being this cynical, but the PTB are always planning things out far in advance and just waiting for a trigger. But things are not going back to normal for a long time until we start getting our needs met.

up
18 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

snoopydawg's picture

@The Wizard

Who has done more damage to businesses in this country this year?

It talks about how many are going to close forever because of the lockdown after the shutdown. The game has been rigged against us.

up
19 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

on Fox News Sunday, as far as I can tell.

Been looking for a transcript, but, haven't found it, yet. If he was on with Wallace, they no longer provide transcripts, so, I may not be able to provide one.

Heh, just found it! Ellison was on FNC.

No transcript, but, from a Fox article, see below,

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison supported protesters in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and said black people have reason to fear Minneapolis police, while also calling out people from outside the state who he claimed contributed to “negative behavior” during riots in the city.

Ellison told "Fox News Sunday" that the violent behavior going on in the streets during demonstrations against the police does not help the goal of effecting change or getting justice for Floyd.

“We have evidence that outsiders have been present and, in some cases, have played a very negative role.

But I’ve been talking with protesters and trying to get a sense of who some of these folks are and I’ve heard mixed things,” Ellison said. “Some of the negative stuff has come from people in Minnesota and some of it has come from people on the outside. What I’d say is we’ve got enough to handle on our own and that what we really need to do is refocus on justice for Mr. Floyd. And the negative behavior, looting, arson, does not help us achieve that goal.”

Ellison received some backlash after comments he made Friday in which he instructed protesters to treat the National Guard – who was sent in to restore peace – differently than cops. On Sunday, Ellison confirmed that he believes black people in Minneapolis have reason to distrust or be afraid of the cops.

Here's link to the interview video,

Minnesota AG Ellison says he has evidence of outsiders contributing to riots while calling out ‘endemic problem’ with Minneapolis police

Not certain what Twitter Guy (Dixon) is trying to get it. It appears to me that most Dem Mayors and Governors are trying to deflect blame away from--not, besmirch, their most dedicated base of supporters. So, I don't think the narrative about 'outsiders' is intended to hurt the protestors cause. IOW, (it's my 'guess' that) in the opinion of the Dem PtB, looting and destruction would only serve to delegitimize the protests, if those actions were attributed to the bulk of the protestors.

Now, as far as 'the right'--including DT and Barr go--they probably just want an excuse to go after ANTIFA. (again, my 'guess') IOW, Repubs are opportunistically piling on with the 'outsider' narrative.

From what I've observed, most federal, state and local officials are reacting politically, not based on facts and/or evidence.

BTW, check out Governor Walz's bio. I knew he was a conservadem, because of his cheerleading over the privatization of VA medical services. (Veterans Choice Act) And, the dismantling of Civilian Service employee protections against adverse personnel actions--firings, demotions, etc.

What puzzles me, is--"If Minnesota is so liberal, why on earth have they elected Walz and Klobuchar?" They're both centrists, at best. (IMO)

Folks might want to watch some of the Cable News coverage. All 3 major cable channels were behind protests (initially)--only Fox has dropped their support, after the looting began.

CNN and MSNBC remain very staunchly on the side of protestors. Dom Lemon has even put out a call for AA actors in Hollywood to come on his show, and defend the protests. He appears to be upset that he can't get anyone, but pastors, like Barber, to come on his show. Claims that some celebrities that they contacted, expressed concerns that it might "hurt their brand." If that's true, so much for Limousine Liberals! I figure, another manisfestation of "NIMBY." Blew us away.

Thanks for all the info, SD.

Mollie

"Those who choose the lesser of evil, tend very fast to forget they have chosen the evil."
~~Hannah Arendt, Philosopher

“I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me, they are the role model for being alive.”
~~Gilda Radner, Comedienne

up
17 users have voted.

Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

wendy davis's picture

i gotta say that this from DementiaJoe tickled me witless though:

And as President, I will help lead this conversation — and more importantly, I will listen, just as I did today visiting the site of last night's protests in Wilmington.

and susan rice's rant in your previous post blaming the riots! riots! on 'russians'. but of course the MSM's focus is backwards, but almost no one is able to see that the reason the poor and people of color is that it's all that' left to them. and that their pent-up rage explodes in reaction to the violence of the state that's oppressed them, marginalized them, and kept them as slaves, literally. wage slaves, slaves to constant precarity living without health care, food insecure, and civil rights enjoyed by white people of the middle class.

and yes, the inherent violence of the system itself is the key, and commentators always laud 'peaceful protests', mainly because they don't upset the status quo, nor do make any gains for the oppressed. otoh, once in awhile riots do bring better change.

i do believe there are plenty of agents provocateurs creating mayhem, and as caitlin johstone and others have pointed out: many are cops with white armbands.

up
16 users have voted.

