Running racism in America thread

Has anyone in a position of authority in Portland (cops, city government) tried to have a dialogue with anyone claiming to be a leader of the protests to ask them what the hell they want? If it's attention, they've got it. If it's the right to protest, they've certainly exercised that right since well before George Floyd was killed.
If it's reform, they sort of have to quit storming the federal building and lobbing fireworks at the cops and feds to give everyone a chance to work on it. I think it they stood down for awhile, the "storm troopers" they keep claiming are there would leave.
I don't care how liberal a city's mayor is, at some point, the city has to get back to work for its people.

 

Ditka's been a grumpy old man since the 1980s.

 

If antifa types are going to get rowdy in Texas, they have to know it comes with some risk. Grandmothers are packing down there.

 

According to AP, which had reporters embedded in the street and inside the Federal building, there is definitely "real violence" on the part of the demonstrators/protesters.

On Portland's streets: Anger, fear, and a fence that divides

 

You’d like to think a story like this would be a wake up call.

 

When did the stormtroopers arrive? Was there violence then?? All I saw was unarmed people being mauled and arrested off street. Today’s facts don’t apply to when this started.

 

The Gestapo turning out to throw people into vans and mace peaceful protestors is only serving to escalate. Trump needs to shove his "law and order" shtick up his ass and let the locals do their jobs and only intervene when asked.

 

You can add in that sure as hell there are a few Alt-Right types easing in there late at night and provoking problems.

 

People need to stop throwing things at cops and attacking the federal building. Trump needs to stop sending federal authorities to escalate things that locals should handle. But I reject the notion this is some sort of threat to our nation. It's the standard "law and order" playbook designed to scare voters into thinking antifa is coming for them. It's not.

 

You don't think that having uninvited Federal law enforcement from unidentified agencies wearing no name tags or badge numbers beating and grabbing people off the street without warrants are a problem? Especially when the "enemy" they are "defending" against are Antifa, a nebulous, unorganized group that they are going after using the extremely broad and non-specific powers of the Patriot Act? In general most of what was going on in Portland was window breakage and graffiti until the Feds barged in there and started busting heads, not the sort of terrorism that the Patriot Act was intended to protect against.

Add that this is street theater posturing so that a President can look like a strong Law and Order candidate? Trump has openly said that he is sending these officers to cities run by Democratic mayors who in Trump's opinion are not being strong enough against BLM demonstrators.

 

The assclowns in the WH think this is their “war” that gets them re-elected. Sorry we’re smarter than that.

 

Live tweet thread on the testimony regarding clearing Lafayette Park for Trump's waving the Bible photo op.