Is America burning? (Black Lives Matter protests, civil unrest and riots 2020)
- Thread starter Jeremiah18.17
- Start date
Johnny Vodka
The Abominable Scotsman
This will provide a nice focus. 
www.theguardian.com
Civil rights groups sue Trump over assault on peaceful protesters near White House
Protesters were forcefully removed from a park near the White House before Trump walked to a nearby church to take a photo
Dogsauce
I’ve got Skol but I’m not a Scholar
looked like military guys stopped to give assistance late in that clip. Cops didn’t give a fuck.
Gimigimi
leaky cyborg
Went downtown today, took some pictures.
Cops in a line defending their cop base (the precinct on 11th + pine)
There were a lot of good protest signs. I like the contrasts on display here.
I've lived in Seattle my whole life. I feel pretty lucky. I love this fucking city.
I really love it =3. "WE LIVE IN A POLICE STATE THAT IMPRISONS MORE OF OUR CITIZENS THAN STALIN AT THE HEIGHT OF THE GULAG SYSTEM" Fun facts!
This artist had stuff all over. They rule.
Back at the protests, there was lots of racial solidarity. "White silence is violence" was a pretty common phrase as well.
TONS of free food. This was just sitting there with hundreds of people ignoring it because there were dozens of people handing out granola, water, etc. A whole parking lot was full of tables and tables of free stuff. I probably should have taken advantage of the free sunscreen, but it was late afternoon by the time I showed up so my pasty ass survived.
I didn't get a great shot of this guy but his sign says "DJT KYS" and his backpack sign says "NO NAZI USA". Awesome.
There were a few other ideas on display besides black lives matter, but this was an extremely focused protest and this was one of very few people bringing up other issues.
The crowd was extremely disciplined. We had hand signals that could communicate when to move, when to compact (it was important to stay off the sidewalk because the cops fuckin' hate that i guess), when to shut the fuck up so a speaker could be heard, etc. It did a great job letting what i'd estimate was about 2000 people coordinate pretty efficiently. This corridor opened in about fifteen seconds.
I can only attach ten pictures. Well, that's fair. Don't want to spam the thread. Our group marched from the Capitol Hill precinct down south at first to meet up with the other group marching east from the downtown precinct. We then marched east together to the Central District, a neighborhood which used to be mostly black and has since undergone extreme gentrification and massively increased rent. We chanted "Out of your house, Into the streets!" at every apartment building we passed and especially at gawkers filming us from their expensive condo balconies. I also enjoyed the chant "Take off your riot gear, we don't see no riot here!" at lines of cops. Eventually we ended up at Garfield High School, where the crowd climbed up some steps and set up in a sort of amphitheater-like way. Listened to some decent speeches, had a moment of silence for the dead and marched back (uphill, this march was quite literally uphill both ways because of the fact that "capitol hill" is not just a name. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, I'm out of shape from hiding from the virus inside). I think the other group split off and went back to the downtown precinct. I left at this point because it was getting dark and I'm not quite ready to deal with the Real Shit Going Down. Maybe Saturday after I've rested up a bit, there will probably be even more people this weekend.
I've got some more decent pictures, let me know if anyone wants to see a few more or if there's a better thread for it, it's like 1 am and I'm tired so I didn't look too hard.
Whose streets? Our streets!
Cops in a line defending their cop base (the precinct on 11th + pine)
There were a lot of good protest signs. I like the contrasts on display here.
I've lived in Seattle my whole life. I feel pretty lucky. I love this fucking city.
I really love it =3. "WE LIVE IN A POLICE STATE THAT IMPRISONS MORE OF OUR CITIZENS THAN STALIN AT THE HEIGHT OF THE GULAG SYSTEM" Fun facts!
This artist had stuff all over. They rule.
Back at the protests, there was lots of racial solidarity. "White silence is violence" was a pretty common phrase as well.
TONS of free food. This was just sitting there with hundreds of people ignoring it because there were dozens of people handing out granola, water, etc. A whole parking lot was full of tables and tables of free stuff. I probably should have taken advantage of the free sunscreen, but it was late afternoon by the time I showed up so my pasty ass survived.
