Minneapolis right now.

What we have now is a very long simmering powder-keg that just exploded

A heady mix of racial abuse, Police brutality (there is no hiding from that) disenchantment, economic poverty, no affordable healthcare etc
combined with the effects of Covid 19 both economically and health wise, it wasnt going to be long before something triggered it.

now to my mind , once the officers had been sacked and charged with Murder, that should have been that, but now the looters and opportunists have got on board and are fueling the flames, the police/national guard have to react and are deemed wrong to do so.

There were pictures on TV of a shop being looted that was owned by a black guy who was pleading with them to stop, to no avail....Go figure

This goes much deeper than the death of George Floyd, its a couple of hundred years of repression and the current leadership both in government and in local communities need to pull back
or its going to be a long hot summer of discontent
 
I am a british cop and proud to be;

One particular story sticks in my mind - a traffic accident whereby a drunk driver collided with a family car at 70mph, I remember holding a 13 year olds hand reassuring him, even though at the time I knew once he was cut out the car he would die - he knew it and I'll never forget how blue his eyes were and when I told him he would be fine - he looked at me and said, "no, i won't, can you get my mum?" I went to get his mum and saw the drunk driver kicking off at my colleagues. Honestly I could have easily stepped on his neck that day. But I didn't, obviously, and he was duly arrested. I still have nightmares about that boy to this day, choked up typing about if I'm honest, but we are all human, no matter what we do for a living, colour of our skin etc etc.

Not all cops are bad or racist - all I as with 99% of the people I've worked with just want to pay their mortgages, play with our kids and play golf. I've seen first hand what riots look like and it's all ugly and doesn't help any cause for change or betterment. Things do need changing but looting and rioting are not the way, neither is firing at civilians.
 
Kellfire said:
In your opinion does the looting detract from the original reason for the protest? Or are you programmed to defend police actions at all costs?
Click to expand...

And the reason for the protest is.....

Oh yeah, an unarmed ‘known’ person with a history of violent crime who was driven out from his previous town/city died, and his life mattered!

Does anyone deserve to die at the hands of the authorities before a trial, obviously not, and that will be dealt with by the full weight of the criminal service.

But let’s not loose sight that this person (George) robbed and targeted single women at gun point and beat them when they cried out for help.

I don’t care if he was black, white or something in the middle, he was a callous calculated bully and a dangerous (armed at times) individual who should have been locked up for life with the key thrown away years ago!

But hey, all lives matter, or do they.....
 
Fish said:
And the reason for the protest is.....

Oh yeah, an unarmed ‘known’ person with a history of violent crime who was driven out from his previous town/city died, and his life mattered!

Does anyone deserve to die at the hands of the authorities before a trial, obviously not, and that will be dealt with by the full weight of the criminal service.

But let’s not loose sight that this person (George) robbed and targeted single women at gun point and beat them when they cried out for help.

I don’t care if he was black, white or something in the middle, he was a callous calculated bully and a dangerous (armed at times) individual who should have been locked up for life with the key thrown away years ago!

But hey, all lives matter, or do they.....
Click to expand...

Obviously talking about his past which he had left behind over 6 years ago - he served his time in Prison for his crimes and was rehabilitated- pointing fingers at past crimes is trying to find a way to deflect.

They are irrelevent to him being killed by a police force which quite clearly has issues and targets People of colour

As for all lives matter this sums that statement up
0AD3A3F2-831C-47FA-83A2-CF7EF7AB3C39.jpeg
 
Fish said:
And the reason for the protest is.....

Oh yeah, an unarmed ‘known’ person with a history of violent crime who was driven out from his previous town/city died, and his life mattered!

Does anyone deserve to die at the hands of the authorities before a trial, obviously not, and that will be dealt with by the full weight of the criminal service.

But let’s not loose sight that this person (George) robbed and targeted single women at gun point and beat them when they cried out for help.

I don’t care if he was black, white or something in the middle, he was a callous calculated bully and a dangerous (armed at times) individual who should have been locked up for life with the key thrown away years ago!

But hey, all lives matter, or do they.....
Click to expand...

Whilst I feel my political leanings are similar to yours.

Police are NOT Jury and executioners. As we have seen a large amount of US cops think differently (a couple being told to go inside off their doorway, then subesquently shot with pepperballs on their own property is the easiest example)

I remember I got a public order notice that stayed on my car for 2 years, there was no appeal process, I didn't break a law. The policeman was just a ****. I remember how livid I was, I can't imagine how much more livid i'd be if it was something more serious in the grand scheme of things.


I just wish people stopped this stupid all black people are x, all cops are y. How can anyone make progress with that narrow minded viewpoint. Tribalism is the crusade of the stupid.
 
DanFST said:
Whilst I feel my political leanings are similar to yours.

Police are NOT Jury and executioners. As we have seen a large amount of US cops think differently (a couple being told to go inside off their doorway, then subesquently shot with pepperballs on their own property is the easiest example)

I remember I got a public order notice that stayed on my car for 2 years, there was no appeal process, I didn't break a law. The policeman was just a ****. I remember how livid I was, I can't imagine how much more livid i'd be if it was something more serious in the grand scheme of things.


I just wish people stopped this stupid all black people are x, all cops are y. How can anyone make progress with that narrow minded viewpoint. Tribalism is the crusade of the stupid.
Click to expand...

Sure that was the national guard that fired onto the porch
 
DanFST said:
Whilst I feel my political leanings are similar to yours.

Police are NOT Jury and executioners. As we have seen a large amount of US cops think differently (a couple being told to go inside off their doorway, then subesquently shot with pepperballs on their own property is the easiest example)

I remember I got a public order notice that stayed on my car for 2 years, there was no appeal process, I didn't break a law. The policeman was just a ****. I remember how livid I was, I can't imagine how much more livid i'd be if it was something more serious in the grand scheme of things.


I just wish people stopped this stupid all black people are x, all cops are y. How can anyone make progress with that narrow minded viewpoint. Tribalism is the crusade of the stupid.
Click to expand...

When you watch that full video, they ignored repeated instructions to get inside their house, instead, they stood outside still filming, when the camera swung around to them in the house, after being fired upon, they were all masked up, so, if you ignore the instructions being given, and the police or guard see a group masked filming ignoring a direct instruction, what should they do?

Was it heavy handed, possibly, was there a good reason to clear the street/s to regain control, possibly, was there any reason to ignore the clear instructions to get inside your house, no!
 
Fish said:
When you watch that full video, they ignored repeated instructions to get inside their house, instead, they stood outside still filming, when the camera swung around to them in the house, after being fired upon, they were all masked up, so, if you ignore the instructions being given, and the police or guard see a group masked filming ignoring a direct instruction, what should they do?

Was it heavy handed, possibly, was there a good reason to clear the street/s to regain control, possibly, was there any reason to ignore the clear instructions to get inside your house, no!
Click to expand...
They were masked up because they were outside and protecting from the current Worldwide Pandemic that is going on - they were stood on their own front garden doing nothing wrong

There are many examples all social media of thr Police clearly showing brutality towards people based on the colour of their skin.
 
DanFST said:
They broke no law. They were on their own property. They are there to enforce law.
Click to expand...

Hmm, they broke no law, but ignored repeated clear instructions to go inside, so didn’t the police/guard then enforce the law?
 
DanFST said:
A cops instructions are not law.

That's the whole problem, most law enforcement officials don't seem to know the law or have got into the mindset they ARE the law.
Click to expand...
Surely they have a duty to uphold the law and attempting to retain peace and order during a riot is exactly that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top