I live in Los Angeles, about 200 feet or so from Melrose Avenue in the Fairfax District and the fun and frolic thundered from 2pm Saturday until about 2am the following morning. I heard the explosions from the various "less than lethal" weaponry and saw the weird wave of tiny white explosions on the pavement that sounded like a July 4 string of fire crackers going off.

I also saw looters running down the middle of the street away from Melrose at 12:30 am with their arms full of stuff. I few minutes later I saw a car parallel park across the street from where I live. It banged into the car parked behind. Four guys got out and made a bee line to Melrose where now a significant number of stores are boarded up. It is impossible to say as of Monday whether those are repairs or defensive efforts.

As of today, an incredible number of businesses are boarded up, far more today than Sunday. The curfew for tonight was just announced.

All that said, and certainly not in opposition to this thread, I do have to hand it to the Los Angeles Police Department and the LA Country Sheriffs based in West Hollywood. Tomorrow they might slaughter a thousand people, but as of now, they have avoided serious confrontation. Yeah, they are popping their rubber bullet caps and chunking tear gas -- but many of those cannisters get tossed back at them. No war, yet. Compared to what we expected and got from the pigs in the late 60s and 70s, their performance has been not only patient and tolerant --- but actually wise.

I do not expect the wisdom to last. Trump is putting the political pressure on to local government officials to bring the hammer down, and even if Trump were to keep his mouth shut by some miracle, the hammer is going to come down if this shit does not ease up.

I suppose that the usual suspects will say that this has nothing to do with the lock down. Oh, no. It is all about the very legitimate cause of Black Lives Matter. Hell, I have no doubt that the primary motivation for every person all over the country in the demonstrations this week was to throw down and say Fuck This Shit when yet another pig murders a black person while his pig buddy stands by and watches.

My point is that people are far more ready to say Fuck This Shit after 10 weeks of house arrest and unemployment for half of the people in Los Angeles County. The number of demonstrators is still relatively small, but I was overwhelmed with admiration for the determination of so many of them who were still blocking the streets eight hours into the action.

There are three discrete and all but irrelevant to each other motivations at work. This starts with people who want to make the slogan real -- black lives matter. They are not following the example of King and Gandhi, but the cops have up to now overlooked the illegality of blocking the street and not filled up the jails. Instead they try to contain the disruption and out last the demonstrators.

At this point the News Narrative focuses on the second group, The Bad Apples, the Few Idiots who do shit like set fire to police cars. That is a more serious infraction of the law than stopping traffic, but it makes for great TV. From vast experience at organizing demonstrations, I offer this personal testimony -- anybody who sets fire to a car has another agenda than just "protest." Don't get me wrong, I am not moralizing here and at various times in my life, I might have been the guy torching the pigmobiles.

Thus the news correctly distinguishes between passive resistance and active resistance, but falsely aims the blame game at the active resisters. Since the message of both active and passive resisters is the same, the effect of the condemnation of the fire bugs is to dismiss the entire affair as a tragic irony. As people in power so frequently say to you when they tell you why you are not going to get what you are complaining about, "You just went about it the wrong way."

That little rule about how you have to go about things the right way, of course, is how the status quo always maintains its stranglehold on power.

I do not see any coherent revolutionary theory in action here. I see people saying Fuck This Shit. There is no point trying to rationalize or moralize about "tactics." People are sincerely pissed off and getting more so.

Which brings us to Group Number Three, the looters. Get mad at them if you want. The cops will start shooting them at some point, and toss them into incarceration until the jails fill and then some other solution will be found.

Looters are in fact thieves. And it is romantic nonsense to idealize looting as anything but a crime. It is the crime itself that should garner your interest -- we can see people on TV in real time showing you what they think of the social order: Fuck This Shit.

People seem to be wondering about how this is going to affect elections. Sorry. As always, civil unrest plays to the electoral advantage of authoritarians. Who cares who wins when you have to board up your storefront as a defensive measure going on today all over Los Angeles?

