George Floyd's Death, Protests and Riots across the US

[bjorb]

Defund the police and the mob will surely gain the upper hand. Perhaps that’s what they are after. A people’s revolution strong enough to overthrow the government. In this case Trump. Or at least force him to resign.

He can't rely on the military either because of reasons already stated in this topic. What they are missing is that the silent majority is armed to the teeth and watching the situation closely. Or are they also in the crosshairs? Will they militarize the Left? The next couple of months are going to be quite the rollercoaster.

This is a war that is igniting throughout the world.

 

[SOTTREADER]

Defund the police and the mob will surely gain the upper hand. Perhaps that’s what they are after. A people’s revolution strong enough to overthrow the government. In this case Trump. Or at least force him to resign.

He can't rely on the military either because of reasons already stated in this topic. What they are missing is that the silent majority is armed to the teeth and watching the situation closely. Or are they also in the crosshairs? Will they militarize the Left? The next couple of months are going to be quite the rollercoaster.

This is a war that is igniting throughout the world.

Yes, in looking into the suggested reforms, I saw the defund options.

I don't like the look of that but don't know the details. In any case, given the militarisation of the police all over the western world, I don't think the elites will reverse that trend.

I think most likely policing will be made more regimented and the system will be made to hold individual cops responsible and accountable for their actions more easily than is the case now. I think such changes will probably appease the mobs but ultimately won't change the trajectory of policing and the eventual formation of a police state.

With regards the silent majority... I totally agree. They are armed to the teeth. The thing to note though is that the insurrection is occurring in cities and democratic strongholds... I'm not sure these majority who tend to live in republican strongholds can operate within these democratic strongholds e.g. NYC or LA.

At the end of the day, if a republican citizen militia was to hunt down and kill protesting civilians, that militia would be hunted down and arrested or killed by the full force of the state.

So despite these majority holding guns, I don't think there's much they can do. For sure they haven't really done anything thus far other than brandish their guns around!

The biggest thing to watch out for I think is Trump. He needs to realise his presidency is under its greatest threat yet despite it not appearing so at the moment. The pieces are moving... How he manages this protests, covid and external factors such as Venezuela (which they are eying up like salivating dogs) will play a huge influence on the elections... Also don't forget the appearance of nature's rage on American soil which could really make his life even more difficult!

 

[Mari]

I´m watching these videos and reports from Fox News and I´m completely speechless. I cry and I can´t help it. This is terrible.

All I see is delusional people and people purely driven by their worst urges. Saw that same story 30 years ago here in Balkan. Brainwashed herd, fired with drugs and propaganda.

There is no moral, no justice, no reason for this kind of violence. This is simply a mindless mob who wants to bring chaos.

I am over-emotional this last week and seeing this, my heart is braking for this normal, common people in the middle of this sick evil war games.....

 

[Niall]

As a result of these protests, there will be some reforms to how police operate in the US and more importantly, what legal actions individual officers can face if they unjustifiably kill someone.

No there won't. It will result in the opposite of its intent. More police killings, and probably of Blacks especially.

Lets revisit later.

Why? If we'd done as you suggested at the beginning of the Corona madness, when you adamantly insisted we accept the reality of a 'killer virus', we'd have fallen into confluence with the lie.

It's happening now. It needs to be called out now.

 

[Joe]

I find it a useful tactic when there is a risk of losing our heads to mechanical, conditioned/manipulated thinking, to pull the camera back a notch and remember what is really going on.

ok, but "aliens are going to eat us", probably isn't the thing we should keep in mind. It's a bit literal and restricted for a 'big picture' perspective.

 

[SOTTREADER]

No there won't. It will result in the opposite of its intent. More police killings, and probably of Blacks especially.



Why? If we'd done as you suggested at the beginning of the Corona madness, when you adamantly insisted we accept the reality of a 'killer virus', we'd have fallen into confluence with the lie.

It's happening now. It needs to be called out now.

All officers involved in the incident have been arrested and charged.

Organisations are now lobbying the government to introduce reform.

ACLU Joins More Than 400 Coalition Partners to Push for Federal Reforms in Response to Police Violence | American Civil Liberties Union

On June 1, 2020, the ACLU joined more than 400 coalition partners to push the Congress to take swift and decisive legislative action in response to ongoing fatal police killings and other violence against Black people across our country. Federal statutory reforms are urgently needed on a range...

www.aclu.org

None of these would have happened without the protests.

More changes coming.

As with regard the Corona virus... At the beginning I was worried that it'll come to affect us all. In one of my early posts I asked why sott wasn't even reporting on it in those early days and it was said because they didn't see any reason to as it was nothing burger.

