Why are people destroying cities?

[Phalanx]

The things that stand out to me on this:

1-The issue of George Floyd has nothing to do with his character. Bringing up his past, his toxicology results and the like is not relevant. He could be the Devil Incarnate and that still isn't how the accused are supposed to be treated in this country. Period. You don't treat people like that.

2-The protestors and the rioters are 2 different groups with very little overlap. The organized chaos from the start is being orchestrated by any number of groups that just want to see chaos. Calling some of them anarchists though is quite rich when their schemes are rife with organization, but's that semantics. Sure, some of it is that people have been fed up of being stuck inside or else they're considered criminals but most of the violence is Antifa types.

3-The mass media continues to try and warp the lens through which they talk about these issues that it should make more people start to wake up to all of this bs. We're all being taken for fools.

I have no idea how much 'overlap' there is or isn't between protestors and rioters. One always seems to be found in the company of the other. I do know killing Floyd, Arbery, and others was not necessary and should be punished. I've also watched enough videos to form the belief that black people are treated differently by police and could be justified in being worried about carrying on normal business in public. This is very wrong.

Having said this, I also take interest in the fact that although one person died in the Floyd story, several have died during the reaction. It always seems to go this way, where the response ends up being worse than the original crime. It is hard at this point to find any party with the moral high ground. People point out the injustice from police as an institution, but then want us to carefully separate rioters from protestors. Maybe that would be easier to do if the latter were more outspoken in their condemnation of the former.

I believe in God and that He will sort these matters out ultimately. In the meantime, all I can do is try to love my neighbor and raise my kids to be responsible citizens that don't contribute to this mess.

[Phalanx]

Larry Elder and Ben Carson, oh dear.

I literally don't even know where to begin with such extreme arguments. No cities have been destroyed, as you claim. Unless you consider the Minneapolis AutoZone a city. Nobody is saying there is a genocide occurring, but there is a systemic prejudice against black people that keeps them poor, that keeps them in prison, that keeps them away from where white people live.

I have never had to fear for my life when getting pulled over. I have never had to fear that I'm going to prison for years because of some minor charge. I have Hispanic blood and a Hispanic middle/last name, but I am white and I have never had to worry about these things because of it.

Get off the conservative talk radio and look at the raw footage of these murders, if you can. Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, and many more. Now look how police are responding to 99.9% peaceful protests and escalating to an unnecessary level. Oh poor thing, you had a water bottle thrown at you? We have social workers and healthcare workers all over the country who are forced to deal with violent mentally ill people on a regular basis, and they use de-escalation or escape tactics to make it work. You don't need to cosplay with all your pretty toys and gear in order to restrain someone.

If the videos of killings didn't phase you, maybe seeing the overwhelming police responses to peaceful protests will. Those two cops who pushed the old man over and made him bleed out of his ears? They were suspending and pending investigation, but the ENTIRE Buffalo Emergency Response Team resigned from the team in a show of support for those two cops! And then they all showed up to applaud the two cops as they exited the courthouse. What!? Police unions are unique in that they are designed to be run by former officers, and have so many clauses and caveats in them, that cops almost never face justice for any wrongdoing. It doesn't matter how extreme the wrongdoing was, or how many times it has been committed by the officer, they will either get swept under the rug or the cop will be fired and find a job in a neighboring city. Sometimes the cop will even get all their backpay plus a settlement for their troubles. I can't remember if it was Portland or Seattle, but if an investigation goes on for over a year then the cop will not be reprimanded. Well guess who runs the investigation?

The 1619 Project just won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, and is about the black struggles that have happened since they were forced upon this land by the Commonwealth 401 years ago. That would be an excellent place to start studying, since it starts from the beginning, and shows just how long and how far back the systemic racism and oppression goes. It's certainly more credible than Larry Elder and Ben Carson.

I really hate the tone of this post. Haven't most people seen the videos by now and agreed that the killings were wrong? You are doing the exact thing that you accuse others of - exaggerating your side while minimizing the other. A person can look at egregious police behavior and believe it needs to be fixed (and police need to be held accountable criminally), while also looking at protestors/rioters and seeing their awful, and often violent behavior as well as hyberbolic rhetoric. This thread began with some statistics to contrast with the dozen or so videos we have all seen. Do you have any in response to undergird your argument?

