Sunday, May 31, 2020

PEACEFUL PROTESTS HIJACKED

I hardly know what to write since describing the relaxation of some Covid-19 virus restrictions in Los Angeles County where I live was among the items of my expected focus.  I intended to note I thought this re-opening businesses might be premature – that I expected to continue to observe “staying at home”, wearing my mask when I do go out only to drive-thrus or for pickups. 

Who knows now how the protest events of this weekend you probably have heard about will impact the virus spread.   Maybe the infection will primarily be spread among the criminal element.  We’ll see when the infection rate surfaces in a couple weeks after the incubation period.    

Across the U.S. there have been peaceful but angry protests over the death of an unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of a white policeman in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  Three other officers stood by as the victim was saying “I can’t breathe”.   

These erupting protests have descended into violence, rioting and looting in at least 30 U.S. cities. Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Santa Ana, Portland, Miami, New York City, Washington D.C.,  Atlanta, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Denver, Salt Lake City, Nashville among others with some having instituted curfews earlier, bracing for unrest.

br />

An NBC-TV News reporter said he was told an L.A. protest march was initiated by a 17-year-old
with the aid and support of his parents, including their plan to hand out water bottles, to peacefully bring attention to the death of George Floyd.  As the protest proceeded increasing groups joined their march which was also infiltrated by some motivated by other than peace who eventually subsumed the peaceful element.   

Professor Erroll Southers, a former FBI Agent interviewed on NBC-TV, described how extremist organizations have been reported to leverage Covid-19 to recruit others to their cause and into criminal acts just as they also use protest marches to incite civil violence.   

Los Angeles County Sheriff  Alex Villanueva describes them as “professional anarchists” – starting fires, vandalizing, creating havoc.  There are also the garden variety hoodlums, criminals and opportunists ready to create or take advantage of any situation.  Hundreds can be arrested though most are released the next day with only misdemeanor charges.  A few hard criminals are retained with felony charges, some including arson, burglary, vandalism.

The extremists often are the ones who may actually initiate breaking businesses windows and doors, then stepping back as the crowd mentality prompts others to invade the premises to steal all they can carry.  I feel so sorry for the violated businesses, most especially the small business owners who are struggling through the virus lock-down and some who were readying to open on a limited basis beginning today. 

TV news covered events as they were happening in Los Angeles Saturday – people scurrying in and out of businesses with their loot which they loaded into curbside cars, setting fires, some instances of throwing rocks other items at police.   There was an attempt to break into CBS studios which was finally thwarted by closing the gate.

LAPD and the Fire Department were stretched thin with over 1500 calls for firefighters.  Officers had to be assigned to accompany firefighters to ensure their safety.  Friday firefighters had one of their fire hoses put into the fire by the criminal element as attempts to extinguish a fire were being made.   

L.A. Mayor Garcetti’s ultimate request to California Governor Nusom resulted in a State of Emergency in Los Angeles being declared with a thousand National Guardspersons arriving Saturday at midnight.   A city-wide curfew was declared from 8 p.m. until 5:30 a.m. this Sunday morning.  Anyone out is subject to arrest as a misdemeanor.

The concentration of TV news on Los Angeles events caused me to wonder what was happening in the multitude of surrounding L.A. county cities.  The decline of press and media available through local newspapers and especially free radio stations news shows can make citizens less informed about immediate events in their community.   I was able to find an area newspaper, Daily Bulletin, which has developed a website to carry timely local news, reporting protests that have been occurring nearby where I live. 

There was some reason for my concern since one of my town’s next-door city neighbors east of Los Angeles has often had some worrisome activities in year’s past before we moved here when there was a riot in L.A.    Years later there was an event causing significant unrest in response to a trial acquitting white officers of beating a black man stopped for arrest, Rodney King, who later made a simple plea in a press conference apropos today.


The neighbor city did, indeed, have a protest march involving 250 people organized by three high school students.  They reported people were reluctant to become involved because of violence that had erupted in other cities but said they were trying to make it safe as possible which it was for several hours.  

They did march north closer to our city but were blocked by the California Highway Patrol from entering a major freeway.  However, in the evening 40 marchers went south on to another freeway slowing traffic but followed by law enforcement that halted traffic behind them.  The marchers finally left the freeway and dispersed.  

As serious as this situation is let’s not give a true protest a bad name in the memory of George Floyd.   Let’s not allow the criminal actions of some across this country to end our right to have peaceful protests.

There are limits as to what more law and order can achieve though some will press for that alone.  Tougher laws are not and have not been the solution.  The issues that precipitate inequality in our great nation must be strongly addressed in addition to ensuring our safety if we genuinely desire to resolve these issues. 

20 comments:

  1. The Bannon group has always said that anarchy and burning the establishment is the way to get rid of the government they hate and to rule with the no-rules they love. I am just so surprised that so few can do so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that’s what it’s all been about and continues to be with the promised change to our democracy.

      Delete
  2. Like you and many others, I think the lockdowns in the UK and USA are being relaxed far too quickly, when there are still thousands of new cases daily and the track and trace system in the UK is still a long way from being fully functional. I think a second wave is very likely.

    George Floyd's death tells us once again that the police get away with mistreatment of black people time after time. When peaceful protests and complaints are routinely brushed off and ignored, it's hardly surprising people resort to such violent and destructive retaliation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Extremists across the whole political spectrum may well be the instigators of the violence capitalizing on protestors anger.

