US Riots - 2020 edition

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

This isn't looking good at all now.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52865206

The orange twat is right that it's not just people protesting about George Floyd any more, but a whole host of social issues including him.

Seeing footage of hundreds of police and what are basically military vehicles it looks like deleted scenes from Robocop and it's very depressing.

Kern · **Posted:** Sun May 31, 2020 12:11

Yes, it's pretty horrific.

All made worse, of course, by Mr Trump using it to stoke the impulses of his base for what he sees as an electoral benefit.

A friend who's doing a PhD on these things has just posted an interesting thread on Twitter on how previous Republicans have addressed similar events:

https://twitter.com/TimGalsworthy/statu ... 8825678850

Since Republicans and conservatives keep invoking Martin Luther King to decry current protests, I thought Iâ€™d describe how different leading Republicans reacted to Dr. Kingâ€™s assassination and the ensuing unrest in April 1968 #BlackLivesMatter #GeorgeFloydProtests
— Tim Galsworthy (@TimGalsworthy) May 31, 2020

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

And suggesting a MAGA night to make it worse is about the least presidential thing he’s done.

And there’s a lot to choose from.

Kern · **Posted:** Tue Jun 02, 2020 8:06

Another night of turmoil in the US. Appears Trump had protesters teargased so he could do a photo-op walking to a church. He seems to be revelling in the violence.

Findus Fop · **Joined:** 14th May, 2009 **Posts:** 4365

Someone with more talent than me needs to cut this into the It's a Skull song.

https://twitter.com/bad_takes/status/12 ... 3710446593

great photo op. nailed it pic.twitter.com/X7uedAcxHb
— Brendan Karet ðŸš® (@bad_takes) June 1, 2020

Warhead · Noob as of 6/8/10

It's such a mess. I don't know what to believe at times. Some protesters have said that police who joined them taking the knee or walking with them, were later tear gassing them, etc. claiming they were just doing it as a photo opportunity. If so, this is horrifically cynical.

Other claims have been that plain clothes police were in the crowds targeting people, that white supremacists were joining the protests and then starting the violence, burning properties and looting, partly to bring the protests into disrepute. And police targeting journalists, or ignoring the fact that they ARE journalists and blatantly attacking them. It's totally out of control.

Apart from all that, what the hell is it going to do the Covid infection rate?

Doctor Glyndwr · **Joined:** 30th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 32624

Warhead wrote:

white supremacists were joining the protests and then starting the violence, burning properties and looting, partly to bring the protests into disrepute

It's not quite that simple: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2020/05 ... you-think/

tl;dr: there's a right-wing movement (that also came from 4chan and spread to Facebook) but unlike the alt-right it is less about militant white supremacism than it is about gun ownership and hardcore 2A "we must overthrow an overreaching tyrannical gov" beliefs. It came from /k/ as opposed to /pol/. It sometimes calls itself Boogaloo (from "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo"), and is associated with symbolism like Hawaiian shirts (Boogaloo -> "big luau" -> Hawaii). They don't want a race war. They want to start a civil war.

The Great Tyrant · **Posted:** Tue Jun 02, 2020 18:00

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Warhead wrote:

white supremacists were joining the protests and then starting the violence, burning properties and looting, partly to bring the protests into disrepute

It's not quite that simple: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2020/05 ... you-think/

tl;dr: there's a right-wing movement (that also came from 4chan and spread to Facebook) but unlike the alt-right it is less about militant white supremacism than it is about gun ownership and hardcore 2A "we must overthrow an overreaching tyrannical gov" beliefs. It came from /k/ as opposed to /pol/. It sometimes calls itself Boogaloo (from "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo"), and is associated with symbolism like Hawaiian shirts (Boogaloo -> "big luau" -> Hawaii). They don't want a race war. They want to start a civil war.

I saw some 2A guys on Twitter saying they were pissed. Trump mentioning it in his speech was definitely a dog whistle for a civil war.

As the resident Texan here, when the the Cheeto said he'd strong-arm governors into deploying the National Guard or else he'd use military force, I raged hard. It's a direct violation of the First Amendment. CNN reported that it is tantamount to a dictatorship in America.

This tension has existed in America since forever. When Trump was running in 2016, I warned so many folks back home that he was dangerous. Not exactly happy to be vindicated on that point. They're now not feeling great that they either a) voted for him in blind support of the Republican party, or b) didn't vote because they thought he was too stupid to do anything actually harmful. To say I'm frustrated doesn't cover it.

Scrambling to find my Social Security Number so I can vote again this year.

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

Warhead wrote:

It's such a mess. I don't know what to believe at times. Some protesters have said that police who joined them taking the knee or walking with them, were later tear gassing them, etc. claiming they were just doing it as a photo opportunity. If so, this is horrifically cynical.

Other claims have been that plain clothes police were in the crowds targeting people, that white supremacists were joining the protests and then starting the violence, burning properties and looting, partly to bring the protests into disrepute. And police targeting journalists, or ignoring the fact that they ARE journalists and blatantly attacking them. It's totally out of control.