A word about the guy in Buffalo: I was as angry as others about this old man getting pushed, but it does appear that he was engaged in behavior that instigated the altercation. if you watch this video in slow motion, you see that he was trying to scan the police signal ( called 'skimming'), which is apparently a strategy Antifa and others use to track police and even jam their signal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... e=emb_logo

The dude boldly goes up to police to do it, knowing that they will probably push him off of them, a bit like Dennis Rodman putting his face into a Karl Malone elbow to draw a charge. There is actually video of this guy before it happened where a seemingly sincere protestor criticizes him for planning to get hit:

https://twitter.com/beccabell28/status/ ... 6510841857

This to me makes the resignation of all those cops make more sense. You can interpret it how you want to.

[ElPatoLoco]

You are coming up with reasons to justify why a 75 year old man is pushed. They were charged with a crime because they used excessive force. The knee to George Floyd’s neck which stopped him from breathing is excessive force. People protesting and watching videos are seeing many cops who don’t have the temperament to be a policeman. Protesters are getting shot at with tear gas and rubber bullets like we are in some war. Police reform is coming and I’m looking forward to some tangible change instead of rhetoric.

[Phalanx]

You are coming up with reasons to justify why a 75 year old man is pushed. They were charged with a crime because they used excessive force. The knee to George Floyd’s neck which stopped him from breathing is excessive force. People protesting and watching videos are seeing many cops who don’t have the temperament to be a policeman. Protesters are getting shot at with tear gas and rubber bullets like we are in some war. Police reform is coming and I’m looking forward to some tangible change instead of rhetoric.

I'm not 'coming up' with anything. I was inclined to be sympathetic to the dude until I saw clear evidence that he was an agitator.

I am also looking for tangible police reform, so we agree on that, at least.

[ElPatoLoco]

A 75 year old unarmed agitator. And how many cops were there?? 20 or so. Yep. That justifies excessive force. People are tired of the excuses for the violence they are allowed to inflict.


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[ElPatoLoco]

To Biggus Duckus. I didn’t have the time and energy to come up with a response like yours. Bravo.


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[Phalanx]

A 75 year old unarmed agitator. And how many cops were there?? 20 or so. Yep. That justifies excessive force. People are tired of the excuses for the violence they are allowed to inflict.


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The cops were already there, presumably to combat much larger problems. This dude went up to THEM as they were trying to move everyone the other way. Then, he waved his phone all over their space trying to steal their signal for Antifa or whoever he is with. "excessive force' is a stretch. They never drew their weapons, they pushed him off of them and he lost his balance. The other video shows there was premeditation in everything he did.

The funny thing is, I don't usually defend police. I totally agree that they often use excessive force, up to and including shooting people unnecessarily. But this case shows the other side, that some people don't respect what they are trying to do and what everyone expects them to do in terms of peacekeeping. They are not Baymax going around to give everyone a hug. You are supposed to obey them when they say to clear out of an area. This guy was trying to get pushed, which is in keeping with Antifa's mission to create altercations to generate such videos.

[ElPatoLoco]

I’m the one making up excessive force. Hmmm


Two Buffalo police officers were charged on Saturday with felony assault after a video showed officers shoving a 75-year-old man who was protesting outside City Hall on Thursday night, officials said.


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[rentdodger]

A 75 year old unarmed agitator. And how many cops were there?? 20 or so. Yep. That justifies excessive force. People are tired of the excuses for the violence they are allowed to inflict.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The cops were already there, presumably to combat much larger problems. This dude went up to THEM as they were trying to move everyone the other way. Then, he waved his phone all over their space trying to steal their signal for Antifa or whoever he is with. "excessive force' is a stretch. They never drew their weapons, they pushed him off of them and he lost his balance. The other video shows there was premeditation in everything he did.

The funny thing is, I don't usually defend police. I totally agree that they often use excessive force, up to and including shooting people unnecessarily. But this case shows the other side, that some people don't respect what they are trying to do and what everyone expects them to do in terms of peacekeeping. They are not Baymax going around to give everyone a hug. You are supposed to obey them when they say to clear out of an area. This guy was trying to get pushed, which is in keeping with Antifa's mission to create altercations to generate such videos.

I love the Antifa boogeyman angle. "Steal their signal" what sort of crack are you smoking? Police operate on known public frequencies, in some instances they are encrypted. It is an extremely consequential offense to jam or hijack signals, that stuff is regulated by the FCC and they don't joke around with that stuff.