      Delete
  3. It's a horrific situation but brings to my mind when did peaceful demonstrations change anything? I could be wrong. I am reminded of the Irish revolution (the country of my birth), marching peacefully never brought freedom from oppression and there are many other examples.

    Not that I think setting fires and rampaging is the answer. So it begs the question, how is racism eliminated? And how is ERA ratified?

    XO
    WWW

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Peaceful demonstrations in and of themselves will not solve the problem. I think Martin Luther King’s non-violent marches with other efforts did facilitate some gains on U.S. racial issues They can highlight the grievance so further peaceful actions to resolve the problems can be undertaken. All too often the resolution area falls short or is even tragically neglected.

      Delete
  4. Over 80% of those arrested in MN were locals, resident Minnesotans. Of course there are people who are arriving at protests armed not with signs, but with bats or other means of destruction. And I'm sure that a great deal of organizing was done on social media.

    It's all simply tragic. All of it. This country continues to move backward at an alarming pace, and in every way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Typically outside instigators, such as anarchists, whether residents of an area or imported from elsewhere, are only a very small percentage infiltrated into a group of marches. Only a few such individuals are needed and are adept at avoiding their own arrests.

      Delete
  5. I totally admire those who want to protest such a terrible thing that happened to Mr. Floyd. Enough is enough. We should get the skin heads out of uniform. I feel that the violence and looting is coming from outsiders. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if some white supremacists aren't in there trying to deflect from the real issue here by the bad behavior. In the looting shots I did see some very white bodies hauling away TVs. By the burning and looting, the outsiders are intentionally casting a very bad light on the protests and are trying to nullify the message intended.
    I share Rodney Kings plea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Being informed of white supremacists tactics in my town years ago, recalling their more recent activities In Charlottesville, VA, we know what they’re capable of doing including causing others death.

      Delete
  6. One of the persons, a talented writer btw, posted yesterday that the problem is all of humanity. Get rid of humans justifies doing anything to anyone-- ans he's a far leftie. I snoozed him with unfollow maybe if the hate continues. Extremes on both sides are the problem. The news media feeds it. Last night i turned it off when all they wanted to carry was rioters. What about the launch of SpaceX to make us feel better about humanity? A bad idea. I read there by FB friends that the peaceful protesters got pushed out when the looters and rioters arrived. I think a curfew is a good idea to cut down on the looters and give still space for those with a legitimate point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I couldn’t agree more that radicals or extremists of all kinds and flavors on the spectrum likely cause and/or prompt the violence occurring in these intended peaceful marches. Generally speaking I find it unhelpful to addressing the issues when some try to attribute the violence to only one side though there can be exceptions.. Perhaps some view such televised news events to which you object from a different perspective than yours, but important you and any others are able to change channels, or use their TV off button.

      Delete
  7. Even over here the riots and disturbances in the US are fairly near the top of the daily news. Ditto in other European countries. For as long as racism is part of the national characteristic and incitement to racism is accepted by the highest echelons, there will be no solution. People like you - and I know you are the majority - need to do their utmost to eradicate bigotry, hatred of 'the other', and teach people to live in peace. We’ve had our riots in the past and there will most probably be more in the future, inequality is rife here too and the covid19 outbreak has made it quite obvious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree that more people’s attitudes must be changed to reject racism and discrimination in how we live our daily lives, interact with one another. I’ve had experiences to overtly combat discrimination and have done so in both social activities and language all my life and notably beginning as a young adult in the 1950s. I know friends who grew up in areas of our country where racism was ingrained from birth who have rejected it, but there are still those in the U.S. who have not. We must continue moving forward to overcome the false insidious beliefs and attitudes that are prevalent with racism — not just toward black Americans, but other nationalities as well as toward others on the basis of religion.

      Given that racism has been used by one of our major political parties as a means to win power by dividing our country in recent Presidential elections has amplified the problem. Tragically we have as a President — who did not win the majority popular vote — a man who has fed racism for his own purposes as he has systematically weakened our democracy. Hopefully, he will not be re-elected in Nov. and our nation’s people will move forward in how we live our lives to eliminate racism.

      Delete
  8. Since I am not a citizen of your country, I refrain from commenting. Just before the outbreak of Covid, we too had our share of rioting and deaths and I therefore can relate to your angst.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I’ve read of India’s social and political issues so guess citizens in all nations are challenged to rectify existing discriminatory attitudes where they live.

      Delete
  9. I am horrified by the violence against protesters. It is the right to protest. If there is no protest against wrong things and injustice the government will rot in their own reflection.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So true! Important that law enforcement and all of us differentiate between non-violent peaceful protestors and other individuals or groups dedicated to creating violence for their own purposes.

      Delete
  10. I am worried about COVID-19 spreading because of the protest with people so close together. Even in Hawaii, our infection rate jumped just because of Memorial Day partying. I’m hoping the protests will bring about change. We’ve had protests against gun violence, racial discrimination before and I haven’t seen lasting change. I just HOPE this will be big enough to make a difference.

    And yes, my daughter in Chicago told me that there were a LOT of extremists and opportunists that took the protest as an excuse to loot.

    ReplyDelete
  11. This blog policy does not publish comments from unknowns with no relevance to the topic here.

    ReplyDelete