Einenkel included a thread by tracy to add some context:
black people riot when their anger over being murdered and oppressed reaches a boiling point.
here are some fun reasons why white people have rioted:
their sports team loses
their sports team wins
their sports team's coach leaves to coach somewhere else
they were told they couldn’t party anymore
pumpkins [references a New Hampshire pumpkin festival]
they don’t like straw hats [the 1922 Straw Hat Riot]
because their sports coach left after he covered up child molestation
surfing [at the opening of a surfing store]
cabbage patch kids
black people wanted education [1962 riots over the first black student at University of Mississippi]
& most glaringly of all, because black people were prospering and doing just fine without them. [Tulsa race massacre in 1921]
Einenkel included that protesters caused a notable bit of destruction. The cops that caused the death were from the Third Precinct. Protesters stormed the place (staff fled) and then set it on fire, destroying it. Liz Dwyer tweeted:
This guy on CNN just said there need to be “real consequences” for people burning down the 3rd Precinct. Kinda seems like the people were waiting for “real consequences” for an officer killing a black man but …
Mark Sumner of Kos reported a bit on riots in other cities. He also wrote the Pentagon has ordered soldiers to prepare to deploy to Minneapolis. Sumner ends by writing:
It didn’t start with George Floyd, or with Eric Garner, or with Michael Brown, or even with Rodney King. The protests that followed those events were points in which the community reached a breaking point; in which it was no longer possible to remain silent.
And this time, like every time, there are plenty of white Americans ready to blame the protesters for venting their anger, rather than doing one damn thing about the source. Because this time, like every time, those same Americans count on the Black community to sit down, shut up, and take it — even if that means calling in the military.
In a separate article Sumner collected tweets, some with video, showing that at least some, perhaps most, of the property damage of these riots was not caused by black people, but by white supremacists taking advantage of a situation where black people would be blamed – leading, they hope, to the race war they’ve long been itching for.
Sumner linked to a thread by Joy Reid who wrote:
Remarkable info coming out of this presser: Gov. Tim Walls, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and now MN attorney general Keith Ellison ALL alleging outside forces, domestic and possibly foreign, have post-Tuesday infiltrated the state, and are in organized fashion setting fire to historic businesses in communities of color, and causing mayhem.
...
Mayor Carter said EVERY person arrested last night during the protests was from out of state. The governor said it is at least 80 percent, and that they will begin releasing the names. Dept of Safety Commissioner John Harrington says they are contract-tracing arrestees. He adds that white nationalist groups are posting messages promoting going to Minneapolis to “get our loot on” and cause mayhem.
...
This is now a story not just about grief, anger, protest, George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, it’s about infiltration and deliberate mayhem inflicted on the very communities that are hurting — both because of police brutality, and due to covid—per the mayor 1,000 deaths to date.
Yesterday after writing about the spreading riots and the possibility of the military getting involved I felt fearful and wondered if this would be the nasty guy’s Reichstag fire moment. Sumner was thinking the same thing. He explains the term:
Just a month after Adolph Hitler was sworn into power, an arson attack on the home of the German parliament was swiftly blamed on “communist agitators” and used as an excuse to silence, imprison, or murder those whose political positions fell to the left of Nazism. But many historians believe, based on very good evidence, that the fire was actually set by the Nazis themselves, to provide justification for going after other political parties.Concluded Sumner:
Is this a Reichstag fire moment? Of course it is. Just like every moment, of every day, watching democratic institutions wither and die under Donald Trump.
The news has been full of the 40 million people who have become unemployed in the last two months (well, that’s how many successfully applied for unemployment). Many people have noted over the years that in chaotic times the rich manage to get richer. As is happening now. Einenkel discusses a CNBC report that from mid March to mid May Bezos is richer by $34.6 billion. Yeah, some people consider $34.6 billion to be a pretty fabulous stash – and for him that’s just two months take. Zuckerberg pocketed $25 billion. And American billionaires together added $434 billion.
Yeah, a few lost money – pocket change really – such as Ralph Lauren’s fortune dropping from $5.7 to $5.6 billion.
Back to that net increase of $434 billion. That money could be used to give everyone in the US – adult and child – a $1200 check and still have $50 billion left over.
Their goal isn’t to simply amass a huge fortune. Their goal is to keep that money out of the hands of the lower classes.
I’ve mentioned Bill of Portland, Maine and his Cheers and Jeers column for Kos. His style is usually snarky. But yesterday he did something different. He took his dog for a walk and while they rambled he took photos of signs of encouragement in windows and elsewhere. Bill, who is gay, included a sign in a rainbow of colors that says:
In this home, we believe…
Love is love
Water is life
Black lives matter,
Climate change is real
No human is illegal
Religious diversity is valuable
All genders are whole, holy & good
Women have agency over their bodies
No comments:
Post a Comment