It depends what the definition of a nothing burger is...in terms of CFR, it has now proved to be a nothing burger but in terms of its impact on the planet, I believe it has proved to come to affect nearly every country in a big way in terms of the human response to the virus.

So my worries weren't entirely unfounded!

Ps, I never asked anyone to fall into confluence with anything in the covid thread! That's not true...

 

[Niall]

I think you are right. So here is some clear evidence of FAKE NEWS to file away as needed.

It was made by some random dude to make the point that it's like we're living through a 'zombie apocalypse', which we kind of are. MSNBC didn't do it, as explained in this Reuters report:

MSNBC confirmed to Reuters that the edited video, and screenshots from it, were fake.

A twitter user with the name “Bad Scooter”, took responsibility for creating the doctored clip, tweeting (here): “It was just a dumb dumb joke / edited video out of stupid boredom and I apologize!”

https://twitter.com/x/status/1267523682680868864

 

[Niall]

All officers involved in the incident have been arrested and charged.

Organisations are now lobbying the government to introduce reform.

We have watched this happen over and over again for two decades. Something 'outrageous' happens, protests/riots start, and the 'reforms' - if they do manifest - contribute to ever-worsening results. Where real reform is actually happening to the criminal justice system in the US is via Trump's initiatives, but those are either ignored or the media attempts to convine Americans to protest/agitate against them 'because Trump'. In any event, nothing good comes out of media-initiated mass events like this these days.

 

[Niall]

Ps, I never asked anyone to fall into confluence with anything in the covid thread! That's not true...

Falling into confluence is an unconscious process that is really a group dynamic, so I'm not singling you as a person out here. Discussion of the crux of the matter is something you and others also seemed initially reluctant to discuss in the Corona thread. You're not in any way 'bad' for being so! I just want to counter your plea that we not discuss the ideological issues motivating the protestors with a plea that we do.

 

[bjorb]

I don't like the look of that but don't know the details. In any case, given the militarisation of the police all over the western world, I don't think the elites will reverse that trend.

The police can side with ''the people'', or in other words. Side with them against Trump. Defunding the police or reforming it might be a ploy to rally the police for their cause?

The biggest thing to watch out for I think is Trump. He needs to realise his presidency is under its greatest threat yet despite it not appearing so at the moment. The pieces are moving...

You said it, Trump needs to weather the storm. The next couple of months are going to be crucial.

 

[cope]

Joe said: The point here (and always) is the context in which the kneeling is done.
My impression was that the reason was the police officer was insecure, defensive. Maybe popular culture now is different from when i was young and it is not such a big deal anymore, everybody is a bit of an actor nowadays.
The big problem with the violent police comes from the imperialist violence the army has been spreading freely abroad and bringing home after service--there is your racism rooted.
The huge demonstration today in Rotterdam against racism, i dont get it, racism, sexism, nobody likes that, so against who are they protesting exactly? Facism- why is Antifa not attacking the real facists, the psychopath corrupt politicians, vaccine pushers, covid trackers, mouthcap demanders?
People around me do think i'm too serious, too sweet, too honest and in-my-head. But i am angry.
A best friend said it makes her happy to see so many rainbow flags around town..I think they are omnious.
Cant they see they are fighting straw men?

 

[Joe]

With the soldiers, personally I saw them doing that to get rapport with the crowd as no doubt they had assessed the situation (as soldiers do) and determined the best course of action in the moment (as they were trained).

Right, so they were doing it disingenuously, just to appease the crowd. Fair enough. That means the kneeling is, in most cases of cops doing it, a sham. In cases where white people do it, it's idiocy.

 

[bjorb]

A best friend said it makes her happy to see so many rainbow flags around town.

Nazi Germany also had an obsession and placed their flags everywhere in public places. LGBT flags are also everywhere. (The city even painted the pots for plants in LGBT colors) Our Dutch flag on the other hands is nowhere to be seen. The public doesn't yet understand what this rainbow facism is all about. But if this color revolution succeeds the populace will be in for a hard lesson. It will mark the end of the once Free West and a nightmare world order will arise.

The huge demonstration today in Rotterdam against racism, i dont get it, racism, sexism, nobody likes that, so against who are they protesting exactly? Facism- why is Antifa not attacking the real facists, the psychopath corrupt politicians, vaccine pushers, covid trackers, mouthcap demanders?

They are not oppressed at the slightest and have virtually every cultural, political and media institution rallying for them. Whether they realize it or not they are protesting for the true establisment. The more power they gain the more vicious this mob will become if you don't submit to their brainwashing.

 

[SOTTREADER]

Falling into confluence is an unconscious process that is really a group dynamic, so I'm not singling you as a person out here. Discussion of the crux of the matter is something you and others also seemed initially reluctant to discuss in the Corona thread. You're not in any way 'bad' for being so! I just want to counter your plea that we not discuss the ideological issues motivating the protestors with a plea that we do.

Okay, thanks for clarifying!

Trying to be introspective and truthful to the best of my ability:-

With regards corona, I'll admit, I was very worried at the beginning. I saw the situation in China develop - cities getting locked down, increase in case numbers daily, how easily the virus spread and to me that indicated this wasn't a normal situation!

I was even more worried when I realised the virus was going to spread all over the world and come to affect us all individually.

My worries were over 2 things - the CFR and the impact and I was very vocal about it quite early - more early than the point that thread blew up to what it is now.

I fell into a sticky situation with people in that thread at the beginning as no one was acknowledging this thing was coming to affect us in a very big way. The main people were just talking about it being a nothing burger.

On this George Floyd protests, I'm quite reluctant to think the whole thing is manufactured as the police in the US really do need reform to curb some of their excesses in terms of violence. That execution of George Floyd was nothing short of disgusting.

So I'm torn between a genuine movement for reform and the fact that subversion is in process within the protests.

I'm sorry but I don't think the police in the US would be reformed by other means that doesn't involve a mass movement. Just my view!

As to these protests moving to Europe and everywhere else, I don't really understand that as the policing situation in the US doesn't apply to Europe.

I definitely have some stuff to deal with regarding thinking under an emotional situation as I find it hard to take away what I feel from what I think. If I sense danger, it's going to affect my thinking. If I sense injustice, it's going to affect my thinking. In life, real life, I find it hard to move and make any decisions without consulting my feelings - for sure navigating sticky and dangerous situations always requires consulting my emotions and thinking with both in tandem as emotions can sometimes get your body to move in a way your mind can never. Just my personal experience! Saying this I know people talk against emotional thinking so sometimes it's not wise to be open that one does indeed have emotions and consults them in their day to day.

 

[Niall]

It seems like you are sticking with the fine point of police violence against minorities in your writing. Okay, so the statistics don't bear out the idea that cops disproportionately kill blacks/minorities over whites. But I don't think that is only what people are upset about and protesting over. It's police targeting, harassing, unconstitutional search and seizures, etc. against blacks in the US. Right off the top of my head I am thinking of NYC's awful stop-and-frisk policy, which most certainly targeted blacks (and NY police were likely trained by the intel agencies). There are many other examples as well, including Ferguson, MO, but all around the US.

But isn't the idea that cops disproportionately kill blacks/minorities over whites the crux of the whole thing? The primary narrative or raison d'etre for this movement/uprising, no? Some - and perhaps even most - of the protestors are critically correcting as you are; they are keeping in mind police injustices to people of all races. But the overwhelming message the media and officialdom is currently relaying on protestors' behalf - and beaming out across the world - is that American Blacks are experiencing Apartheid conditions at the hands of police (and, between the lines, at Trump's instigation). Here's how an op-ed in the Washington Post a few days ago - at the height of the terror taking place in over 20 major cities across the country, including in DC itself - framed the 'systemic' situation:

Our society and its institutions place a perilously low value on black lives, and it’s inherently dangerous to be black in America.

That, I'm sure you can agree, is a lie. A Black man recently served two terms as president, and actually got away with a lot of criminality - perhaps in part thanks his privilege as a 'minority' - not least, flagrantly breaking laws to ensnare the incumbent president in 'Russiagate'.

(Oops, did I use the p-word?! Well, it may in fact apply in this context.)

So I think you are missing the forest for the trees in regards to why people are so upset towards police in the US. It's not just about white cops killing black people. It's about mistreatment, it's about harassment, it's about having their constitutional rights taken away from them almost on a daily basis. These things are definitely happening, and people should rightly be demanding accountability over those illegal actions. They haven't been getting that for years through other means, so at some point the anger will build up. Certainly there are groups like Antifa or BLM which are probably controlled opposition created to channel all this anger towards something that the elites want.

Would you say it's more accurate to attribute blame for the 'systemic problem' you described to the police (as a whole), or to the ruling class (as a whole)?

I think it's pretty clear that the main thrust of what 'the elites' want is for everyone to be thinking racially. This coincides with the substantial goal of the BLM/peaceful protest organizers, who are absolutely committed to spreading their belief that major racial injustice exists in the USA (when it doesn't). Antifa violence is useful to the elites too, but only to assist with driving home the messaging with terror and violence: 'you WILL think in racialist terms, or we will cause life-threatening problems for you. Now KNEEL...'