You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
The devil is in the detail though. You want the police to never kill a black person? That is probably something that can't be delivered by a government.
A few years ago a Canadian police officer talked a man with a gun into putting it down. An American police official said the Canadian officer should be disciplined for not shooting the man with the gun.
The attitude is wrong from the start which then becomes magnified with regard to particular groups of citizens.
The devil is in the detail though. You want the police to never kill a black person? That is probably something that can’t be delivered by a government.
Just feels a bit like you're refusing to accept the obvious.
It’s just deflection, distraction, and discrediting.
None of it done very well either.
Before we go too deep on what US politicians can or should do to address the problem, consider the options facing you as a Black American citizen, you can either vote for Trump, a man convicted of race discrimination as a landlord and a promoter of white nationalism, or Biden.
Biden himself wrote the crime bill legislation that passed under the first Clinton administration. The crime bill that introduced 3 strikes and your out, the crime bill that led to the trippling of the US prison population, that extended the list of crimes punishable by death to include drug offences, the crime bill that has bought an apocalypse on black America.
The same administration introduced the legislation that allowed the police to purchase surplus military equipment in the name of the 'war on drugs,' (code for war on black people) As the governor of Arkansas, Clinton signed orders that sent over 50 people to the electric chair, a record I think. How many of them do you think were black? And how many do ypu think were innocent?
Clinton's pitch for the presidency was a pitch to be tough on crime, and particularly crime related to black people, seeing it as the only way for a Democrat to get votes from the South. Meanwhile, Hilary was busy buiding a relationship with the united daughters of the confederacy. This, in part explains Trump when he said 'what have you got to lose?'
What is obvious? Yes the US has a big problem with violence in general and police violence, plus there is a big problem with racial inequality (plus inequality in general). What to do about these problems is another matter.
rydster
MemberRevolution is for the irresponsible and adolescent.
Revolution is for when all else fails.
I said earlier that there's a reason people remember Rodney King's name- the riots and property damage ensured that, and caused people to look seriously at police racism for the first time in a long time.
And today? Is it better? Well, in some ways. But in others, well, this rioting and protesting wasn't caused by a man being beaten up by the police. It says everything that to generate a similar level of outrage and response, it now takes a murder.
And if there were only peaceful protests? How long would George Floyd's name be remembered? How many people would even have heard it? How long til the next one and the next peaceful protest? (how many people remember Michael Noel, or Anthony Ashford? Not me)
Doing it the "right" way- by which I mean, the way the government and the police want you to do it- has not worked. Worse than that- just look at "taking a knee", peaceful protest leads to the President telling your boss to fire you. Protest peacefully but NOT LIKE THAT! Not where we can see you!
FYI: Good discussions with sources in https://www.reddit.com/r/NeutralPolitics/ if anyone is interested.
That's because taking a knee isn't a formal demand. It's hard to complain that something isn't being done when you don't articulate what that something has to be or has to achieve.
Not sure I agree. The everyday person on the street can't be expected to come up with brilliant policies. They just want to feel that government is just, something is being done, and that people are making a decent effort to improve things.
The person on the street is aware of the outcomes of policy, and can reject those, but they aren't obliged to come up with an alternative as it is literally not their job, nor are they equipped to be able to do it.
rydster
MemberThat’s because taking a knee isn’t a formal demand.
I find it incredibly difficult to believe that you think this is true. I'll just leave this here:
"If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL,or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem. If not, YOU'RE FIRED. Find something else to do!"
That is 100% an attack on Kaepernick for daring to protest. It is not a critique of his manifesto, or a complaint that he's not set SMART demands. It is HOW DARE YOU PROTEST PEACEFULLY. Kaepernick was not attacked for not making a "formal demand" and it is beyond absurd to claim that's the case.
What is obvious? Yes the US has a big problem with violence in general and police violence, plus there is a big problem with racial inequality (plus inequality in general). What to do about these problems is another matter.