The DA's office seems to think they used excessive force, I don't know why you would disagree, whether he was asking for it or not.

edit: please link me an article, any article, about this Antifa "skimming" or stealing signals or whatever you want to call it.

Good post

So a 75yr old guy shuffling up to a group of riot cops is going to be an “Antifa” lead to Skim the cop scanner? That guy probably could barely use an I-phone.. Maybe one of the dumbest takes I’ve seen on this board. Very Breitbartesque. That cop could have easily led his “Phalanx” of cops right around the guy. Instead the cop took a baton and forearm to the guys chest, levels him and momentarily gives the guy the eye while he is bleeding out his ear. Real tough guy.

As far as protesters/looters go Scottsdale Mall in Az. got trashed. it wasn’t a bunch of protesters that did the damage. Mostly it was upper class east valley, southern cal. brats mixed in with thieving gangs getting their punk on. Millions in damages. There were no protesters present. One did not mix with the other. The looters largely could have cared less about any racial issues.

[UOducksTK1]

What is being fought is the experience black people have of being routinely mistreated by police. The vast majority of black people say that is their experience. I, for one, think I should listen to them.

I'm all for listening. Which is one of the reasons I actually posted the thread. I feel like national media creates a narrative and plays into emotions without looking at data or facts.

So it's very possible that their experience and voice has been distorted by the media. You can't deny the media has a strong sway. Additionally, there are many black people who do not buy into this narrative either.

Not to discredit their voice, but if data doesn't support the argument, then it holds less weight. Not to say it's not entirely true, but it certainly doesn't justify the reaction we are seeing. Not at all.

I understand not trusting media-driven narratives, but here's what you find if you actually ask black people what they think:



And sure, you're right that if the data proved their belief wrong, we have to go with the data. But the data doesn't do that. The data is complicated and murky. Any side of the debate can produce a dozen studies that say they're 100% right, and we know the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. So I don't think you can put all your faith in "the data," because the data doesn't speak in one voice – it's more of a loud jumble of signals that researchers do their best to make sense of, to varying degrees of success. That doesn't mean you shouldn't listen to it at all, just that you shouldn't expect to learn the capital-T Truth from it.

Meanwhile, you have most black people saying there's a problem, asking you to listen and to help. They would know better than us, right? So I think the rational, and the right, thing to do is to trust that there's at least something to what they're saying, and support what seems like it might fix the problem.

Doesn't mean you have to like the looting and destruction parts of the protests. It just means you shouldn't focus 100% (or even 90%) on that part, and ignore the injustice you're being asked to notice.

Thanks for post Tray. And there is truth that there are more variables involved in some of the data that is presented. But I still believe the black injustice has been more media induced than we think. For example, why is there no media coverage on the two black cops have been killed during protests? Two people who have faithfully served our people, get murdered in cold blood and it doesn't get a peep on the media.

There's bad cops, for sure (Like Chauvin). Just like there's bad doctors. Or bad any job. I just don't think it's as glaring issue as it's been made out to be. Does that make sense?

I do appreciate your posts. Does get me thinking, which is good for me.

[UOducksTK1]

Larry Elder and Ben Carson, oh dear.

I literally don't even know where to begin with such extreme arguments. No cities have been destroyed, as you claim. Unless you consider the Minneapolis AutoZone a city. Nobody is saying there is a genocide occurring, but there is a systemic prejudice against black people that keeps them poor, that keeps them in prison, that keeps them away from where white people live.

I have never had to fear for my life when getting pulled over. I have never had to fear that I'm going to prison for years because of some minor charge. I have Hispanic blood and a Hispanic middle/last name, but I am white and I have never had to worry about these things because of it.

Get off the conservative talk radio and look at the raw footage of these murders, if you can. Philando Castile, Walter Scott, Eric Garner, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Atatiana Jefferson, and many more. Now look how police are responding to 99.9% peaceful protests and escalating to an unnecessary level. Oh poor thing, you had a water bottle thrown at you? We have social workers and healthcare workers all over the country who are forced to deal with violent mentally ill people on a regular basis, and they use de-escalation or escape tactics to make it work. You don't need to cosplay with all your pretty toys and gear in order to restrain someone.

