They have refused to protect and serve, sheepishly standing around as communities are razed to the ground. — NOS4A2

They have to follow orders from higher up, but yeah it seems they weren't doing much to stop the actual looters and fire starters. Just standing around provoking the protesters. I've seen it suggested that if they joined the peaceful protesters and stopped the looting, they would have been helped by the protesters to identify bad actors. The peaceful protestors don't want everything destroyed.

The Insurrection Act of 1807 is being seriously discussed . — 180 Proof

We'll see how that goes down.

One lat video form a black man disgusted at looters in long beach who he says had nothing to do with the protest at 0:49.

They weren't trying to send a message about Mr. Floyd ... This doesn't send a message. It doesn't say let's get socially involved.

Also good to see there's a list of demands for police reform protestors are coming up with. Some good ideas.

But to the main issue, maybe some of the people who shouldn't be police are getting exposed right now. There's been a few firings so far. Needs to be more. Maybe a lot more.

Anyone kneeling someone's neck has to go. Are you kidding me? Pushing a reporter into a fire, macing a kid? That shit has to stop.

Also any cop targeting a reporter. And the Louisville shooting, which is real suspect. No body cams were on, some black guy gets shot.

Columbia South Carolina mayor on setting a curfew because some people turned the protests violent:



He discussion upcoming police reforms. This can happen within the system. And then he concludes with:

For those of you not from our city, I want you take your asses home right now! — Stephen K. Benjamin

I guess the mayor has some reason for believing in those mythical outside agitators.

Anyway, fuck you for wanting to see my country burn because of your ideology. Support the majority peaceful protest.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoo on her disgust at violent protestors:

I'm hear to call you out for your recklessness and for your obscene disrespect to a righteous cause that you are trying to hijack. When you or anyone behaves in this way, we all lose. By giving the vary same forces of oppression we fight against the false validation that they crave. — Lori Lightfoo

Fuck it, I lied because I had to come back and start reading again. Glutton for punishment.

So the narrative is that arguing against the destructive part of the protest is to not care about addressing systematic racism. It's to be a worthless liberal, god forbid.

So what do our burn-the-shit down socialists have to say when black people are condemning the violence and advocating for peaceful protest?



So what is it? Is it just some worthless liberals in this thread focusing on the wrong thing?

We're not going to take it. We're not going to be repetitious. In every case of police brutality, the same thing has been happing. Y'all protest, y'alll destory stuff and they don't move. You know why they don't move? Because it's our stuff not their stuff. So they want us to destroy our stuff. They'e not going to move. So let's do this another way. — George Floyd

Then he goes on to talk about voting for change, like Obama did, who also said:

Let's not excuse violence, or rationalize it, or participate in it. 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.

The bottom line is this: if we want to bring about real change, then the choice isn't between protest and politics. We have to do both. We have to mobilize to raise awareness, and we have to organize and cast our ballots to make sure that we elect candidates who will act on reform." — Obama

So there you go. An argument for peaceful protest from the people being oppressed.

One last one and I'm done with this thread.



https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/George-Floyds-son-a-Bryan-resident-speaks-with-KBTX-at-Black-Lives-Matter-rally-570911061.html

Why should we care about people acquiescing to injustice or those actively defending it? — Benkei

Why should we care about anyone? I don't agree with this collective notion of guilt that demands violence. Also, it's not just privileged neighborhoods getting ransacked, in case you didn't notice.

Nice to know you don't care. Some of the places are also immigrant or minority owned.

It's possible to be both for reform and against violence.

For whom? — Benkei

Anyone who lives there.

You're missing the forest for the trees with your looters and insistence on peaceful protest. — Benkei

Also, I did make several posts offering ideas for police reforms, along with linking to some ideas.

It's not the real problem and it's not going to be anytime soon. — Benkei

It's a problem, as if only one problem can be real at a tiime.

Try reading the context of replying to someone else's post about the looting.

