If there is any truth to the idea that “It can’t happen here”, it is because we will not let it. It is because we american people are vigilant about our democracy, and will protect it against those who would threaten it.
It is not just some magical force field that keeps the Nazis at bay, it is our citizenry in action demanding accountability from those who are charged with governance.
If we are complacent, and assume that we will maintain our freedoms due to the benevolence of the government, then they will be eroded and discarded.
Complacency is the enemy of democracy, and the ally of totalitarianism.
Doubt it, since they’ll attack a protester carrying a flag and they treat it like a used cum rag. It would be a huge mistake to assume the Goon Squads have any sort of patriotic tropism. They’re blindly loyal to anyone who tells them to beat on unarmed people, it’s like their religion or something.
Each of these sources and many others (it’s pretty easy to find with google) state the same thing:
This one is probably paywalled (sometimes I can read them and sometimes I can’t):
“Youth Liberation Front protest in Seattle…”
This one isn’t paywalled:
“…for the Seattle protest organized by the Youth Liberation Front,…”
This one isn’t paywalled:
" Saturday’s demonstration was called by the [Youth Liberation Front](Facebook)."
This one is in Portland but the call was nationwide:
“A local group called the Youth Liberation Front called for a global march against the institution of policing on Saturday.”
" The PNW Youth Liberation Front will gather on Broadway E and E Pine in solidarity with Black Lives Matter activists in Portland, a city currently occupied by federal officers."
This is how I googled:
“Seattle protest Youth Liberation Front”
I don’t think that that is the right interpretation of the story.
When they saw the flag, they were just so overwhelmed with patriotism that they just had to hug it. Not their fault that there was someone in their way of them displaying their love of our country.
FWIW, Senators Merkley and Wyden and Congresspersons Bonamici and Blumenauer have gotten the Inspectors General of DHS and DOJ to open an investigation into what their people are doing here and how they’ve been conducting themselves. Doubt it will do much but I appreciate it that they’re at least TRYING.
Regarding abolishing police, here are some things I found when I googled that.
Here are some articles with some details:
Some details from a Reddit Q+A:
Q: " Are you all anarchists? If so, why?"
A: “We’ve decided to go with “big leftist tent” to describe our network, though lots of our members, like myself, are anarchists.”
“They are resolutely anti-capitalist and anti-fascist, and express disdain for those who work for reform within what they view as a failing political system.”
“In social media posts, Youth Liberation Front leaders portray acts of vandalism as part of the broader struggle to make big changes in America. They reject any effort — by police or other groups — to divide the protest movement into those who are peaceful and those who turn to violence.”
Probably step one would be to recognize that the violent groups are a problem.
Step two, for peaceful protesters, would be to distance themselves from the violent groups.
For example, when there is a police line, and the violent people are attacking the police, the peaceful protesters could simply walk their march the other direction, leaving the violent protesters behind. Based on the live helicopter view of yesterday’s protest in Seattle, I think that could have worked. The violent protesters were so engaged with the police, I doubt they would have noticed that people further away were leaving the area.
Another way to do this is for peaceful groups to not join up with protests organized by violent groups.
It kind of blurs the lines between peaceful and violent when a peaceful group joins a group that is not only known to be violent, they are open about their intentions to be violent. Just allowing them the cover to mix in and hide from police is lending support to their actions.
Because there isn’t anyone in charge of LEO to order them to do so. They do not have a chain of command, or any responsibility to follow the orders of their superiors.
Obviously, with such disorganization among LEO, different groups, different motivations, and different objectives, it would be like herding cats to get them to stop rioting against peaceful protesters.
Protesters, OTOH, have extremely regimented hierarchy, and everyone who shows up follows the orders of the organizers.
And when violent groups join the peaceful groups? Does that mean that the peaceful protesters need to just go home now?
It also blurs the line a bit when there is absolutely no difference in the nuance of the word violence when it is used to describe anything from pushing on an illegally erected fence to murder.
The only reason to use a word so ambiguously is to be able to use the accusation of violence to respond with far greater violence than what is offered by the protesters.
“Well yeah, we had to shoot them in the face with ‘less lethal’ munitions, strike them with batons, throw them to the ground, spray tear gas in their face, because they were being violent when they shook that fence.”
That’s an excellent question, and one I’d like to see the cop apologists actually address for once. The cops of all descriptions, including the Goon Squads, are WORKING. This is their JOB. They are ostensibly subject to ORDERS which they are bound to OBEY under pain of sanctions. And yet, we’ve seen over and over and over that they can’t even manage to do something as simple as “do not obstruct airways of suspects in any way” which means no chokeholds, no neck strikes and most especially NO KNEELING ON THEIR NECKS.
Why do the apologists have this long laundry list of things the volunteer protesters, every one of whom is an individual subject to no expectations of stellar behavior, must do in order not to be gassed, beaten, shot, kidnapped and terrorized by the ones who are actually on the job and expected to follow some pretty clear rules that they’re abundantly shown not to be following even in the most cursory manner? Why do you expect better and more measured behavior from regular citizens (and, mostly, get that better behavior, by the way) than you expect from the cops you’re paying to act poorly?
I think they all need to be fired, they’re obviously unsuited for the job of, y’know, following orders to keep the peace. Unless, of course, they’re following orders that are patently unconstitutional, in which case their superiors also need to be fired because they are performing their jobs poorly. In other words, defund the police. We pay them to do a job and they are not doing that job and are instead following an agenda that we, their employers, most emphatically Do Not Want. Why should we keep on paying them to brutalize us?
Here’s a hint:
“For example, when there is a police line, and the violent people are attacking the police, the peaceful protesters could simply walk their march the other direction, leaving the violent protesters behind. Based on the live helicopter view of yesterday’s protest in Seattle, I think that could have worked. The violent protesters were so engaged with the police, I doubt they would have noticed that people further away were leaving the area.”
So my post stated:
“march the other direction”
And you responded:
“…need to just go home now?”
Do you think your response is a valid response to my suggestion?
Do you think your response is helpful for a debate?
What was the purpose of posting what you posted?
Some of the actions by protesters in Seattle yesterday:
1 - Broke many windows in businesses and buildings
2 - Broke windows of parked cars
3 - Slashed tires of parked cars
4 - Destroyed the inside of some businesses
5 - Burned five portable trailers at a construction site
6 - Lit a Starbucks on fire that has residential apartments above it, and then told the residents they should evacuate
7 - Set off an explosive that blew an 8 inch hole in the wall of the police precinct
8 - Attacked a restaurant owner that tried to keep them from destroying his restaurant
9 - Attacked police with explosives, water bottles and other objects
etc.