I didn't get a great shot of this guy but his sign says "DJT KYS" and his backpack sign says "NO NAZI USA". Awesome.
There were a few other ideas on display besides black lives matter, but this was an extremely focused protest and this was one of very few people bringing up other issues.
The crowd was extremely disciplined. We had hand signals that could communicate when to move, when to compact (it was important to stay off the sidewalk because the cops fuckin' hate that i guess), when to shut the fuck up so a speaker could be heard, etc. It did a great job letting what i'd estimate was about 2000 people coordinate pretty efficiently. This corridor opened in about fifteen seconds.
I can only attach ten pictures. Well, that's fair. Don't want to spam the thread. Our group marched from the Capitol Hill precinct down south at first to meet up with the other group marching east from the downtown precinct. We then marched east together to the Central District, a neighborhood which used to be mostly black and has since undergone extreme gentrification and massively increased rent. We chanted "Out of your house, Into the streets!" at every apartment building we passed and especially at gawkers filming us from their expensive condo balconies. I also enjoyed the chant "Take off your riot gear, we don't see no riot here!" at lines of cops. Eventually we ended up at Garfield High School, where the crowd climbed up some steps and set up in a sort of amphitheater-like way. Listened to some decent speeches, had a moment of silence for the dead and marched back (uphill, this march was quite literally uphill both ways because of the fact that "capitol hill" is not just a name. I'm going to be sore tomorrow, I'm out of shape from hiding from the virus inside). I think the other group split off and went back to the downtown precinct. I left at this point because it was getting dark and I'm not quite ready to deal with the Real Shit Going Down. Maybe Saturday after I've rested up a bit, there will probably be even more people this weekend.
I've got some more decent pictures, let me know if anyone wants to see a few more or if there's a better thread for it, it's like 1 am and I'm tired so I didn't look too hard.
Whose streets? Our streets!
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
if they were out of control why were they so clearly in formation? You've said before they're out of control when it seems to me they're in control and acting as ordered. Out of control is like that cop who killed Ian Tomlinson, leaving his station against orders. What have you got to support your assertion that command and control has broken down here?
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
Worth keeping an eye on:
As Trump Threatens to Send Military Into Cities, Some GIs Refuse to Comply
One activated National Guard member who is currently in the process of refusing orders told Truthout that the events of the last few days have shattered his belief that there can be such a thing as a justified use of force. “Most of all, I feel that I cannot be complicit in any way when I’ve seen so many examples of soldiers and police acting in bad faith,” he said via an encrypted text message.
The Guardsman, who is consulting a lawyer, spoke to Truthout on the condition of anonymity to protect against further retaliation for his defection and for speaking to the press. He is relatively new to his unit, having recently graduated training, and says he enlisted in part due to his financial situation.
“I cannot be complicit in any way when I’ve seen so many examples of soldiers and police acting in bad faith.”
His unit, he says, has not received any relevant riot response or de-escalation training amid the rapid pace of the unit’s deployment operations. “I learned basic soldiering and rifle skills in Basic Combat Training, and my trainee Military Occupational Specialty is not related to policing or riot response in any way,” he said. “No aspect of my training has touched on this subject. I am told that my unit has conducted riot response periodically in the past. We have not had any training or conversation relating to de-escalation tactics.”
Another Guardsman, a medic in an infantry line company in Pennsylvania who has not yet received orders to deploy, says he plans on refusing if it comes to that and is also currently consulting a lawyer regarding his options.
“I can’t do it. Even looking at my uniform is making me feel sick that I’m associated with this, especially after [the National Guard unit] shot that man who owned that barbecue shop [in Louisville, Kentucky],” he said. “I live in Pennsylvania. I live with the history of Kent State. I’m not being a part of that.”
