Minneapolis Video - General Discussion Discussion

Yes, this is insane. And this is going to be occurring more often until something is done about the double standards in this country.

A crime is a crime. But notice how differently the perpetrator is treated if they are a politician, a celebrity or are wealthy, as opposed to someone who is middle-class or low income. The idea that America is the land of equal opportunity and equal treatment is a myth.

The problem has its roots in the fact that elected officials do not represent the voters. Both major parties are funded by, and pander to, the wealthy, the corporations and the paid professional lobbyists. Time is long overdue for a new, viable political party that will once again represent the people.

Things are going in the wrong direction, and this is accelerating. Something must be done now before the situation deteriorates to the point where another civil war is inevitable.

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[–] Fandango (534) 4 years ago

When government stops acting as a force of welfare and investing into its citizens, the outcome is certain. If the institutions no longer care about what its citizens do or who they become, then it will eventually die, because there won't be anyone meaningful to replace them.

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[–] Adam60z (3749) 4 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Adam60z (3749) 4 years ago

Nothing compared to the trillions Trump looted from the American people.

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[–] dmac8 (5050) 4 years ago

Stupidity followed by more and more stupidity.

The defense that lashing out indiscriminately is justified is absurd on its face.

Using that "logic", those innocents whose livelihood/property has just been destroyed should now be defended if they turn around and do that to some other innocent in "protest" as well.

We all should understand the difference between organizing, gathering, marching the streets, and holding up signs and knocking over local businesses and destroying property in some mob frenzy.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

The anger is certainly justified, but rioting is not.

Rioting hurts people who have nothing or next to nothing, it damages their homes and drives jobs and services out of their neighborhoods, if it doesn't get someone they love killed. It may win the point in question, that letting the whole world know how they feel and getting the murder cop prosecuted, but at the cost of making life for the poor infinitely worse! It's not worth it. Please stop.

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[–] AndyKing1967 (33722) 4 years ago

Someone dying at the hands of the police is a tragedy.

Some innocent bystander having their livelihood destroyed by looters is insanity.

#innocentbtanderslivesdontmatter

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

No matter.what form of protest African Americans do, it is always wrong. Why should they value others if they themselves are not?

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[–] AndyKing1967 (33722) 4 years ago

Attacking a police station I can understand. Looting and torching someone’s shop doesn’t make sense.

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

The things we do when we are at our limit are often confusing.

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[–] db20db (16157) 4 years ago

I saw a brief interview with a witness to the riots today and I thought he really nailed it. He said he saw looters carrying tools out of an auto parts store that they didn't even know how to use. Then he said, "How's that doing anything for George ( the victim of the murder)?"

Btw, he was a black man.

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[–] AndyKing1967 (33722) 4 years ago

Making a protest, I got it.
Making a stand, I got it.
Showing your anger, I got it.
Wrecking an innocent persons life (that could be black for all you know), I don’t got it 🤷🏼‍♂️

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[–] db20db (16157) 4 years ago

I also heard that destruction covered an area of ten square blocks. That's substantial. And some of the buildings completely destroyed had historic significance.

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[–] dmac8 (5050) 4 years ago

you don't have to know how to use it to sell it

and of course there's going to be plenty who don't give a shit about that guy. People like to pretend that every person involved in this melee is taking some principled stance. There are always opportunists and people who like to go nuts for the hell of it.

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[–] db20db (16157) 4 years ago

True, the same thoughts occurred to me also and I know it's just an excuse to plunder and profit from someone else's tragedy. I saw it decades ago. I just thought the guy's observation summed up the insanity in a simple yet profound way.

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[–] Stratego (29209) 4 years ago

I understand protesting outside a police station and perhaps a family member getting a bit more aggressive. I truly don't understand attacking and torching a police station.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

That I actually understand, it's coming out that Minneapolis has a lot of trouble with bad cops and maltreatment of minorities. So if the beef is with multiple bad cops and an institutional resistance to reform, then yeah, attacking the police force in general makes a certain amount of sense.

Attacking the Target where your mother gets her groceries or an Auto Zone where your neighbor works... not so much.

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[–] Stratego (29209) 4 years ago

Nope, don't get destroying property whatsoever, especially not torching.

The cops of Minneapolis also have a lot of problems with citizens exhibiting criminal and violent behavior, does it also make sense for them to use excessive force???

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

Well apparently some cops in Minneapolis have developed of using excessive excessive force! If thousands of people really want to get together and burn down the police station, maybe their forms of "rough justice" aren't working real well!