A friend of mine from Chicago says that some rambunctious character let the animals out of the zoo. Perfect metaphor for the USA during the time of universal contempt for our government. Republicans and Democrats have been flaming each other as illegitimate usurpers of the constitution for four years straight.

They are both right of course, and the looters have figured that out.

I have been disgusted and frustrated and full of contempt for the Alone Together branding of The Virus. All cheerful and all together, we are going to get through this thing. Earp, slop, get the mop. I see this saccharine bullshit working perfectly with the MSM watching folks, an insular audience of no more than 20 million people. But I could not believe that it accurately depicted how the actual human beings sitting at home, waiting for life to resume, really felt about all this. These demonstrations of course do not prove that a majority is ready for revolt.

But some are already in revolt.

up
21 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

snoopydawg's picture

@fire with fire

I also saw looters running down the middle of the street away from Melrose at 12:30 am with their arms full of stuff.

Twitter is abuzz with pictures of cops taking boxes of Nike shoes for themselves as well as other items. And of course there are the pictures of men wearing white armbands that identify them as undercover cops breaking windows and doing other nefarious things to give cops an excuse to start doing more violence.

They are not following the example of King and Gandhi

People have been trying to follow MLK and Ghandi's examples since they were killed and it hasn’t gotten them anywhere so maybe that’s why they are trying something else. Looking back at protests since BLM formed after Michael Brown's murder they were protesting peacefully and yet they were met with overwhelming and brutal force from the cops as shown in the photos above. A search for images from the 2014 Ferguson protests will show hundreds of times cops were beating people up.

Looters are in fact thieves.

This might depend on what color they are. I saw a tweet video of two looters. One was of a black person and the woman who was white was given the benefit of doubt that she was just a store employee that was trying to save things from being stolen.

I’m more concerned about the looters who have government consent to do it then I am the ones who are taking food, clothing or even TVs. There are two justice systems in this country and it’s okay with me if the little folks get away with doing some shit because of how many times people who are better off get away with doing big shit.

Then there’s the way that people who want the country to open up have been met with yawns from the cops even when they are not wearing masks and shouting in cop’s faces and armed to the gills.

up
15 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

@snoopydawg I agree with you. My comment purposefully avoided taking sides and I was just trying to be accurate about what is going on. I did overstate one point -- I said looting is a crime, which is not correct. Looting is a violation of law.

Separate from my raging anger about the long string of hideous developments leading to this absurd condition we face this coming summer, I was thrilled by the demonstrations. Most of all, they are organic -- they are growing out of cyberspace and look utterly random, but they pursue an internal and shared logic that I find inspirational.

I do not find any fault at all with these manifestations employing tactics not prescribed by Gandhi or King or any other player from a previous century. I just pointed out the distinction to show how far the LA authorities are backing off.

The police ncars could be blown up by agents provocateurs, or Antifa guys, or seriously ideological characters from splinter parties. That part of the action is a tag-along by organizers and hyper-activists from splinter parties or revolutionary movements. Doesn't really matter. Nobody would be blowing up police cars unless there was a real demo going on with regular folks participating out of sincere outrage. Like the active resisters, they are tagging along with the spontaneous eruption from Black Lives Matter and its newly energized supporters.

I certainly agree that cops looting or engaging in any other false flag manipulation are criminals and should get hard time for their crimes.

Looters, on the other hand, are Neoliberals. They are looking out for number one. They can plainly see, as does anybody who does not watch cable news, that the law only applies sometimes and only on behalf of the rich or powerful. Cops can kill black people and walk. Justice is an utter joke. So, just as corporations bribe politicians to create a market for their products like aircraft carriers and machine guns, so the looter breaks the window of a store to create access to free stuff. In both cases, it is a risk-reward calculation. For the looters, if the cops ain't paying attention and nobody is stopping you, why not take what you can? For the banks, if the Department of Justice ain't paying attention and nobody is stopping you, why not take what you can?

Looting can be a revolutionary act and I am making no moral judgement when I say that it is still theft.

up
11 users have voted.

I cried when I wrote this song. Sue me if I play too long.

@fire with fire criminal conviction.
There is a civil body of law, and a criminal body of law.
All things not civil are criminal activities.
You either get sued for damages for breaking a window under civil law, or you get charged with a crime, subjected to imprisonment upon rendering of a guilty verdict.
A rule for lawyers practicing in civil court: Never sue a poor person. Have them arrested, and restitution is a term and condition of their probation or parole.

up
9 users have voted.

