BLM Demonstrations, Riots, Police Brutality, Justice for George Floyd

[staci]

Dallas is a mess. Stores looted, some cars on fire , other cars dented, saw one they were throwing pait onto. lots of tear gas and people running everywhere. They may be leftists or they may right. They are wrong to do this.

[_priapism]

San Antonio had a peaceful demonstration that ended around 10 pm.  Then the looters moved in.  They made the mistake of attacking the Rivercenter Mall next to the Alamo.  The mayor sent a few hundred officers into the streets, and got things under control quickly with tear gas.  Some storefronts shattered, but no fires.  Curfew imposed.

[Lois]

  Lost in the story, as the city burns, is the arrest of Mr. Floyd for the passing of Counterfeit U.S. Currency.

Only Joan would trade a human life for a twenty dollar bill. 

[joan1984]

 For what it is worth, there was no evidence of asphyxiation was found at the autopsy of Mr. Floyd. Thus, the Third Degree Murder charge as one the D.A.
believed a jury of peers might deliver a guilty verdict. Hmmm...

  No evidence to show the knee on his neck caused his death, at least directly, and so the charge will be due to "indirect"... Should be interesting.

  They did get the arrest done and the Murder Charge against an Officer in record time, and authorities are so proud about that, believing they have acted in the best interest of the community...

  Following the death of one looter, shot dead by the legally armed business owner, the Pawn Shop was not further harmed.

The Tobacco Shop had several men with scarey looking firearms who dissuaded looters, or at least looters chose other, easier, places to loot (likely did not become altar boys).

[Lois]

Looters are just there to take advantage of the situation.  I remember the Rodney King riots. Sure black people protested, but the looting was done mostly by known gang members.  And yes, almost all of them were arrested later.  There were cameras that caught them in the act, and the police knew these guys from priors.  They were easily rounded up later.

[seveninchblues]

I believe this incident has less to do with race and more to do with the police believing they are above everyone else, that they can do whatever they want when they want to whomever they want.  Statistically, a large number of cops beat their wives without being kicked off the force.  When cops do something, they stick together.  Rather than telling the truth, they will protect each other.  They are a gang in blue that is not concerned with justice.  They deserve no respect, no benefit of the doubt.  I watched the video.  No matter the cause of death, Floyd was held down while he was in distress by a thug and a group of thugs stood around and let it happen.  At first sign of distress he should have been given aid.  That is why I don't care what the fucking autopsy says.  By continuing to hold him down, kneeling on his neck while he was obviously having problems, there was murder with intent.

[msslave]

A much calmer night, compared to the two previous. In spite of the 8:00 PM curfew, several hundred protesters stayed out. They were met with a much larger force of National Guardsmen. The thousand guard members from the day before, swelled to over 4 thousand. Added to police and state troopers, the larger force was able to break up and disperse the crowds before any rioting and burning started.

While watching the continuing news coverage, they showed one fire. Unlike the previous day's, fire fighters with National Guard protection, quickly got to the scene. Before mobs of protesters had kept them away, allowing greater destruction.

Our neighborhood was on alert. Garbage bins and propane grills put away. Lights were turned on inside and outside our homes.  A bit after 10:00 PM, I heard yelling. I went to the door and found several neighbors shouting at two young men on the sidewalk. They quickly left. My guess is they were looking for cars to break into. A continuous problem.

More Guard units will continue to arrive. There could be over ten thousand Guardsmen. Maybe their mission will turn to helping with clean up when things settle down.

During the day, hundreds of volunteers have shown up to help start to clean up debris left by rioters. I know there will be recovery from this. Most people are good and want to do what's right... helping all those who have lost jobs and businesses.

[msslave]

One thing I forgot to mention. At 7:00 PM last all freeways and a few other major roads were closed...one hour before the curfew was to begin.

At 8 PM, all cell phones emitted a loud beeping and the start of the curfew was announced. Already tense, the alarm was startling.

The local media has been fantastic. Coverage has been measured and informative. The reporters we're on the front line of the action... regrettably some were tear gases and a few arrested in the confusion. They were quickly released.

[MintJulie]

At 8 PM, all cell phones emitted a loud beeping and the start of the curfew was announced. Already tense, the alarm was startling.

I can imagine.   That beeping.   In that nervous situation.  ugh   

We were all quarintined a month ago.  Lousy weather.  Kids heard of a friends parent that contracted the virus.  We were all talking about her.   And that damn thing went off with an amber alert.   I about jumped out of my skin.

[watcher1]

Cell phones began emitting an ear shattering sound around 9pm last night warning that Chicago was enacting a curfew. Then at 11pm, all phones began ringing again telling us about the curfew, but this time in English and Spanish. Meanwhile, the parties in the neighborhood continued.

[ChirpingGirl]

Cell phones began emitting an ear shattering sound around 9pm last night warning that Chicago was enacting a curfew. Then at 11pm, all phones began ringing again telling us about the curfew, but this time in English and Spanish. Meanwhile, the parties in the neighborhood continued.