I mean, the LAPD has a godawful reputation for brutality and corruption, and nobody ever burned down their stations.

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[–] Stratego (29209) 4 years ago

Or perhaps it's the other way around? Cops are using excessive force because citizens are being violent?

Who knows, my point is that it's not the police's responsibility when I decide to destroy somebody else's property.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

Well it is the police's responsibility when they harrass or kill innocent citizens!

I don't agree with the rioting, I think it harms the people who have got nothing first and foremost, but holy cow, things in police departments have got to change. The use of rough justice or excessive force isn't working, it isn't bringing down crime levels or reinforcing the benefits of the rule of law, it's causing more problems that it solves.

I'm a huge believer in the benefits of the rule of law, for both society and the individual, but in order for it to work as it should - first and foremost you've got to insure that NO PERSON IS ABOVE THE LAW. That means politicians, that means captains of industry, that means you and me, that even means the local cop who's fed up with seeing criminals get away with shit. Once individuals or groups are placed above the law, then respect for the law fades away, and chaos starts to creep in. That's happening at all levels of society, and apparently it's happening in some police forces.

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[–] Stratego (29209) 4 years ago

It's possible to protest without destroying the property of other people, even if it belongs to the police. If you can't do it peacefully, you have an ulterior motive.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

Oh I agree, I think the rioters are also causing far more problems than they could ever solve, problems for themselves and their community.

But it seems the Minneapolis police have got to clean house, I'm hearing more and more stories about how awful they are to certain groups. It's all news to me, but then, who outside of Minnesota pays any attention to Minneapolis?

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[–] Stratego (29209) 4 years ago

I have no clue. I do know that the chief of police is a black man and that almost half of all violent crimes in Minneapolis are committed by black persons. So it's not exactly all black-and-white (no pun intended).🤷‍♀️

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

That was beautiful. You give me hope.

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[–] Otter (24464) 4 years ago

Gosh, thanks!

And sadly, I haven't heard anyone else say anything similar. So many accusations, no talk about how to make society more just and equitable.

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[–] NormaAndNorman (3900) 4 years ago

White woman in wheelchair beaten by "so-called" protesters. (Watch all of the videos within this article).

https://www.nationalistreview.net/2020/05/28/video-minneapolis-rioters-beat-and-rob-disabled-woman-then-frame-her/

Also, someone died at the riot last night but I haven't heard any news on it since the one time it was mentioned. I guess he or she wasn't as important as Floyd was.

Over the weekend 10 blacks died. Black on black crime. Biggest count for a Memorial Day weekend since 2015. Where's the outrage???????!!!!!!!!

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[–] db20db (16157) 4 years ago

Some excellent points you make here.

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Brendan Glover: Because crime is going to happen. Wherever you go, crime happens. And the people that are here to serve and protect are a part of that problem. So it becomes a problem when you can't even call 911 and feel like you're safe — to protect you from people that are committing crimes. That's the point I'm trying to make.

Glover essentially argued that while crime can be shocking (earlier he and Tobin pointed to the murder of a 9-year-old as one example of a horrible local incident), it's also disturbing that black communities are genuinely scared of calling for help when that crime happens, because they're by and large dealing with police forces that disproportionately shoot and kill black Americans. In other words, everyone expects violent criminals to exist, and that's obviously tragic and dangerous — but at the very least people shouldn't have to believe that their government-sanctioned public protectors are also dangerous.

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[–] Mrmojo4700 (20411) 4 years ago

I’d like to apologize to all the General Discussion regulars. This thread has turned into an ugly political one, and that was not my intention.

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I think it’s a good thing mojo. People should be discussing this, it’s important. Hopefully we can listen and learn from each other.

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[–] actionkamen (23176) 4 years ago

Riot isn't a new thing. And everytime it happens the discussion is always the same. Racism this, police brutality that, justice bla bla, both sides were wrong, etc., etc. It's always like that.

And then they would happen again. And again. And again. Discussing it is useless. We just never learn.

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[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

I feel you actionkamen. This thread has been a lot of people bitching about what they don’t like and pointing their fingers at who’s to blame. I would consider that more of bitchfest than a discussion. It doesn’t have to be that way though.
It shouldn’t be about picking whose side you’re on. As Americans, we should all be on the same side right? Regardless of race, American citizens are getting killed by the people that are supposed to keep us safe. If rioting isn’t the answer, then what is?
We are willing to go to war to protect our constitutional rights. Why would we turn our heads when they are being violated on our own soil?

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