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981

snoopydawg's picture

@fire with fire

I’m seeing tweets showing that white men are patrolling the streets to stop the violence or looting without any police presence at all.

A black family called the cops to arrest some looters and they handcuffed the black family instead and wouldn’t listen to the bystanders who were telling them that they owned the store.

Seeing lots of exactly of 2 America’s tonight. And democrats have been talking to D mayors on how to break up the protests. Shades of OWS.

up
15 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

snoopydawg's picture

He is directly responsible for the increase in cops and prisons with both the crime and welfare reform bills and he’s now saying that he wants to put 300,000 more cops on the streets. But he also has a plan for them to become less lethal.

Yep that’s going to help us right? Hey Joe how about you tell the cops to just quit f’cking shooting us? But the centrists are all in a twit because they say that an adult has entered the conversation. Dimwits must have forgotten about Joe’s role in getting the country to this point. Oh yeah and Harris and Klobocop did their best to hold killer cops accountable. Even though the evidence shows otherwise.

up
14 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

wendy davis's picture

@snoopydawg

bless his revolutionary spirit in the end, but MLK's passive resistance tactics would not have succeeded to the extent they did without the cautionary tale of Malcolm X's 'by any means necessary'.

but i keep coming back to the truism that only a marginalized (poor useless eater) black person can feel their pain and fear, no matter how far we extend ourselves in empathy and solidarity.

up
9 users have voted.

up
11 users have voted.
gulfgal98's picture

It has been a very rough couple of days. At one point, I cried at seeing how peaceful protestors were being fired upon by police. If we look at these protests, nearly every one of them becomes violent directly due to police aggression toward the protestors.

What we are seeing is exactly how little our elected officials care for the people they are charged with representing. The mask has not just slipped, it has been ripped off. When the public actually realizes just how badly they have been screwed by Congress' and the President's most recent actions, watch out.

The issue is a major structural problem that may be very difficult to disassemble short of a revolution. People with nothing left to lose are the most dangerous people in the world.

up
9 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

snoopydawg's picture

@gulfgal98

It has been a rough couple of days because we are witnessing the anguish that far too many have felt from the injustices in this country. I think on top of the numerous and unpunished murders done by cops going back years and decades it is also the unpunished crimes committed by the banks, corporations and the ineffective representation from the government going back to the economic crash of 2007 and the way that the people who caused it were bailed out and we were left to fend for ourselves. OWS rose up because of that and it got squashed by Obama's DHS that worked with governors across the country with the same tactics we are seeing now. And with the latest transfer of wealth while we are once again told that our lives don't matter people have just had enough. The country was a tinder box just waiting for the match to be lit anyway, but Floyd's murder and Chauvin not being arrested for it set it off.

Upthread I posted Trevor Noah's video that ties other things into this. One was Aubrey's lynching by 3 white men that weren't arrested until the video came out. The other is Amy Cooper's threatening to call the cops on a black man knowing what might happen and then Floyd's murders not being arrested. The 3 other cops still haven't even after a video showed that 2 other cops kneeled on his back. As the recent autopsy shows they were just as culpable as Chauvin was. Why don't we know their names? And the cop that just stood their and watched is just as responsible as the man that filmed Aubrey's lynching. Instead of just lighting a bush fire we got a lit match on a powder keg.

Please see my 2 recent comments and videos. Especially Noah's because he ties so much of everything together.

When the public actually realizes just how badly they have been screwed by Congress' and the President's most recent actions, watch out.

Yep. This is not over even if they do manage to quell the recent protests. Too many people have been left in dire straits by both parties and boy do I think it has been done deliberately. Why else is congress reauthorizing the parts of the patriot act that are supposed to be expiring? As I an others keep pointing out, if Trump is so dangerous then why are democrats giving him more power to spy and do other things? Including Bernie who keeps coming out to bitch about what congress is doing and not doing. Put your vote where your fingers are Bernie or shut up about it. We don't have any power to do anything. You do.

up
7 users have voted.

Which AIPAC/MIC/pharma/bank bought politician are you going to vote for? Don’t be surprised when nothing changes.

gulfgal98's picture

@snoopydawg

up
4 users have voted.

Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy