The City on Fire

Minneapolis Minnesota, is a city on fire.

The protests (riots) are due to a video of a (former) Police Officer with his knee on the neck of a male suspect. Everyone has seen the video, everyone knows the Officer was wrong (and was fired along with others), that is not the point here. He will go to jail. Let the system do its work. That is not the issue here.

This is quite possibly the most alarming display of barbaric behavior that I have seen in modern history (in the U.S.). Shops of getting looted, people mugged at random (or maybe not so random in some cases....), countless buildings on fire. Blocks on fire...

Finally some sense was gained, and after request by the Mayor the National Guard will be activated for riot control and LE support. It is ironic, because BLM complain about militarized police in their charter. But, if you don't want militarized police (or literally the military) patrolling your streets, maybe don't burn down everything?...

However, what I find most sad is how many fellow leftists are defending this behavior (while eager to rightfully criticize COVID-19 protests). It is a disturbing time, when a city being destroyed (probably to the scale of a battle by the time its done), is cheered as retribution.

I hope the State Police and National Guard go street by street and arrest every rioter. After the LA riots a lot of rioters had the charges dropped in order to ease tensions, that would be a wimpy move by the County if they do that here, arrest them all. We need firm Law Enforcement action, sadly American police have become hyper sensitive to perceived race issues and tread lightly (and in some cases just stand in watch due to orders to not intervene....)

I saw a post on Facebook "Property can be replaced, Black Lives cannot".... First, more people have been killed in the riot than by this rogue officer (who will get justice from the legal system). We live in a country of laws not mob rule. But, how many lives have been destroyed in other ways? Affordable housing burned down, local businesses decimated, countless vehicles destroyed (often of people who cannot afford to replace them)… This is barbaric behavior, and it needs to stop. Anyone involved in rioting or looting needs to go to jail, and the police and National Guard need to be free to use as much force as needed (that is never going to happen sadly, probably they will end up being ordered to pass out bottles of water to the rioters). It is sad that we have leaders who are afraid of strength or are masochistic and love to see society torn apart.

This is a time when we need a strong leader, and Trump is weak on crime. So many Presidents are afraid to use military strength on domestic threats. (At least the Governor and the Mayor have the right idea with the National Guard)….

I know I am in the minority on the left, but possible across all sides in that I find these riots more dangerous and offensive to our society than the video. I like stability and peace, and people with an agenda (some communist groups and some Islamic groups) usually fuel these kinds of riots and racial tensions to cause divide. These riots are caused by political opportunism by groups trying to subvert American unity (as past BLM riots have been)....

Saying it's about one video of a cop is like tracing the American Revolution to only one incident. It's not about one incident.

A one incident event doesn't resonate with a community.

Quote: rxwine

Saying it's about one video of a cop is like tracing the American Revolution to only one incident. It's not about one incident.

A one incident event doesn't resonate with a community.

Systemic racism is a myth fed from political interests groups to cause division.... Its not about any incident, its about being fueled to riot over something that is not happening.

But, yes, this video seems to be the cause as they are loudly chanting it...

Quote: Gandler

Systemic racism is a myth fed from political interests groups to cause division....

BS
Do you talk to black parents about how dangerous it is out there when their kids reach the age that they can drive and they have to have a talk with their kids about reality. My parents never had to give me that talk. They were never worried
This is across the country

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/us/george-floyd-national-guard.amp.html

Look at that entire riot line protecting that pork chop when it would have only taken one of the other pigs saying, “Hey, maybe get your knee off of that guy’s neck,” to prevent all of this.

Quote: Gandler

Systemic racism is a myth fed from political interests groups to cause division.... Its not about any incident, its about being fueled to riot over something that is not happening.

But, yes, this video seems to be the cause as they are loudly chanting it...

You can prove racism exists as an overall problem just as easily as you can prove putting a skinny person in a fat suit and letting them see how differently they will be treated as a fat person.

There's many many experiments that have shown racism exists and has an effect. I'm not even arguing it only exists in one community either. It's just the majority community has the greatest effect no matter what race they are.


.

Quote: Mission146

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/05/28/us/george-floyd-national-guard.amp.html

Look at that entire riot line protecting that pork chop when it would have only taken one of the other pigs saying, “Hey, maybe get your knee off of that guy’s neck,” to prevent all of this.

Good, we don't live in a country with Mob Rule. We live in a Republic where we don't have the right of individuals threatened by a majority of protestors.

He will go to jail, let the system play out, dont attack people at home.

It was wrong when conservatives did it to the cop arresting a lady on the playground and its still wrong now.... We have a system that will work.

Quote: rxwine

You can prove racism exists as an overall problem just as easily as you can prove putting a skinny person in a fat suit and letting them see how differently they will be treated as a fat person.

There's many many experiments that have shown racism exists and has an effect. I'm not even arguing it only exists in one community either. It's just the majority community has the greatest effect no matter what race they are.


.

Can you cite one law (State Federal or local) that discrimates against black people? I can show you laws that discimate against white people (government funded historically black universites while other universites have been diverse for decades....)

What studies show racism is an overall problem? Resumes with the same level of experience with different names? ....

I’ll give you guys a little anecdote, which I usually don’t like doing, but I feel like it illustrates the difference:

I’m at the soup kitchen where I volunteer a good bit, the majority of the guests are African-American, but I think that’s mostly to do with where in town it’s located. Anyway, I’m outside smoking a Winston:

“Of course they’re real, they’re Winstons!”-Winston (No Bull)

Anyway, I’m enjoying the mellow luxury of a smooth Winston made with minimum additives, just then I look up the hill and notice that there are two police SUV’s up there with three cops standing outside the SUVs. I’m kind of wondering what they’re doing because there’s not really a whole lot up there.

I disregard it and get back to work. About an hour later, we got a delivery that I helped to bring in. That then had to be logged and sorted, which has nothing to do with me, and I’d already put together the big batches of salad, so I decide to have another smoke.

The cops are still there, but now they’re kind of looking down at our building.

I mutter to myself, “What the **** do these ***holes want?”

The gentleman standing next to me hears me, gives me a tap on the shoulder and asks, “My man, you sure you ain’t black?”

This issue can be broken down into separate issues though. For instance Police overreach and how the justice system can be relatively lax in punishing them. That can be a completely separate issue from race.