The Murder of George Floyd and the Response To It

[elengil]

Some good humanity news. This is the *real* way you say 'all lives matter'.

Black protesters protect stranded LMPD officer from violence
https://www.wave3.com/2020/06/01/black- ... -violence/

[Impenitent]

Dave, I hope your neighbourhood remains unassaulted. Thank you for responding to my question - I really am concerned for my 'imaginary friends' so far away.

...But when they targeted the media, the medics, the legal observers, the freakin priests... that's got the broad outrage going. People who would have dismissed it as "they asked for it by being violent" are having to face what is for them a new reality.

You would think, but I suspect not. Marc follows Fox News as a window into the Trump camp, and as far as the Trumpistas are concerned, it all comes down to Antifa agitators and provocateurs - and that includes the rector of St John's who is a sympathiser (water and granola bars were a front).

The divisions are so heavily drawn that there is no crossing the Rubicon.

And you think he'll be voted out? No holds barred propaganda is very effective, and I point you to the shooting, gassing and physical assaults on the media, the 'enemy of the people'. Goebbels' invidious lessons well-learnt.

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[elengil]

And you think he'll be voted out?

I'm terrified he won't be, I honestly am terrified that he'll cancel the election and pull some other shadyass shite... But I was more directing my comment towards the "neutrally good" people who honestly just don't understand or see it and have never been educated. I don't excuse their blindness, but I think this can help open their eyes. Those who have deliberately chosen to close their eyes are beyond reach for the most part.

Personally, I am fine. I live pretty rural. The local county seat had a protest march, the police pretty much just ensured their safety from what I could tell. That was nice. There has been violence around the protests in Seattle (both from rioters and from police) but that's far enough away to be essentially inconsequential to my direct life and family.

I am pretty much glued to the various news stories and giving myself a migraine for it. There are too many compilations of police brutality that I can't even finish watching. There are also, thankfully, stories of police departments standing with or even joining the protesters, instead of turning to violence against them.

It is hard to watch this going on in my country, and to my fellow citizens. It is terrifying to watch the police and government response, I want to be hopeful, but really I am just terrified.

[Dave_LF]

Pritzker deploys Illinois National Guard troops to suburbs

You don't particularly need to read the story, but please pause to consider the level of dystopia that headline implies. And then pause a moment longer to consider that that isn't even the half of it.

[Alatar]

Lincoln memorial yesterday. I’m told it’s a legit photo but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s from the latest dystopian YA movie.


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[Voronwë the Faithful]

[elengil]

Lincoln memorial yesterday. I’m told it’s a legit photo but you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s from the latest dystopian YA movie.


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While I will tentatively watch how this plays how, honestly this photo is probably the least disturbing to me of any I've seen that weren't outright positive.

Why? Military is *way* more trained and often restrained (irony) than the police. They literally are trained in civilian rights. They aren't dressed in riot gear - no visible weapons drawn, no batons, face shields, body shields, nothing to shoot canisters of teargas or flashbombs, etc.

They are standing more or less easy. They don't look provocative (to my eyes) or threatening.

Again, this may change in an instant, as so many other situations have. But just the picture... that isn't bad to me.

We'll see what happens.

[elengil]

Follow that with a random quote that just came across my feed

This country was way better prepared to go to war against its citizens then to defend those citizens from a pandemic. Policemen looking like Robocop while we have nurses in homemade masks.

... yes. Yes it was.

[elengil]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... aYs-HOcldE

To skip to the end, the last paragraph pretty much sums up the whole of the problem here

In theory, the police are supposed to protect the community. When they are whacking the community with sticks, and firing teargas into it, they are more like an armed gang than keepers of the peace. When police show no interest in obeying the constitution or treating protesters with dignity and care, then they should cease to command respect. A police force that runs amok does not deserve to be called “law enforcement”. They are rioters, plain and simple.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I had to read this three times before I believed that it was true.