The thing is a few bad people can make a helluva mess giving the misconception that more foul play is at work than there is. — I like sushi

Right and the real problem is the systematic looters and burners going building to building causing all kinds of damage. I don't think they have much to do with protesting police brutality. They're either there to steal shit, or they're there to cause chaos.

Most of the protesters are peaceful.

Well Perhaps don't insinuate that I do. I have enough humility to argue on my own behalf, and not other people's. — unenlightened

Fair enough.

Why would you think that anyone thinks that black people favour violence? — unenlightened

Indeed, so don't argue for it on their behalf.

Woah 10 different black people. — StreetlightX

Better than just posting some socialist/anarchist justification. You'e not even American.

A lot of the people who are engaged in the riots are black people, so clearly Dennis Rodman doesn't speak for what all black people want. — Michael

Sure, nobody does. Question is do a majority of black people protesting, or black leadership involved in protests want a peaceful approach?

I've only posted like 10 different black people asking for peaceful protests.

Dennis Rodman wants the destruction to stop in favor of peaceful protest. But by all means, ignore what black people want.

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-dennis-rodman-george-floyd-20200601-strsfxqpkzgbvmcfww5bjponjm-story.html

Latin Kings and two other gangs are protecting business in Chicago from looters. Even texted the police to tell them no need to come there.

That's so awesome!

Black Chicago reporter: don't loot.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1267334057488195585

Supposedly they were shot at. But who knows. And yeah, Trump is very bad for this situation. Good things he's incompetent.

Shit, National Guard shot someone in Louisville. That's not good.

Charlotte black clergy understand anger about George Floyd, but preach peace and solidarity:

https://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article243136806.html

That is a fascist poster boy if there ever was one and he had it coming, he had it coming for years. — Christoffer

Well yeah, it was also really stupid. What did he think would happen?

I'm not going to condemn the violence of the protestors. — Christoffer

Not even the ones trying to turn this into their own revolution? Fuck them. I hope they all get arrested. I hope the legitimate protesters continue kicking them out and turning them in.

Ultimately, the black protestors should be the ones setting the terms of the protests, not the white ones. So if a majority of black protestors want a peaceful protest, then white ones need to fucking fall in line and respect that.

And the people in this thread need to respect that as well.

Do you hold the same opinion about the US military? — boethius

Yes, except for homeland defense.

A lot of people died so that I enjoy freedoms in my country today; a lot of people died defending the freedoms you enjoy today — boethius

Yeah, did they have to? Should they have? It sets the precedent for future violence.

there's no use pretending there's some pacifist belief about all violence; it's just silly if you have no track record of radical pacifism. — boethius

I don't know that radical pacifism is realistic, but it's a goal the world should work toward. It disturbs me that you think it's justified people, perhaps a whole lot will, die. And that could mean anyone, potentially.

It's also disturbing that you're willing to justify this on a coin-flip's chance that it might end up with a better result.

I find your reasoning horrific. Most protesters do not want that.

Done okay in terms of not having killed millions, installed a dictatorship or become an imperialist power. There are still other issues. Societies have problems. Some are better than others. Maybe your socialist ideal can fix human beings.

You're right. Not a good example.

French revolution was misplaced because it destroyed order? US independence the same? — Benkei

Because people die, and not just those in power. And the result is often times worse. The US revolution was a better result, but not the French. The Asian communist revolutions were terrible. Many African revolutions result in a corrupt authoritarian regime.

Speaking of Street's pic he posted while I'm typing, the German revolution was terrible as well.

Canada and Australia didn't need to revolt, and they seemed to have done okay.

Yes, you have been for some time. — StreetlightX

So you approve of the peaceful protests. Cool.

Right. So despotism, feudalism, oligarchies and communism, are all fine and dandy because they provide order? — Benkei

No, but they're generally better than no order. Unfortunately, none of the systems are fine. Some are less worse.

What, a thumbs up? I'm confused.

and to risk a totalitarian military takeover instead of a benevolent one, is that, after centuries of oppression, you may as well flip that coin. — boethius

No, because a lot of people will die, regardless of the outcome.