Apart from all that, what the hell is it going to do the Covid infection rate?

Sadly, given the large number of protests going on it’s quite likely that most, if not all of the above will happen at some point. I think most people will be there to be loud and visible but ultimately non-violent, but it would be naive to believe there’s nobody doing unpleasant shit.

And this is going to get worse before it gets better.

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

This is worth a listen.

https://apple.news/A1vx-zdhIQOmN0Pw0YU97qQ

Sir Taxalot · **Joined:** 5th Apr, 2008 **Posts:** 4862

The Great Tyrant wrote:

Scrambling to find my Social Security Number so I can vote again this year.

Genuine question from a distant viewer that isn't fully across how other countries function: Who do you feel you could vote for that would/could actually make it better though? Is there anyone that isn't just basically, more-or-less part of the same old system with a different face and voice?

While all the talk from Killer Mike about using votes is the ideal answer rather than 'smash all the stuff up', I find myself puzzled, how would people even know when to start? It seems it's not as simple as 'just change the president/party' when you've got mayors, governers, police chiefs and all the other kinds of structure.

While this is coming to an awful, awful flash point and the current president would seem to be the very worst possible person to be in power right now (or any time ever) all of this is the result of decades of simmering tension isn't it?

Warhead · Noob as of 6/8/10

Doctor Glyndwr wrote:

Warhead wrote:

white supremacists were joining the protests and then starting the violence, burning properties and looting, partly to bring the protests into disrepute

It's not quite that simple: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2020/05 ... you-think/

tl;dr: there's a right-wing movement (that also came from 4chan and spread to Facebook) but unlike the alt-right it is less about militant white supremacism than it is about gun ownership and hardcore 2A "we must overthrow an overreaching tyrannical gov" beliefs. It came from /k/ as opposed to /pol/. It sometimes calls itself Boogaloo (from "Civil War 2: Electric Boogaloo"), and is associated with symbolism like Hawaiian shirts (Boogaloo -> "big luau" -> Hawaii). They don't want a race war. They want to start a civil war.

I knew it was waaaaay more complicated than that, it was just that those were a couple of examples of things I'd read about. One of the difficulties now is that any keyboard warrior can post any old rumour they want to, and it just gets added to all the other stuff that's out there, muddying the water more and more. Fake news from the media is bad enough, but when there are any number of people feeding the rumour mill it's just getting harder, if not impossible, to get a clear vision of what's actually going on. So many factions with their own agendas, many of them gun totin' eejits with itchy trigger fingers; I can't imagine how decent people are coping when they're caught up in the madness.

Warhead · Noob as of 6/8/10

Seven reasons why police brutality is systemic, not anecdotal in the U.S.
Some good points here. The issue of inadequate training doesn't surprise me at all.

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

Looks like the nation’s football hooligans have discovered a passion for statues, and think the best way to protect them is to pick fights with the police.

Mimi · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 26182

Statues and all sorts of memorials. Luckily, one of the racists has realised that they protective piddle, so that should keep everything safe.

Dr Zoidberg · **Joined:** 15th Oct, 2010 **Posts:** 5439

https://twitter.com/SpillerOfTea/status ... 6987992065

One of the more intelligent racists neatly sums up their considered and judicious line of reasoning in just 15 seconds pic.twitter.com/UFDVwJ9IuM
— ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ Max ðŸ³ï¸â€ðŸŒˆ (@SpillerOfTea) June 13, 2020

Well, that’s me convinced that they were in London because of a legitimate cause for concern.

Firefox · **Joined:** 20th Mar, 2010 **Posts:** 261

Mimi wrote:

one of the racists has realised that they protective piddle

Mimi · **Joined:** 27th Mar, 2008 **Posts:** 26182

Some idiot was peeing up against the memorial to a policeman who had been killed in a terrorise attack, so he was urinating on exactly the kind of memorial I’m sure they’d say they were protecting. I can only assume because he has magical wee.

Goddess Jasmine · **Posted:** Thu Jun 18, 2020 9:53

This list is circulating through work if anyone wants to learn more regarding race and racism.

ZOMG Spoiler! Click here to view!

Books:
 Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race - Reni Eddo-Lodge
 How to be an Antiracist - Ibram X. Kendi
 White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism - Robin DiAngelo
 Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor
- Layla Saad
 So You Want to Talk About Race - Ijeoma Oluo
 Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire - Akala
 Back to Black: Retelling Black Radicalism for the 21st Century - Kehinde Andrews
 Your Silence Will Not Protect You: Essays and Poems - Audre Lorde

Children’s and Fiction Books (for adults) that discuss race and racism:

Adults:
 Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid
 Queenie - Candice Carty-Williams

Children:
 Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up to Become Malcolm X - Ilyasah Shabazz
 Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice - Marianne Celano,
Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard
 Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History - Vashti Harrison