If the videos of killings didn't phase you, maybe seeing the overwhelming police responses to peaceful protests will. Those two cops who pushed the old man over and made him bleed out of his ears? They were suspending and pending investigation, but the ENTIRE Buffalo Emergency Response Team resigned from the team in a show of support for those two cops! And then they all showed up to applaud the two cops as they exited the courthouse. What!? Police unions are unique in that they are designed to be run by former officers, and have so many clauses and caveats in them, that cops almost never face justice for any wrongdoing. It doesn't matter how extreme the wrongdoing was, or how many times it has been committed by the officer, they will either get swept under the rug or the cop will be fired and find a job in a neighboring city. Sometimes the cop will even get all their backpay plus a settlement for their troubles. I can't remember if it was Portland or Seattle, but if an investigation goes on for over a year then the cop will not be reprimanded. Well guess who runs the investigation?

The 1619 Project just won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary, and is about the black struggles that have happened since they were forced upon this land by the Commonwealth 401 years ago. That would be an excellent place to start studying, since it starts from the beginning, and shows just how long and how far back the systemic racism and oppression goes. It's certainly more credible than Larry Elder and Ben Carson.

Why don't you like Ben Carson? He didn't have a father and had a tough upbringing but overcame a lot of that. He worked hard and was very successful. I think he's a good example to not only the black community, but humanity to work hard regardless of your situations.

I don't deny there are cases of police killing innocent people. And I'm all for justice being served! Just like it has with Chauvin. But how often are we seeing cases of this? A few times a year? And again, we don't see any injustice of other minorities or whites. There are always going to be bad cops, no matter what. Just like any other occupation. In fact, our police in comparison to many other countries do a really good job. It's a shame that a handful of bad ones dominate the cops. There's already a ton of pressure from them and we ask for so much for them, so now we are putting more on their shoulders.

Interesting on the unions, will research more. Thanks!

[UOducksTK1]

Frankly I don't blame Phenom for leaving. Your first sentence is a doozy and it only gets worse from there.

-George Floyd has been to jail over 5 times before.

Doesn't matter.

-George Floyd has broken into woman's home and pointed a gun at her stomach and forcing her into a room while his buddies helped rob her. Another one of his buddies punched her to knock her out.

Doesn't matter.

-George Floyd resisted stating he won't enter the cops car because he is claustrophobic (but didn't he have a car to get to the store?)

Doesn't matter.

-George Floyd committed a crime, and police responded to the call (Yes, sometimes fake bills are used unintentionally, but with Floyd's background, it's reasonable to assume he gave the fraud money intentionally)

Literally none of this matters, but you're projecting the same excuses that police will use. "He seemed like someone who would be guilty of this crime..."

-In last 4 years, blacks are killed by cops 698 times. Whites are killed by cops 1268 times. Put blacks make up only 13% of population. But then blacks actually commit more violent crimes than any other race. When you boil it down, blacks commit way more violent crimes than any other race, so makes sense that they are killed at a high rate by cops. https://www.statista.com/statistics/585 ... e-by-race/ https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/20 ... s/table-43

Why would people who commit violent crimes be killed at a higher rate? This sounds suspiciously like the "I thought he had a gun" excuse, which, being a combat veteran, I can tell you that we had more stringent rules of engagement than that, in a warzone, with more stressful situations and (arguably) more trigger-happy individuals.

-93% of blacks killed by blacks (https://www.channel4.com/news/factcheck ... mmit-crime)

This is definitely an issue that originates from the same systemic oppression, but bringing it up here is just whabout-ism.

-Examples like this are actually far more frequent than you think. Media just doesn't comment on it. Where is the riots for this injustice? https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/us/m ... rdict.html

What rock were you hiding under? This was all over the media, likely because it was a white attractive woman who was killed. Speaking of which, Madeline McCann is back in the news again...

-Black cops are just as likely as white cops to kill black suspects https://www.bleausa.org/black-cops-are- ... -suspects/

This article is stating many things, none good for police departments. "The killing of black suspects is a police problem, not a white police problem.” "The majority of officers in these situations were white. But this reflects the fact that America’s police forces are disproportionately made up of whites, who account for approximately three-quarters of all officers."

Now do studies on unarmed people of color vs. unarmed white people. Or hell, armed people of color vs. armed white people who get taken into custody.