Pat Robertson Blasts Trump for Lack of ‘Love’ in Response to Protests

[Sunsilver]

Good for Pat!

There were a few other people not happy with Trump's performance. The assistant secretary of defense, James Miller, has resigned. Here's some quotes from his letter of resignation:

In his resignation letter to Esper, which was obtained by The Washington Post, James Miller Jr., who served as the US undersecretary of defense for policy from 2012 to 2014, recalled that he swore an oath of office to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States" and "to bear true faith and allegiance to the same," similar to what the defense secretary had done before he took office.

"You may not have been able to stop President Trump from directing this appalling use of force, but you could have chosen to oppose it. Instead, you visibly supported it. You must have thought long and hard about where that line should be drawn. I must now ask: If last night's blatant violations do not cross the line for you, what will?

Unfortunately, it appears there may be few if any lines that President Trump is not willing to cross, so you will probably be faced with this terrible question again in the coming days. You may be asked to take, or to direct the men and women serving in the US military to take, actions that further undermine the Constitution and harm Americans.

I wish you the best, in very difficult times. The sanctity of the US Constitution, and the lives of Americans, may depend on your choices."

And maybe Miller's words hit home with Esper:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/bu ... Mj2IAhvj7s

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Thanks, Sunny. I had not heard of Miller's resignation, but I had heard of Esper's statement somewhat bucking Trump.

Meanwhile, a charge of second degree murder has been added to the charges against Chauvin, and the other officers involved in George Floyd's murder have each been charged with aiding and abetting second degree murder. All four face maximum charges of 40 years in prison.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/us/georg ... index.html

[Túrin Turambar]

While I will tentatively watch how this plays how, honestly this photo is probably the least disturbing to me of any I've seen that weren't outright positive.

Why? Military is *way* more trained and often restrained (irony) than the police. They literally are trained in civilian rights. They aren't dressed in riot gear - no visible weapons drawn, no batons, face shields, body shields, nothing to shoot canisters of teargas or flashbombs, etc.

They are standing more or less easy. They don't look provocative (to my eyes) or threatening.

Again, this may change in an instant, as so many other situations have. But just the picture... that isn't bad to me.

We'll see what happens.

This is an interesting point, but it's true. Soldiers, for example, are trained only to raise a weapon at someone if they're actually going to shoot them. Police, on the other hand, often seem to enter confrontational situations with firearms raised.

ETA: I still agree with Al's point though that it makes for a dystopian spectacle nonetheless.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Former Defense Secretary James Mattis, who mostly has been quiet since being forced to resign as a result of his disagreement with Trump policies, has come out with a blistering statement condemning the president.

"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us," Mattis said.
"We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/03/politics ... index.html

I've never in my lifetime seen a former cabinet officer make that kind of statement about the president that he or she served.

[elengil]

So much of me is screaming that all this sudden speaking out is TOO. F-ING. LATE! They had ample opportunity before we got to this point!

[yovargas]

Do you think there is any conservative figure with enough clout in the conservative voter base that they could actually have some influence amongst Trump's support base? Maybe if somebody like Rush Limbaugh or Sean hannity condemned Trump's actions, it might actually have some tiny little bit of an impact? Probably not....

[Voronwë the Faithful]

A) they wouldn't. B) it probably wouldn't matter if they did.

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[Túrin Turambar]

So far, every time a conservative figure has criticised Trump (e.g. Ben Shapiro, Ted Cruz), his base has taken Trump's side. I don't think this would change.

[elengil]

To Trump's base, Trump is god. No matter who turns on him, they will take Trump's side.

To the rest of America, the possibly swayable-by-reality America, the previously-undecided America, it may yet make a difference, and it may yet convince enough people to vote him out. And that's what we need to remember. This isn't about converting or convincing Trump's base - it's about getting everyone else on the same page.

[RoseMorninStar]

Túrin, has it made news in Australia that an Australian news team was attacked by DC police?