Online Articles:
 Unpacking the invisible knapsack - Peggy McIntosh
https://www.racialequitytools.org/resou ... intosh.pdf
 White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard to Talk to White People About Racism - Robin DiAngelo
http://www.kooriweb.org/foley/resources ... gility.pdf
 Rethinking White Supremacy - David Gillborn
https://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/ ... es-2006-3-
gillborn-rethinking_white_supremacy.pdf?sequence=1
 The Public Identities of the Black Middle Classes: Managing Race in Public Spaces - Nicola
Rollock, David Gillborn, Carol Vincent and Stephen Ball (Available on Google Scholar)

Things to watch (Coincidentally all on Netflix):
 When They See Us
It is based on events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case and explores the lives and families
of the five male suspects who were falsely accused then prosecuted on charges related to the
rape and assault of a woman in Central Park.
 Trial by Media: 41 Shots (episode 3)
In 1999, four white NYPD officers shoot an unarmed 23-year-old immigrant named Amadou
Diallo 41 times outside his apartment building; the officers' defence lawyers press for a
change of venue as racial tensions escalate.
 13th
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay explores the history of racial inequality in the United States,
focusing on the fact that the nation's prisons are disproportionately filled with AfricanAmericans.
 Dear White People
Based on the acclaimed film of the same name, this Netflix-original series follows a group of
students of colour at Winchester University, a predominantly white Ivy League college. The
students are faced with a landscape of cultural bias, social injustice, misguided activism and
slippery politics. Through an absurdist lens, the series uses irony, self-deprecation, brutal
honesty and humour to highlight issues that still plague today’s” post-racial" society

Podcasts:

Single Episodes:
 "Dismantling White Fragility" from The Goop Podcast (Stitcher / Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
 "Let's Talk about Whiteness" from On Being with Krista Tippett (On Being / Apple Podcasts /
Spotify / Stitcher)
 “Why The Coronavirus Is Hitting Black Communities Hardest” from NPR’s Code Switch (NPR /
Stitcher / Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
 “Miss Buchanan’s Period of Adjustment” Season 2, Episode 3 of Revisionist History (Stitcher
/ Apple Podcasts / Spotify)

Seasons or Series:
 Seeing White on Radio (Stitcher / Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
 1619 from the New York Times (Stitcher / NYT / Apple Podcasts / Spotify)
 Thanks to Sarah Smith and Ellie Byrne for contributing to this list so far.

Activists on Social Media talking about Race:
@Rachel.Cargle
Rachel Cargle: A public academic, writer, and lecturer. Her activism and academic work are rooted in
providing intellectual discourse, tools, and resources that explore the intersection of race and
womanhood. Her social media platforms boast a community of over 315k where Rachel guides
conversations, encourages critical thinking and nurtures meaningful engagement with people all
over the world.
@Munroebergdorf
Munroe Bergdorf: English model and activist she believes passionately in inclusivity for all, no matter
your race, ability, religious beliefs, sexuality or gender identity. She believes we should always stand
up for what we believe in and call out acts of injustice when we encounter them. Only in this way
can we become a better and happier society.
@kenidra4humanity
Kenidra Wood: Teen activist and founder of CHEETAH (confidence, harmony, enlightenment,
encouragement, tranquillity, awareness, and hope) Movement for self-harm and suicide prevention.
She is also the creator of, "Hope for Humanity," an event to connect students of different races and
backgrounds and empower them to be better included and represented in the fight to end the
epidemic of gun violence.
@JohnBoyega
John Boyega: British actor and producer best known for roles in Star Wars and Attack the Block. If
you haven’t yet look up the speech he made in Hyde Park this week.

Jem · **Posted:** Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:25

I have Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race if anyone would like to read it but can't afford to buy a copy; happy to post out.

Kern · **Posted:** Thu Jun 18, 2020 10:34

I'm currently reading David Olusoga's "Black and British: a forgotten history". It's fascinating stuff. His accompanying TV series is on Iplayer but I've not watched it yet.

Goddess Jasmine · **Posted:** Thu Jun 18, 2020 11:27

I've just quickly flicked through some of the suggestions on Netflix, I'll definitely be watching them when I get a chance.

Findus Fop · **Joined:** 14th May, 2009 **Posts:** 4365

https://twitter.com/MarinaHyde/status/1 ... 2553966592

â€œThis take a knee thing... maybe itâ€™s got a broader history but it seems to be taken from the Game of Thronesâ€

Foreign secretary of the Britain, Dominic Raab, there https://t.co/7inZrQuPmj
— Marina Hyde (@MarinaHyde) June 18, 2020

JBR · **Joined:** 2nd Jun, 2008 **Posts:** 3306

Netflix put 13th (from the list above) on Youtube, in case anyone doesn't have a subscription etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krfcq5pF8u8

MaliA · **Posted:** Fri Sep 11, 2020 9:59

Jem wrote:

I have Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race if anyone would like to read it but can't afford to buy a copy; happy to post out.

Currently £1.09 on Kindle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Longer-Talking ... a5R-jXp49k

Be Excellent To Each Other

US Riots - 2020 edition

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