Again, I feel like I'm being sucked in by someone playing devil's advocate, but instruct your overseers to not make assumptions based on skin colour and treat all with humility and respect, and if they DO do something shit like kneel on a man's neck for eight minutes until he's dead, when he's telling you he can't breath, when bystanders are asking you to stop, when even one of your colleagues takes a pulse and can't find anything, then they het called to account straight away, instead of waiting for days for public pressure to bring in the lightest possible charge for the perp and ignore the other three who stood around and did ****-all.
Just for starters, like, if it wasn't previously obvious.
The problem is even in a non-racist society it would still be possible for a black person to die at the hands of police. It can surely not be a demand for another black person never to die again. It's no more realistic than the hope of eliminating any other sort of crime.
Man - you ARE on a wind-up, and I fell for it. 🙁
You appear to be trolling now rydster. Nobody is saying that. George’s case isn’t exactly an isolated incident now is it? There is clearly an overriding issue with racism and brutality towards black people in some police forces in the US.
The problem is even in a non-racist society it would still be possible for a black person to die at the hands of police.
FFS man stop talking bollocks. You're making pedantic academic points on a subject which is plain as day for everyone else, and for what motive I have no idea. It's really quite simple, people are outraged that a man could be killed by police in plain sight of others, whilst on camera, and while others are begging them to stop, and the man himself is begging for mercy and no threat to them. That in itself would be bad enough, but when you add the fact that the police would only ever do this to a black man it makes it much, much worse.
The demand is simple, that police shouldn't be able to murder black people and get away with it. That police shouldn't be able to murder anyone and get away with it. That police shouldn't act like faceless mercenaries against the people they're supposed to serve. That people should be treated with basic human respect from a political and economic system which currently treats them as slaves. The entire system is broken and corrupt, and it seems pretty clear to me that those protesting in the US have had enough and want it to change. If you can't see that then you're not looking.
There is clearly an overriding issue with racism and brutality towards black people in some police forces in the US.
No doubt, but if the purpose of taking a knee is to express a sentiment then fine, but as a demand it isn't very clear. I've always found that if you want something from someone it helps to clearly state what that something is.
Cool - what are you after?
And another thread disappears down the shitter.
A black man was murdered in plain sight by a white police officer with a track record of unwarranted violence.
A justified outpouring of concern, resentment and complaints about racist police.
An opportunity for, let's call them, *troublemakers* to de-rail the peaceful protests resulting in violence on both sides, innocent people being hurt, police/national guard showing no restraint too often, wanton destruction.
A president who defiles his job title and is an enabler for white supremacists; unable or unwilling to accept that there is a deep rooted problem of racism in american society; every utterance makes matters worse.
It might be an appropriate time to discuss all of this, and more, in an adult and rational way.
Many of the posts above tell me there is little interest in anything other than scoring points.
You're taking a simplistic and obtuse view of things, rydster, this has exploded due to systemic problems in a spontaneous manner. It's a developing movement and it will coalesce into something. Give it time.
The obvious change that should happen, well you can get a hint from the civil rights investigation they've announced in Minneapolis. That kinda thing is what should be happening country wide. But with their conclusions implemented with the force of law behind them. It's pretty clear the entire US police system needs independently investigated and changed.
You might not have seen this. At least this time no one gets killed, though you might die laughing at the incompetent cops.
Nope, that is not a FBI officer, whilst the video is genuine it is not helpful to promote fake news as that only fuels the fire of those that cry “Fake News”
Is this one fake?
https://twitter.com/dannychun/status/1267642764583264256?s=09
but when you add the fact that the police would only ever do this to a black man it makes it much, much worse.
That just isn't true though. The police kill more white men each year than black men.
One thing I don't like about this whole BLM 'inspired' protest is the willingness to cherry-pick and try and sell some general conclusion based upon particulars cases. It's a bit like the Trayvon Martin case. They tried to turn it into something the evidence didn't support.