As Trump Threatens to Send Military Into Cities, Some GIs Refuse to Comply
One activated National Guard member who is currently in the process of refusing orders told Truthout that the events of the last few days have shattered his belief that there can be such a thing as a justified use of force. “Most of all, I feel that I cannot be complicit in any way when I’ve seen so many examples of soldiers and police acting in bad faith,” he said via an encrypted text message.
The Guardsman, who is consulting a lawyer, spoke to Truthout on the condition of anonymity to protect against further retaliation for his defection and for speaking to the press. He is relatively new to his unit, having recently graduated training, and says he enlisted in part due to his financial situation.
“I cannot be complicit in any way when I’ve seen so many examples of soldiers and police acting in bad faith.”
His unit, he says, has not received any relevant riot response or de-escalation training amid the rapid pace of the unit’s deployment operations. “I learned basic soldiering and rifle skills in Basic Combat Training, and my trainee Military Occupational Specialty is not related to policing or riot response in any way,” he said. “No aspect of my training has touched on this subject. I am told that my unit has conducted riot response periodically in the past. We have not had any training or conversation relating to de-escalation tactics.”
Another Guardsman, a medic in an infantry line company in Pennsylvania who has not yet received orders to deploy, says he plans on refusing if it comes to that and is also currently consulting a lawyer regarding his options.
“I can’t do it. Even looking at my uniform is making me feel sick that I’m associated with this, especially after [the National Guard unit] shot that man who owned that barbecue shop [in Louisville, Kentucky],” he said. “I live in Pennsylvania. I live with the history of Kent State. I’m not being a part of that.”
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
And just published in Viewpoint and to read with the piece i posted last night about the 'outside agitator' (i should have included MLK's dismissal of the idea in his letter from brum jail with it) a reflection on MLK's nuanced thinking on riots:
No Justice, No Peace
Martin Luther King, who is frequently invoked today as a moral authority on the struggle against racism, was a political thinker of both peace and justice. His commentary is important to revisit today, since he is seen both as a leading advocate for the necessity of nonviolence, and a sympathetic critic of the urban rebellions of the 1960s who recognized that “a riot is the language of the unheard.”
Nevertheless, there was something much deeper and more subversive in King’s thinking on riots, which we should consider before proceeding to the categories of justice and peace. Despite how he is misread today, King’s criticism of the riots stemmed from a revolutionary perspective — that is, in his view they were not revolutionary enough. This is the only vantage point from which we can interpret his analysis of riots and its contemporary validity.
No Justice, No Peace
Martin Luther King, who is frequently invoked today as a moral authority on the struggle against racism, was a political thinker of both peace and justice. His commentary is important to revisit today, since he is seen both as a leading advocate for the necessity of nonviolence, and a sympathetic critic of the urban rebellions of the 1960s who recognized that “a riot is the language of the unheard.”
Nevertheless, there was something much deeper and more subversive in King’s thinking on riots, which we should consider before proceeding to the categories of justice and peace. Despite how he is misread today, King’s criticism of the riots stemmed from a revolutionary perspective — that is, in his view they were not revolutionary enough. This is the only vantage point from which we can interpret his analysis of riots and its contemporary validity.
8ball
Decolonise colons!
Not having been trained in the police's kind of "de-escalation" may not be such a bad thing tbf.
8ball
Decolonise colons!
This post has a really weird vibe with your avatar next to it.
scifisam
feck! arse! girls! drink!
I suspect the likelihood that they legally own that car is about as high as the likelihood of most of the violent cops facing any repercussions.
xes
F.O.A.D
phillm
Trolling through Life (TM)
Black Lives Matter
Senior Pentagon leaders are now so concerned about losing public support — and that of their active-duty and reserve personnel, 40 percent of whom are people of color — that Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released a message to top military commanders on Wednesday affirming that every member of the armed forces swears an oath to defend the Constitution, which he said; gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly,'" the New York Times's Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Maggie Haberman report.