(article done by a black man)

Does that make it more credible? Why even say this? You seem to give more credence to black voices when it fits your side (Ben Carson and that other a-hole), so maybe you should listen to the majority of black voices instead of the minority voices.

-A black police officer was killed last week during the riots. He had a good background and was actually a good dude, this is unjust. But no media coverage... https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/fed ... n-oakland/

Do you even read these articles? Authorities are saying domestic terrorism, and did not say whether the shooting was related to the protests or not. It's a bit disingenuous at this point to imply it was a protest-related death. And since it was Oakland, it must have been a black man, right? It certainly couldn't be a white man, they certainly do not overwhelmingly commit domestic terrorism!

-The dude that kneed Floyd to death (Chauvin), has also targeted white people. Pulling a gun on white teenagers when they were playing with nerf guns.

Yet he still had a job, interesting. How many other complaints has he had? Chris Rock has a pretty good bit about bad apples.

-The media was condemning protests to open the government (in cali and other states) a few weeks ago, because they were going to spread coronavirus. But all these protests in response to George Floyd are not being condemned by the media even though they are certainly not social distancing. Ironically, antifa would go to protests advocating the government to reopen, to protest against them. lol. Again, the irony. Media doesn't care about our health, they care about their narrative and agenda.

People are so fucking upset that they are willing to take the chance. Note that they are not upset about the nail salon being closed, they are upset about unarmed black men being killed and justice not being served. Again, watch the videos. Also surprising that nobody used tear gas or brutality at right-wing protests where there were literally armed men screaming in the faces of cops and even getting physical.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Xh5M8r72s

This is also a whatabout-ism that you seem to like. Focus on the issue, don't tell me about some slightly related issue and say "lol"

Chauvin obviously isn't fit to be a cop. He's had a past of mishandling situations. However, I think he would have done what he did even if the person was white. He completely mishandled this situation, but the narrative that Floyd is a completely innocent man (past issues) and didn't do anything at all to resist (he still technically resisted) and that Chauvin is huge racist (lol) is not true.

That's the problem, thank you for laying it out so succinctly! He isn't fit to be a cop, yet he is a cop. I don't agree with anything else that you say, but I'm sure you'll link me to a video with Mark Furhman's thoughts on the issue (yes, he is a Fox News contributor, believe it or not).

When in reality, almost all police shootings/killings have guns involved by the victims. Almost all police shootings have the victims resisting or running. Almost all police shooting are a response to a crime that was committed. Almost all police shootings include a victim with a criminal history. Moral of the story is: In all police shooting scenarios.... if you don't run and haven't committed a crime and don't resist arrest, I'd say 95%+ of the police shootings wouldn't have happened.

Again, just watch the videos. Tell me which ones were armed. Tell me why they died. Tell me why you are bringing up guns involved by the victims when none of these people were armed.

There are more studies done to show poverty is linked to crime way more than race. So instead of the media and our government trying to cause division is evil. They should be putting their energy into poverty areas (REGARDLESS OF WHITE OR BLACK), to help get those people into situations to thrive and out of crime.

There are also studies that show a white man who doesn't graduate from high school has just as much earning potential as a black man who graduates from college.

PS I'm married into a black family (my wife's sister married into a black family, still counts) so I now have the authority to discuss black issues and middle eastern issues. For those of you who are not black or married into a black family, or are not middle eastern or married into a middle eastern family, you are not allowed to talk about this. Talk about your white issues only, thanks! (sarcasm)

Good one.

Thanks for responding Biggus.

All my points on George Floyd do matter. Because there is a narrative that he is a peaceful guy and completely innocent, where he has had a history of criminal charges including holding a gun to a woman after breaking into her home. Dude was on meth. If he never resisted, we wouldn't be having this talk. I just heard an independent black police offer cite his meth issue as a likely contributor to his heart attack. When yo do drugs, commit crimes, and resist arrest, you are already putting yourself in a really bad position. You are correct that it doesn't matter in terms of Chauvin's charges. The cop was 100% in the wrong. And deserves to be in jail forever. But the narrative being pushed is false. So it does matter.