I'm not denying that the US police are too willing to use force or that this disproportionately affects black men though. The causes are manifold, however, and it's rather simplistic to blame 'racism' - especially 'racist cops' - when the stats show that black officers are just as likely to kill black men.
Those arrested were not the shop owners but were citizens helping to keep the looters away, Genuine video apart from a misleading, possibility inflammatory title, it always pays to do a quick check on the veracity of claims as there’s enough shite and misinformation out there without adding to it.
rydster
Member
You've obviously got a problem admitting there are racist issues... Which there clearly are, it's plain to any reasonably thinking person.
But lets take that part out for a minute.
You must agree there are systemic issues that need independent investigation and action taken on the results?
That just isn’t true though. The police kill more white men each year than black men.
I know it's only Wiki but...
"A 2015 study found that unarmed blacks were 3.49 times more likely to be shot by police than were unarmed whites.Another study published in 2016 concluded that the mortality rate of legal interventions among black and Hispanic people was 2.8 and 1.7 times higher than that among white people. Another 2015 study concluded that black people were 2.8 times more likely to be killed by police than whites. They also concluded that black people were more likely to be unarmed than white people who were in turn more likely to be unarmed than Hispanic people shot by the police. A 2018 study in the American Journal of Public Health found the mortality rate by police per 100,000 was 1.9 to 2.4 for black men, 0.8 to 1.2 for Hispanic men and 0.6 to 0.7 for white men."
Those arrested were not the shop owners but were citizens helping to keep the looters away, Genuine video apart from a misleading, possibility inflammatory title, it always pays to do a quick check on the veracity of claims as there’s enough shite and misinformation out there without adding to it.
Sorry, I was just going on what the news reporters (who'd been onsite for some minutes beforehand) said. On the basis of your insight, I fully endorse the arrest of civilians battling looters until arrested by the cops whilst the looters drive away to the soundtrack of news reporters going "no! Not them, they're the store owners - the looters are over there".
In further news, I'm sure that it'll transpire that the high-pitched voice was actually the policeman, asking what was going to happen atv8pm, and it was probably the evil, slight person holding the camera with the deep voice who offered the verbal threat.
https://twitter.com/ajitxsingh/status/1267533879797149696?s=19
I'm not anti-police per se, by the way - scenes like this gladden my heart.
https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/1267831268319920128?s=09
I think you’ve misinterpreted my response to the looting video you posted, I was pointing out the fact that it only enables the trump/maga supporters to cry “fake news”, to post something without at least having verified it beforehand.
I hadn’t seen the video so I did a quick check and within 30sec I found “These were not store owners they were people from the neighborhood trying to help the store owners.”
Jesus. If genuine people think there's a valid distiction between "store owners" and "citizens protecting the store", I just don't know where we go. Clearly the news reporters thought they were the owners - I think it turned out they owned the shop next door?
That video has been viewed millions of times on Twitter as the title and comments imply that it is related to the current totally justifiable protests, of which it is not.
What it is, is another unjustifiable abuse of police power that highlights that change needs to come now, before trump get his desire to go full facist on the protesters.
Do you want to edit thst to say which video it fact checks?
Not buying all this police kneeling stuff. Not questioning the individual officers sentiments but it reminds me of the Tories clapping for the NHS.
Say what you see and all that.
Somafunk, didn't realise the guy wasn't an FBI officer as the title suggests, though as you say the video is genuine. The guy himself doesn't claim to be FBI But something related to his I'D scares the s out of the officers. And it's funny as f and that's worth more to me than how it might feed into some alt-right nutcases feelings about fake news.
Say what you see and all that, I'll invoke the Roy Walker defence again, what we saw in the video actually happened. If we choose to ignore what we see because of an incorrect creditation then we're part of the problem and not the solution.
Pondo : Do you really need me to lift your finger to click the highlighted link?
