George Floyd Protests Have Led to a War Against the People
Just when we thought government overreach could not get any worse in the United States than what has been witnessed with the COVID-19 restrictions, protests and riots have broken out across the country in response to the superfluous force utilized against George Floyd. An officer in the Minneapolis Police Department brutally murdered a black man causing angry protesters to begin assembling nationwide to call for changes to the systemic racism that exists, particularly in regard to unfair treatment of blacks by law enforcement.
Many of the protests have been peaceful and seen police officers joining the events and symbolically kneeling in solidarity, but some have turned violent, which has led to looting, arson, and vandalism. The violence should be condemned because there is no right to destroy innocent people’s property, but the tactics employed by law enforcement to quell the protests have been unacceptable. The police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas and arrested peaceful protesters. Local governments have implemented curfews, and militarized police have terrorized communities.
These types of tactics have been supported by President Trump, who has acted more aggressively towards black protests than ones involving white supremacists. In order to get a photo op, he had police backed by the National Guard, which was called in from a few states, clear peaceful protesters out of the way with tear gas (though he claims otherwise) and batons. He then threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the U.S. military to quell the “rebellion” if states and local governments would not properly utilize their National Guards to deal with the protests. He was attempting to federalize these local issues and turn the protests into a war.
This has become a war of sorts though. Police have attacked and arrested journalists, which prevents the right to a free press. Rubber bullets, which have been shown to seriously injure and even kill victims, have been shot at peaceful protesters and bystanders across many cities, and even some bystanders standing on their porch watching as fully armored police units strolled down the street were hit with paint projectiles from officers who ordered them to get into their house. In New York City, two police SUV’s drove into a crowd of protesters that would not disperse. In Atlanta, two students stuck in traffic produced by a protest were dragged out of their cars and had stun guns used against them. Police across many cities have resorted to excessive tactics, and they have engaged in war against the citizens of the United States.
State and local governments have also instituted curfews to prevent protests from continuing into the night and becoming violent. However, this restricts people’s rights to assemble and move freely, and it is unconstitutional. Rights do not just exist at certain times of the day, and then disappear at night.
In addition, police have restricted people’s freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. In South Carolina, peaceful demonstrators were kneeling and trying to engage in loving discussions with a SWAT team, but one black protester (the one who was doing the talking) was pulled away from the crowd and arrested for not obeying the orders of police to disperse. If people cannot peacefully protest or engage in freedom of speech, America is truly lost.
Amid authoritarian measures implemented across most states in response to the novel coronavirus, we are now witnessing brutality and further restrictions due to the George Floyd protests. Are the federal, state, and local governments preparing us for a police-state and martial law in the United States? It certainly seems so, especially when you consider the 1033 Program that has been transferring old military equipment from the federal government to local police departments for years. Police forces are now acting like small armies and terrorizing the people. Instead of serving the community, law enforcement has transformed into mini wings of the federal government to respond to national issues and started looking at most residents as potential criminals rather than members of the community. Not all police officers are bad, but there is a systemic problem that sometimes leads to officers making horrible decisions.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
Many of the protests have been peaceful and seen police officers joining the events and symbolically kneeling in solidarity, but some have turned violent, which has led to looting, arson, and vandalism. The violence should be condemned because there is no right to destroy innocent people’s property, but the tactics employed by law enforcement to quell the protests have been unacceptable. The police have fired rubber bullets and tear gas and arrested peaceful protesters. Local governments have implemented curfews, and militarized police have terrorized communities.
These types of tactics have been supported by President Trump, who has acted more aggressively towards black protests than ones involving white supremacists. In order to get a photo op, he had police backed by the National Guard, which was called in from a few states, clear peaceful protesters out of the way with tear gas (though he claims otherwise) and batons. He then threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the U.S. military to quell the “rebellion” if states and local governments would not properly utilize their National Guards to deal with the protests. He was attempting to federalize these local issues and turn the protests into a war.
This has become a war of sorts though. Police have attacked and arrested journalists, which prevents the right to a free press. Rubber bullets, which have been shown to seriously injure and even kill victims, have been shot at peaceful protesters and bystanders across many cities, and even some bystanders standing on their porch watching as fully armored police units strolled down the street were hit with paint projectiles from officers who ordered them to get into their house. In New York City, two police SUV’s drove into a crowd of protesters that would not disperse. In Atlanta, two students stuck in traffic produced by a protest were dragged out of their cars and had stun guns used against them. Police across many cities have resorted to excessive tactics, and they have engaged in war against the citizens of the United States.
State and local governments have also instituted curfews to prevent protests from continuing into the night and becoming violent. However, this restricts people’s rights to assemble and move freely, and it is unconstitutional. Rights do not just exist at certain times of the day, and then disappear at night.
In addition, police have restricted people’s freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. In South Carolina, peaceful demonstrators were kneeling and trying to engage in loving discussions with a SWAT team, but one black protester (the one who was doing the talking) was pulled away from the crowd and arrested for not obeying the orders of police to disperse. If people cannot peacefully protest or engage in freedom of speech, America is truly lost.
Amid authoritarian measures implemented across most states in response to the novel coronavirus, we are now witnessing brutality and further restrictions due to the George Floyd protests. Are the federal, state, and local governments preparing us for a police-state and martial law in the United States? It certainly seems so, especially when you consider the 1033 Program that has been transferring old military equipment from the federal government to local police departments for years. Police forces are now acting like small armies and terrorizing the people. Instead of serving the community, law enforcement has transformed into mini wings of the federal government to respond to national issues and started looking at most residents as potential criminals rather than members of the community. Not all police officers are bad, but there is a systemic problem that sometimes leads to officers making horrible decisions.
Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.
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