# 5/30/20 America Burns check-in thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 31, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769 "2020-05-31T02:53:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/21 "2020-05-31T19:59:52Z")
Not my area, but in Minneapolis [someone decided to target bookstores](http://www.unclehugo.com/prod/). ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/22 "2020-05-31T20:29:18Z")
Phila pa is not doing well. They have shut down the centre of the city. Closed the bridges and highways. Now looting is going on in the other parts of the city. Northeast and west philly are being hard hit. There was a text alert at 3pm to shut everything down and be home at 5pm. Curfews are starting at 6 pm. Fire and police are struggling to keep up with all the calls. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/23 "2020-05-31T20:55:11Z")
There was a small protest with property damage in Little Rock, it ended in tear gas. No where near me. I live very rural. I’m keeping up to date from the news. I can’t tell you how scared I am. Horrible. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/24 "2020-05-31T21:13:24Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Probably. People should have just stayed home and not protested against someone being murdered by a police officer I guess. He would probably still be sitting at home right now getting pizza delivery but fewer covid infections! > Memphis has had three peaceful protests and one that was 99% peaceful. It was fine until the white supremacists came screaming obscenities. Let’s see, should we stop a fucking pandemic… in the worst hit country in the world. Decisions decisions. I am sure the virus will be very moved by the protesters actions. As it rivers their lungs and other organs. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/25 "2020-05-31T21:24:36Z")
There have been protests in Honolulu but very peaceful. Funny thing. We lived in Hawaii before, from 1991-94, then came back here four years ago in 2016. There was a noticeable increase in the black population in the interim. Back before, there were so few blacks living in Hawaii that the local newspaper even went looking for some to ask what it felt like living somewhere with so few other blacks. There was a whole big article. The general consensus was, “Eh, pretty good. This _is_ Hawaii, after all.” ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/26 "2020-05-31T21:46:25Z")
Omaha has been put under a curfew from 8.00pm to 6.00am ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/27 "2020-05-31T22:15:11Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Let’s see, should we stop a fucking pandemic… in the worst hit country in the world. Decisions decisions. > > I am sure the virus will be very moved by the protesters actions. As it rivers their lungs and other organs. Wow. I thought she was off base in her reaction, but it seems she’s got it right. You actually are trying to argue that we should just accept that cops are allowed to murder people due to racism. But COVID-19 is not the only concern in the world. Yes, there is a likelihood of increased infection due to this. But this isn’t something frivolous like “needing” a haircut or wanting to party. This is actual tyranny, in action. Police officers–government agents–murdered a man due to his race. Millions of black people now feel more threatened by the police than they do by COVID-19. Furthermore, you misstate the goals of social distancing. Stopping COVID-19 is not the goal with those tactics–just slowing it down. So the dilemma isn’t even “Stop COVID-19 or protest.” It’s “is it worth temporarily increasing infection rates to protest this injustice?” It’s not like the protesters are doing nothing to mitigate spread, either. The iconic images are all of protesters wearing masks. They’re also congregating primarily outside. Now, is there debate on whether it is worth it? Of course. Is their debate on who should decide? Definitely. Hell, there’s even argument over what continued protests are trying to achieve. But we don’t get any of that from someone just ignoring one side completely. Snark continues to not in any way substitute for actual argument. And I say this as someone who is very, very sympathetic to arguments that people should take COVID-19 more seriously than they have been, and that it should weigh against other concerns. But I won’t dismiss protesting racist murdering cops out of hand because of it. Hell, I’m sure that the class divide and forcing the working class to be the “soldiers on the frontlines” for COVID-19 plays into what we are seeing. I’m sure that the US’s failure to deal with the virus is part of why they are upset. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/28 "2020-05-31T22:19:21Z")
Hammond, Indiana (a suburb of Chicago) had protesters yesterday and it went pretty peaceful until some folks decided they were going to march onto the interstate (80/94) and stop traffic. The cops said no, you’re not and backed it up with tear gas. Rinse and repeat - same exact thing today, same place, same result. That’s less than 10 miles west from where I live, worst so far in my area. About the same distance south Highway 30 was shut down by protests today, most businesses closed/shut down early in anticipation of trouble. Haven’t heard anything _yet_, hope it all stays peaceful. Haven’t heard anything about Gary, which is to my east. I’m having flashbacks to 1968. It is not a good feeling. Hope my neighborhood isn’t impacted and hope the place I work isn’t looted or torched - it’s along one of the business strips there have been rumors about protests. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/29 "2020-05-31T22:41:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Rioting in Rochester. Which I wasn’t aware of when I decided to go to Rochester for the first time since March. I took a scenic drive around the city and didn’t know what was going on until I stopped to get some groceries and they told me they were closing down because of the rioting. > > There’s already credible reports that outside people are infiltrating what had been a peaceful demonstration and inciting the crimes. I guess anyone who’s donated to the RNC lately can rest assured their money is being well spent. This destruction is at the hands of Republicans? You cannot be serious. > [@AK84](#): > > So, err is this going to lead to a spike in infections right? Well, when white people were protesting against the lockdown, this was said to be terribly irresponsible, but when blacks are now protesting it is as American as apple pie, as we are now told, regardless of the pandemic. Get your big screen TV as long as you wear a mask! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/30 "2020-05-31T23:00:29Z")