Was about to post another video from a couple of days ago where the Fairfield CA police drag a man, paralysed from the chest down out his car with his trousers down as he was peeing into a catheter. They then taze him.
Couldn't do it though, this thread could so easily turn into a police brutality porn thread. There's a point at which the never ending stream of images of black bodies being brutalised and the way we consume them says as much about us as it does the perpetrators of the violence.
The necessity for these images to be shown is in perpetual conflict with the necessity for them not to be shown. It's like the Hunger Games. How soon till we get a 24/7 live stream police brutality Chanel on You Tube? And how soon would it be before it runs out of bandwidth?
Ok - for the benefit of everyone else, Soma's link is to the FBI Agent arrest video posted two hours ago. I await the fact check details of the videos we've subsequently discussed.
Exactly that inkster, there’s some horrific videos been posted on Twitter of such police brutality that it’s impossible to comprehend why they are doing it.
Pondo, you’ve got a stalker issue. I was merely pointing out an inaccuracy.
Somafunk,
The fact that the video is from a couple of years back and thus not related to the current protests ironically relates it exactly to the current protests. It says this happens all the time, and serves to remind us that we know this happens all the time.
The Rodney King video relates to current protests, as does Eric Garner, as do thousands of other videos. It was the weight of digital evidence that broke the camel's back, not the single event of George Floyd's murder.
Appreciate the fact checking though.
I sometimes listen to a podcast by 2 black American ladies. One of them was talking about her mental issues , they had stemmed from a situation where she thought was going to die.
She had travelled to England and hooked up with some black people in London. She is in a car with one of them when they are pulled over by 4 white cops.
The driver starts getting lippy with the cops. She starts pleading with the driver not to argue and to lay on the ground. He keeps arguing and she is getting more and more stressed.
His behaviour towards the white cops in the U.S would have ended up with at least him getting shot. It was only after they let him go that she found out our cops are unarmed.
Really shocking to hear how someone has been conditioned to fear death from their police.
That fear comes from centuries of oppression.
In the 80s I was always getting stopped just for riding a motorbike. I could could take my helmet and leathers off.
Some people don’t get that option.
I saw a podcast with a white American lady who had moved to Europe (working class waitress not some upper level executive insulated from normal life), I think she spent the first 6 months living in Edinburgh. I can't remember her exact words, but it was something along the lines of at first she was worried about not having a gun in her home to defend herself, but after about 3 months she realized she was living completely without fear of violent crime, which she never had in the states.
So fear seams to be a major driving force in the normal everyday lives of Americans. For black Americans to also have to fear the violent retribution of the Government infrastructure, is just an ongoing daily mental torture. How anybody could take a peaceful path under that kind of pressure is a ****ing miracle.
This is both terrifying and truly saddening. He’s reduced America to what looks like, by any metric, a police state
https://twitter.com/jeremykonyndyk/status/1267981716616085504?s=21
Just had an email from a friend in Raleigh, North Carolina. A friend of hers lives near the police station. The police have been round and told them to move out as they can’t guarantee the safety of areas immediately around police stations
How much of that is a real threat and how much is scaremongering...who knows?
I know it’s only Wiki but…
“A 2015 study found that unarmed blacks were 3.49 times more likely to be shot by police than were unarmed whites.”
I said the police kill more white men which they do. This is compatible with black men being more likely to be killed.
Good that it calmed down last night. Best answer to give to trumps pish.
Some of you might have seen the clip of the Minneapolis police union chief Lt. Bob Kroll spewing hatred at a Trump rally last year.
Turns out he is a member of a white nationalist motorcycle club, along with many other Minneapolis and Chicago police officers. Other police have made complaints about him for wearing a white power badge on his club jacket. Other members of the motorcycle club (gang) sport KKK insignia and 'here for the hangin' patches.
