Re: Seattle “hero.” King5 reports that the thug is at the county jail. Too bad the courthouses closed early due to threats of violence. Oops. Good for our journalists to set the record straight.
King5 also set the record straight by showing that bottles, rocks, and fireworks were flying at the officers before the tear gas was calmly deployed.
Also good for showing on live TV that white thug brandishing a big baking potato in front of the camera, “Look what I have here!” Who brings a sack of large baking potatoes to a peaceful protest?
And an NBC correspondent reporting from downtown was hit with a firework last night. She is OK.
I personally wouldn’t worry nearly as much with local photos as I would those being shared across the country or planet by people who don’t have firsthand knowledge.
If this was actually the usual case in excessive use of police force against unarmed or innocent African Americans, then we wouldn’t be having riots.
In the majority of cases the script goes like this, even with video evidence. First the DA take 6-12 months to “investigate” meanwhile the cop is free and continues working or is on paid administrative leave. The police union will say “the video doesn’t tell the whole story, don’t jump to conclusions.”
Then once the public outcry has subsided, either the DA declines to file charges or the grand jury declines. This was the script being followed in the Floyd case, as the DA was “investigating” until the riots started at which time he suddenly decided to bring charges. A simple google search will reveal plenty of these cases, some even more outrageous - see the case of Daniel Shaver crawling on his knees begging not to be shot then gets shot for being unable to both crawl and keep his hands behind his back simultaneously (that cop was found innocent, but at least charges were filed so there’s that). Shaver was white, so this is a problem for everyone, not just African Americans.
I think it’s fair to hold police to a higher standard of behavior, but in fact legally they’re held to a much lower standard. Google “qualified immunity” to see what I’m talking about. The cop who knelt on Floyd’s neck will likely get off because there’s no specific court precedent granting the right not have a cop kneel on your neck until you’re dead, just like there’s no precedent saying you have the right not have a police dog attack you while sitting with your hands up, you’re only legally protected if you’re lying on the ground.
Another bit of interesting reading for those disputing that police brutality is systemic is to search on “consent decrees”. Those have largely been dropped by the current administration, which probably helped set the stage for the current fire.
I actually think examining the contents of people’s pockets and backpacks would be a very accurate way to judge their intentions in these interactions. If you find a person carrying a hammer, a bag of rocks, bottles containing human waste, etc… this is not a protester, this is a rioter or a looter.
I don’t understand your point about protesters and the weather, but my point in the section you quoted was about COVID-19. Unless the protesters strictly adhere to guidelines similar to these: the protests are a high safety risk in the pandemic and will cause great harm to the African American community by transmitting COVID-19.
Yes, again, we should check if anyone is bringing something to a protest that can be used as weapon. I know that means we should limit where they can gather and ring it with law enforcement.
I heard on the radio this morning that the looters were renting cars to do the looting. (I wondered why they all had such new cars.) This was organized and pre-meditated, not some sort of spontaneous outburst. A check of rental car records could lead to a lot of arrests.
The historical excessive force and police brutality against african americans like George Floyd was the primary reason that 4 years ago an NFL player named Colin Kaepernick took a knee. Unfortunately politics ruled the day and even our POTUS said that Colin hates America while stating “get that son of a b… off the field” and “maybe he shouldn’t be in this country”.
I don’t know how this country will ever come together and live harmoniously together when our very leaders can’t have compassion and understanding of the plight facing all americans…sigh…
I live literally, in actuality, a stone’s throw from where those living in poverty level reside. I’m just a few blocks down the street from the projects., 3 houses from where the police reports start— in fact two such houses are empty and their back yards border mine. In this town with one zip code, your street address and number pretty much tell you what your chances of having a rap sheet and being a victim of crime are.
That there were only peaceful gatherings here, was pure luck. And it can change on a dime; it has done so in the past.
Yes, I do keep very close track of local social media. That it may not be at all reflective of the National scene , or the overall picture, I well know. But it’s danged important to me and to those who live in this area. It’s very relevant to those of us involved. And some of us, like myself, are interested in hearing what is happening in small pockets that are not reflective of the National scene.
News reporting does have to be anecdotal. What happened in DC that made it scarce of any protesters after curfew was one very important anecdote. Minneapolis is another anecdote as is NYC. And this small city is also an anecdote which is thankfully not making news in regards to the rioting, destruction and looting. Given grave inequities here that exist among race and sociology economic lines, there is good reason for group protests
The “looters” are not one cohesive group. Nor are the instigators of violence. It appears that groups of people did organize and plan to take advantage of these demonstrations, and did so.