As documented in other threads, Chicago had a lot of rioting and looting downtown last night, and the downtown area has been largely under lockdown today – the CTA has shut down entirely, all of the bridges across the Chicago River have been raised all day. What’s going on now is decentralized looting throughout the city, and in the suburbs, as well. We got an automated phone call a couple of hours ago from our town’s police department, advising everyone to stay inside, as there was looting going on at a mall a couple of miles away from here. WGN just had a reporter at that site, and it looks like it was probably a small group of looters, hitting a Best Buy, a Kohl’s department store, and a liquor store across the street. It sounds like Best Buys (and malls in general) are the targets right now in the suburbs. And, all of that is during the daylight hours. I fear that it will get considerably worse once it gets dark tonight. Thankfully, I live in a usually-quiet residential area, but even so, this is all extremely disconcerting. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/31 "2020-05-31T23:36:24Z")
A supposedly non-violent protest here in Murfreesboro, TN. Just off the town square. The businesses are all boarded-up. And I can’t get news. Local cops have switched off the live traffic cams “for maintenance”. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/32 "2020-05-31T23:40:31Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > A supposedly non-violent protest here in Murfreesboro, TN. > > Just off the town square. The businesses are all boarded-up. > > And I can’t get news. > > Local cops have switched off the live traffic cams “for maintenance”. YouTube has nada ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/33 "2020-06-01T00:31:59Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > What’s going on now is decentralized looting throughout the city, and in the suburbs, as well. Northwest Side here - totally peaceful. Friends in Evanston report the same. If I hadn’t switched on the news last night, I wouldn’t have known anything was amiss. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/34 "2020-06-01T00:36:41Z")
> [@Eva\_Luna](#): > > Northwest Side here - totally peaceful. Friends in Evanston report the same. If I hadn’t switched on the news last night, I wouldn’t have known anything was amiss. I’m glad to hear it. The suburban stupidness today seems to be mostly in the south and southwest suburbs. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/35 "2020-06-01T00:54:24Z")
Have a friend in Chicago who listened to it come her way on the police scanner. The CVS around the corner got looted. She’s safe in her apartment but is watching out the window. She debated leaving, but she probably can’t get her car out anyways and there’s no guarantee she has a clear route out. I told her to stay put. Says it’s been quiet most of today; she’s right next to the train and apparently that’s not running. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/36 "2020-06-01T01:05:50Z")
As far as I know the burning in San Jose has been limited(?) to a couple of cars downtown. They have just announced a city-wide 8:30PM-5AM curfew for the 7 days or until further notice. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/37 "2020-06-01T01:12:29Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > Well, when white people were protesting against the lockdown, this was said to be terribly irresponsible, but when blacks are now protesting it is as American as apple pie, as we are now told, regardless of the pandemic. Get your big screen TV as long as you wear a mask! These protesters aren’t upset about the lockdown. They’re upset about an unarmed citizen being killed in broad daylight by armed police officers for no reason. Do you see a difference? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/38 "2020-06-01T01:18:24Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > Omaha has been put under a curfew from 8.00pm to 6.00am Indianapolis too. There was a protest downtown last night, which I did not attend due to COVID-19 considerations, and am glad I didn’t. There was gunfire, and one person died. I’m not clear about all the details. Not sure how long the curfew is supposed to last. Showed up for work at 5pm, and was sent home, because we were told that anyone scheduled to start at 5pm or later would not finish in time to get home by 8pm. We all got paid anyway. Full pay. Brownie points for Amazon. Money is already in my account. The reason they didn’t call us to tell us to stay home is that you have to show up to get paid; that’s the way Amazon is set up. But it took only 25 minutes, and I was scheduled for 3 hours, which actually takes about 4 hours of my time, with getting to the pick up location, to the first drop off, and then back home. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/39 "2020-06-01T01:18:34Z")
Tear gas used by cops, 3 blocks from my home. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2020, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769/40 "2020-06-01T01:22:52Z")
protest formin in front of city hall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-30-20-america-burns-check-in-thread/854769.md?page=3)