He's had 18 complaints from the public in his career, the first one for kicking a 14 year old black boy in the nuts whilst hurling racial slurs at him. I think we can guess the common component relating to the other 17 complaints.
Apparently he has the support of 800 City police officers. If were talking about good cops and bad cops where do you begin to start? It's not about a few rotten apples, they come by the barrel load.
Binners,
That's what it's going to look like at the political rallies later in the year. Remember what happened at the 1968 DNC convention in Chicago?
The anarchy might well fizzle out over the next few days but I fear it is a mere aperitif compared to what is coming.
The odds of Trump actually running for a second term must be diminishing by the day. It takes 25 Republicans to walk into the Oval Office and cart Trump off to the funny farm.
Good that it calmed down last night. Best answer to give to trumps pish.
Except he'll try to claim credit for it.
That picture up there is dystopia made real. Who knew that Handmaid's Tale was a documentary?
It's like Civil Protection in City 17 out of Half Life 2.
It takes 25 Republicans to walk into the Oval Office and cart Trump off to the funny farm.
Do you think there are even a fraction of that number with the integrity and courage to attempt that?
Out of interest how should the state deal with mass looting?
That photo above that binners posted shows military police, according to the flack jacket one of them is wearing, but Angry Tinkerbell is co-opting pretty much every agency to use against American citizens, including ICE, DEA, the Parks Department, and what look like paramilitary contractors, without any kind of identification.
Out of interest how should the state deal with mass looting?
I don’t know, but I know they shouldn’t be using tear gas and rubber bullets against peaceful protesters and journalists. The whole thing has been dealt with by violence. It appears to be the only response the US state is capable of in any given scenario at home or abroad.
It’s not about a few rotten apples, they come by the barrel load.
The "few bad apples" defence is often used but I think people who say it have forgotten the rest of the quote.
It's not "a few bad apples mean that we don't need to change anything". It's "a few bad apples spoil the barrel" which means you need to throw the bad apples out, never let them back in a barrel, and probably have a good look over any of the apples near the bad ones and throw those out too if they show signs of being "bad".
Every single new piece of information I read about this shocks the hell out of me. Yesterday #defundthepolice was trending, so I got to reading about that, and it appears that cities and states have budgets, obviously, and that 50% of those is routinely for the police. Like, WTAF? I cannot imagine how much better things could be there if much of that could be funnelled into worthwhile community stuff instead. Treat the cause, not the symptoms.
Out of interest how should the state deal with mass looting?
Honestly? That some shops/stores have been broken into and looted is pretty bloody irrelevant next to the ongoing socico-economic issues of the protesters. Let's call it Active Trickle Down...
People, not things is what is important, and I think the response to the protests have revealed that much of the US leadership (given their responses) doesn't understand that.
That some shops/stores have been broken into and looted is pretty bloody irrelevant next to the ongoing socico-economic issues of the protesters
Protesters like George Clooney and Ben Affleck.
If your store was being looted would you feel so blase about it?
If your store was being looted would you feel so blase about it?
No, of course not, what a daft question. But I'm wise enough and probably relaxed enough to realise that within a month or so, I'd be back up and trading again (because y'know, insurance, the risks of running a business etc etc) safe in the knowledge that if I try to use a fake $20 bill, it'll probably end in a dinner party story rather than my murder in broad daylight carried out by the folk who're in fact supposedly the very people who's job it is to stop that in the first place.
Imagine you live in a society where at any point you go outside, you might be targeted for murder by the Police in broad daylight, with total impunity and with the consent of their colleagues merely because of the colour of your skin, and then ask yourself why you and your friends and family aren't rioting and looting all the time...
Protesters like George Clooney and Ben Affleck.
Seriously? Because of course all the protesters are millionaire hollywood celebrities. People are looting because they live in a system which is based on consumerism and material wealth, but doesn't provide everyone with the basic means to live. 40 million have lost their jobs in the US due to covid and have no state support. They're on their own, trying to survive with no income. I doubt property rights are high up the list when you need to eat and clothe yourself.