We could hear firetrucks like crazy in the distance about midnight last night. Wifey actually said to me "When was the last time you oiled and cleaned that stupid gun of yours?" 

I still don't know what all the sirens were about, but there were a lot of them for about half an hour. For a bit we thought the terrorists were spreading to here.

[Chicagokink]

Wow I thought the same. Glad I had nothing to do in the city last night.

[Lois]

 For what it is worth, there was no evidence of asphyxiation was found at the autopsy of Mr. Floyd.

  No evidence to show the knee on his neck caused his death, ....

That is one of the most bizarre theories I've ever heard. Asphyxiation is just one way to die when being strangled.  The stress on the body while having the carotid artery and windpipe squeezed by having a knee pressed on it can also cause heart attacks.

I have a friend that is an expert witness in such deaths.  He states repeatedly that there is no "safe" way to choke someone.

[msslave]

Regardless of whether Mr. Floyd died from being chocked, he did die from being forcefully pinned to the street by three large men.
This was a large man, over six feet tall and and plus 200 pounds.
That plus existing health problems killed him, but he would be alive today if not from the over reaction of cops.

Bystanders can be heard on the video begging the cops to get off Floyd. They could see and it can still be seen on tape that he was being killed.

Every public official from our Governor on down have called this murder. My big fear is attorneys for the four cops will use this, saying the cops can't get a fair trial.

Toe...any legal opinion on this?

[Shiela_M]

This is how I was trained on how to detain somebody

If they are not cooperating you have your fellow MPs assist and you sit on their ankles with handcuffs behind the back. This is how you restain somebody.

This is how you murder someone

[MissBarbara]

I think there's another factor at work here in both the incident, the immediate reaction, and the continuing protests. And that's an enormous sense of frustration at being shut down for the past three months. Poverty plays a rule here as well. Poorer people during the Covid-19 shutdowns have less access the services, they are more greatly affected by loss of employment, and -- as with poor people everywhere -- they suffer from cramped living conditions. Again, this isn't the only factor at work here, but it clearly exacerbates an already tense and hostile situation.

I agreed with you when I read this first and I think the way events have unfolded the last few days reinforces this idea. While what happened to George Floyd was an horrific tragedy, as you noted elsewhere, the response was atypically swift and punitive. This is far from the most egregious case of injustice perpetrated by the police on a black citizen in recent years, but it has lead to what appears to be the most pronounced and widespread anger in my memory. In my opinion, George Floyd's death has provided a focal point for all kinds of frustrations accumulated over the last several months and years.

I think your last point is spot on -- it's the explosive result of an accumulation.

I also think people have to separate the three separate parts of this incident: The fact that George Floyd was in the process of committing a crime, the fact that the police response was insanely disproportionate (and fatal), and the protests that the incident engendered.

The media's -- and the world's -- eyes now focus on the ongoing demonstrations, and the looting, destruction, and deaths that have ensued. But these should not take away from the fact of the killing of Floyd by those police officers.   

[MissBarbara]

For what it is worth, there was no evidence of asphyxiation was found at the autopsy of Mr. Floyd.

No evidence to show the knee on his neck caused his death.

Just to be clear, are you truly arguing that the police officers' action had absolutely nothing to do with George Floyd's death?

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner sharply differs with you. If you're going to quote from Floyd's autopsy report, please cite it in its entirety:

"No physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation. Mr. Floyd had underlying health conditions including coronary heart disease. The combined effects of Mr. Floyd being restrained by police, his underlying health conditions and any potential intoxicants in his system likely contributed to his death."

[_priapism]

[msslave]

Our Metro area will be locked down again tonight. At 7:00 PM all major freeways and highways will be closed. Curfew goes into effect at 8:00 PM. Even more National Guard troops will reinforce the 4000 that were out last night.

Our neighborhood will be on watch again. Across the street is a former Army Ranger.  He and another guy got a suspicious couple off our block as many other neighbors yelled at them. They were reluctant to go until a metal police baton came out and was snapped open. That cause a rapid exit.

We did have cars driving around the block after 11:00 PM. We're near one of the few bridges over the Mississippi and police had that blocked. The highway several blocks from the bridge was also close, so they were trapped for a while.  A call to 911 took 4 tries. When they did get through, we were told unless under attack or guns were seen, no police would respond. 

With police tied up with rioters, many neighborhood have taken to providing their own security.  Homeowners can act under the "Castle Doctrine". Businesses can't do that. May be a reason residents are being left alone. This is a big hunting state. Lot's of guns available.  So far, no deaths...a miracle with all that's happened and the number of people involved.

[_priapism]

I lived on River Parkway for a while.  Central Avenue was my preferred bridge to cross.

Is Jim’s Coffee Shop still in business?  I just looked it up on google earth.  It looks empty.  Untamed Heart.  Great movie.



Stay safe.