Senior Pentagon leaders are now so concerned about losing public support — and that of their active-duty and reserve personnel, 40 percent of whom are people of color — that Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, released a message to top military commanders on Wednesday affirming that every member of the armed forces swears an oath to defend the Constitution, which he said; gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly,'" the New York Times's Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff and Maggie Haberman report.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
more summer now really
maomao
普費斯
Not astronomical summer yet (will be on 20th June).
Though to be fair, with the strength of feeling, millions of freshly unemployed people in the US and coronavirus still rampant there I can see this going on a lot longer than another two weeks.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
summer in the united states is traditionally regarded as beginning on the memorial day weekend, the last weekend in may
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
except that they're doing it all under direction.
editor
hiraethified
I feel sorry for the store and its workers. Although they're totally blameless, it's sure to weigh on their consciences.It was a grocery store, Cup Foods. The owner has vowed “to make sure cops won’t be called to Cup Foods again” for non-violent issues:
‘If I Would Have Been Here, George Floyd May Still Be Alive’
Mahmoud Abumayyaleh on the murder that happened outside of his store.www.thecut.com
People Are Applauding How The Owner Of The Store That Called The Police On George Floyd Reacted
Mahmoud Abumayyaleh, the owner of the Cup Foods store that called the police when George Floyd allegedly used a fake 20 dollar bill, has condemned police brutality and says that he wishes the call to the officers was never made.www.boredpanda.com
MSN
thegrio.com
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
Article about 1033 from today:
Why are some US police forces equipped like military units?
Controversial programme gives police departments access to military gear including armoured vehicles, helicopters and grenade launchers
Humberto
dreamin man
If some good can come of this; it's heartening to see the solidarity and international goodwill from the people themselves and the momentum given to address and discuss the issues of racial discrimination, oppression of black and minority ethnicities by states and the opportunity it's given to come together and shout a big 'fuck you' to the insidious white nationalists.
not-bono-ever
meh
The Army is planning a mass recruiting drive this summer
“We’re getting as many assets as we can across the Army, everybody is involved,” said Muth.
www.armytimes.com
Recruit numbers plunging for the US military because Rona apparently. ( pointless slaughter elsewhere doesnt seem to figure in this summary) - mass mobilisation of disgruntled GI's on the streets isnt going to help boost anything, especially if it gets even slightly kent statey.
Pickman's model
Starry Wisdom
it's disappointing how often kent state is referenced but jackson state so rarely.The Army is planning a mass recruiting drive this summer
“We’re getting as many assets as we can across the Army, everybody is involved,” said Muth.
Recruit numbers plunging for the US military because Rona apparently. ( pointless slaughter elsewhere doesnt seem to figure in this summary) - mass mobilisation of disgruntled GI's on the streets isnt going to help boost anything, especially if it gets even slightly kent statey.
not-bono-ever
meh
Yup - not many are familair with Jackson state , following so closely after the KS incident. eta - its probabaly more relevant with the BLM issue as well
NoXion
Craicy the Squirrel
Article about 1033 from today:
View attachment 216204
Why are some US police forces equipped like military units?
Controversial programme gives police departments access to military gear including armoured vehicles, helicopters and grenade launchers
Thanks Clinton.
DaveCinzano
WATCH OUT, GEORGE, HE'S GOT A SCREWDRIVER!
Now is not the time for Jeffrey Epstein quotes
ska invita
back on the other side
that article says they need an extra 4,000 recruits and there are an additional 40,000,000 recently become unemployed. I doubt they're going to have a problemThe Army is planning a mass recruiting drive this summer
“We’re getting as many assets as we can across the Army, everybody is involved,” said Muth.
Recruit numbers plunging for the US military because Rona apparently. ( pointless slaughter elsewhere doesnt seem to figure in this summary) - mass mobilisation of disgruntled GI's on the streets isnt going to help boost anything, especially if it gets even slightly kent statey.
NoXion
Craicy the Squirrel
Now is not the time for Jeffrey Epstein quotes
I thought a Jeffrey Epstein quote would be something along the lines of "I don't recognise you, what are you doing in my cell-hhhhhhhhurgh..."
Mr.Bishie
pickled egg
40 million?
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