You should get back under your bridge.
Imagine you live in a society where at any point you go outside, you might be targeted for murdered by the Police in broad daylight, with total impunity and with the consent of their colleagues merely because of the colour of your skin
There are certainly problems but that is sheer demagoguery and I would suggest the kind of 'narrative' which helps nobody. You make it sound like the police are death squads. The stats show that the police sometimes kill members of all races.
People are looting because they live in a system which is based on consumerism and material wealth, but doesn’t provide everyone with the basic means to live.
By that logic the riots we had in England in 2011 were justified and we should have been cheering on the hooded youths as they stole expensive trainers.
By that logic the riots we had in England in 2011 were justified
They were.
and we should have been cheering on the hooded youths as they stole expensive trainers.
I was.
No one is cheering on the looters, just pointing out that they're less significant than the protests.
EDIT: OK, maybe dazh is 🙁
Thankfully most have moved on from 6th form/student union politics type outlook.
Unlike most people I've actually been in a country as it's government collapsed and realise the seriousness of a total breakdown in law and order. It's not something to treat lightly.
You make it sound like the police are death squads
Why US cops are just so trigger happy
When I wade in on something, I like to know that I've done a bit of background reading about what it is I'm talking about. The link up there can provide you with a bit of background into why cops in the US want to shoot you first and ask questions later. It's never been safer than right now to be a Cop in the US, the stats I read suggested that being a fisherman is more dangerous...and yet this man is pushing a (largely) right-wing narrative that is widely supported amongst US police forces that young black men are trying to kill them, and are "training" using video games and violence culture to prepare themselves.
The stats show that the police sometimes kill members of all races.
I think other posters have tried to relay to you the chances of being killed by the cops in the US are vastly disproportionate if you happen to be Hispanic or Black.
OK, maybe dazh is
Too right. It demonstrates that the only thing propping up the capitalist system is the coercive power of the law and the institutions and people who enforce it. That's fine as long there's a social contract between the state and the people. When that contract breaks down, as it demonstrably has in the US, then the law itself breaks down and there is little logic for those at the bottom of society to respect it. If you don't want looting, then provide people with the basic means to live and treat them equally under the law. Not many will agree, but in many respects, looting is the perfect protest against the authoritarian capitalist system.
No one is cheering on the looters
I am. Need to heighten the contradictions to accelerate the coming of the New Order.
Fine, but if you are going to break it then own and take responsibility for what comes after.
Fine, but if you are going to break it then own and take responsibility for what comes after.
What comes after is a massive "Law and Order" crackdown ordered by elites and and carried out against the population by either a massively tooled up militarised police, or the actual military...
Why US cops are just so trigger happy
He's not the cause. The fact that he exists and gets work talking to police is a symptom of a fundamental issue in America that's deeper than police.
Claims that tear gas wasn’t used against protesters is yet another lie, or at least twisting the truth:
https://www.vox.com/2020/6/2/21278559/tear-gas-white-house-protest-park-police
Imagine you live in a society where at any point you go outside, you might be targeted for murdered by the Police in broad daylight, with total impunity and with the consent of their colleagues merely because of the colour of your skin
There are certainly problems but that is sheer demagoguery and I would suggest the kind of ‘narrative’ which helps nobody. You make it sound like the police are death squads. The stats show that the police sometimes kill members of all races.
Heavy emphasis on SOMETIMES.
And I would also suggest that you should actually read links provided and do some research into how the police work in America, particularly the limited liability law passed in 1982, which gives the police pretty much carte blanche to do what the hell they want with virtually no reprisals, and it’s a fact that black and Latino communities suffer far more from excessive heavy-handed police actions including shootings by the police for no reason, like the woman shot six times in her bed after the police mistakenly entered her apartment, and many other killings; not for nothing is the expression ’shot for breathing or walking while black’ commonly used in America.
I use Flipboard, a news aggregator that shows news reports from all over the world, particularly America, and I see so many reports of black and Latino communities being brutalised by the police. Of course white and Asian people, and First Nations people as well suffer from heavy-handed police actions, but it’s also no coincidence that those communities are among the poorest. Look into how the police in America get their funding, for a clue into their treatment of poorer people.
He’s not the cause.
I think broadly one has to accept that fundamentally the reason so many cops in the US react the way they do is largely down to training given by Lt Col Grossman, as he's the sole "Expert" in the field of Killology.
He's not responsible for the overt racism or gun culture though I agree.
Worth a bit of a look at the sort of escort Angry Tinkerbell had when he was poncing around in front of the church as well...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/33818/about-that-huge-rifle-the-secret-service-sniper-was-carrying-during-trumps-photo-op-walk
Watching the 82nd being moved to Andrews reminds me of the Paras going to Derry.
Neither unit is/was trained for civil unrest. If saner heads don’t prevail this could end very, very, very badly indeed..
Serious question,
how much money is spent equipping a single ‘police officer’ to appear like a full military equipped soldier?
I guess alot more than is spent on a nurses PPE.
Evidence shows that when it comes to lethal force all races get it equally, or at least there is no conclusive evidence of bias. When it comes to non-lethal does there seems to be a bias towards minorities.
It’s a ny times article based on actual research:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/upshot/surprising-new-evidence-shows-bias-in-police-use-of-force-but-not-in-shootings.amp.html
I think we should thank rydster for introducing every racist trope in the book into the conversation. Every bit of whataboutary that he can muster. He's highlighting the problem by being part of the problem and his presence on here provides a pivot for the conversation, reminding us just how ignorant most of the population are, both in the US and Europe.
As for wether there's even a fraction of the 25 Republicans needed with enough integrity or courage to do that? Here in the UK we've lived with a Tory party that has shown little integrity for decades, yet they've dumped 2 Prime Minister's at the drop of a hat in my lifetime.
It's not about Republicans showing courage or integrity, it's about opportunity and individual political ambition. I bet most elected republicans would love get rid of Trump, install Pence and then fight the next election on a Pence / Hailey ticket.
Claims that tear gas wasn’t used against protesters is yet another lie, or at least twisting the truth:
Its being pedantic to try and avoid accountability. It wont be tear gas but something like pepper spray instead which, for anyone on the receiving end, will make sod all difference.
The only way to deal with mass looting is to address the problems that caused mass looting. That starts with not breaking the contract with the public.
The first article of that contract is that the government promises to take care of your security and safety. This part of the contract has been denied to black and poor Americans. Looting is the most visceral symbol of the government's failure to provide security and more articulate than any words.
Let's not forget that millions of Americans are denied their voting rights trough Republican led voter suppression, so they don't even get a chance to look at the contract let alone sign it. The State thus identifies citizens as illegal aliens in their own country. If you are denied your voting rights then by definition you have no civic responsibly because you have been excluded from civic society.
Scruff,
The serious answer to your question is that it is dependent on how much money an individual police department can extort from the public through fines. This is what pays for all the cos-play s***. Funding for police equipment and health care supplies doesn't come from central budgets in the same way that it does in the UK.
Don't think of the US police in the same way as you would most other countries. Everything, including laws differs from state to state and department to department. There's something like 18,000 different police departments across the US, each with their own rules, like states within states. They're organised more like possess or militias than how we conventionally think of police forces.
Also, the US has enormous amounts of surplus military kit, which gets sold off cheaply to police forces- it can be cheaper than purpose-designed police kit.
But yes, to steal a tweet, this is a country that proudly equips their police like soldiers but doesn't equip its nurses like nurses
The president is going to speak
https://twitter.com/Strandjunker/status/1268196450099486720?s=19
Trumps going to erupt 😀