I agree Chauvin shouldn't have a job. Do you know any cops personally? Do you know cops get fired pretty often for misbehavior? Also did you know the Minneapolis Chief of Police is black? Shouldn't he be held responsible too for allowing Chauvin to keep his job with so many previous complaints?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjCzJyFKoqo&[/youtube]
Arbery explanation from an ex-cop. Again no weapon, but running and fighting. Black cop argues it appears that the "killers" operated within the Georgia law. Again, we will see in time. But just sharing an explanation to a situation where you say there is none.

But you're right, some of the examples you cited are examples of terrible cops, and possibly racist cops. I just see that the number is far, far less than what our media makes it out to be. And generally justice is served to these cops. And I condemn their behavior just as much as you do.

(PS your video showing white people not getting pepper spray, tear gas, or shielded is nonsense. I just watched a bunch of rioting videos where whites got tazed, pepper sprayed, tackled, etc.. I also just watched a video where a black police officer on a horse ran over a black woman.)

[Phalanx]

I love the Antifa boogeyman angle. "Steal their signal" what sort of crack are you smoking? Police operate on known public frequencies, in some instances they are encrypted. It is an extremely consequential offense to jam or hijack signals, that stuff is regulated by the FCC and they don't joke around with that stuff.

The DA's office seems to think they used excessive force, I don't know why you would disagree, whether he was asking for it or not.

edit: please link me an article, any article, about this Antifa "skimming" or stealing signals or whatever you want to call it.

Good post

So a 75yr old guy shuffling up to a group of riot cops is going to be an “Antifa” lead to Skim the cop scanner? That guy probably could barely use an I-phone.. Maybe one of the dumbest takes I’ve seen on this board. Very Breitbartesque. That cop could have easily led his “Phalanx” of cops right around the guy. Instead the cop took a baton and forearm to the guys chest, levels him and momentarily gives the guy the eye while he is bleeding out his ear. Real tough guy.

As far as protesters/looters go Scottsdale Mall in Az. got trashed. it wasn’t a bunch of protesters that did the damage. Mostly it was upper class east valley, southern cal. brats mixed in with thieving gangs getting their punk on. Millions in damages. There were no protesters present. One did not mix with the other. The looters largely could have cared less about any racial issues.

Oh brother. I could honestly care less what you think is a 'dumb take' or not. It's much more interesting to figure out what is actually going on in the video, particularly having seen the footage in advance of the incident where other protestors are calling him out for planning something. The guy, Martin Gugino, is a well-known protestor. You don't get involved in those activities and barely know how to use a cell phone. Speaking of dumb takes- you obviously have no experience in that realm. Here is him barely using his cell phone right after the incident:

https://twitter.com/giovanni15v/status/ ... 0972390402

Maybe he was checking his twitter to see how well his 'f the police' tweet went over:

https://twitter.com/martingugino/status ... 3598691328


I don't know for certain what he is doing with his phone during the altercation, but he is clearly scanning something - look at the way he waves it around multiple officers. It also bears repeating that he walked up to them and into their space - they were already holding batons. The officer didn't exactly rear back and 'level' him, he just pushed him away as he was moving forward. I listened to the mayor's interview and he said the police are trained to keep moving the crowd forward and if anyone needs medical attention they have medics embedded in their group. So that explains why, after initially stopping to check on the guy, they moved on and you can see one of them calling for help. It was their training to keep moving forward and not break the line.

Much is being made of the D.A.'s response, but these guys are not fired (at least not yet), they were released without bail, and the mayor has made some interesting statements that might be interpreted as support. He is obviously in a difficult position, but we'll see if anyone actually gets convicted, or even fired from this. The fact that all the other officers in the unit resigned is also interesting and can be interpreted a few different ways. Hopefully we get follow-up news about all of this and they don't just shuffle it off into the ether.

[rentdodger]

I love the Antifa boogeyman angle. "Steal their signal" what sort of crack are you smoking? Police operate on known public frequencies, in some instances they are encrypted. It is an extremely consequential offense to jam or hijack signals, that stuff is regulated by the FCC and they don't joke around with that stuff.

The DA's office seems to think they used excessive force, I don't know why you would disagree, whether he was asking for it or not.

edit: please link me an article, any article, about this Antifa "skimming" or stealing signals or whatever you want to call it.

Good post

So a 75yr old guy shuffling up to a group of riot cops is going to be an “Antifa” lead to Skim the cop scanner? That guy probably could barely use an I-phone.. Maybe one of the dumbest takes I’ve seen on this board. Very Breitbartesque. That cop could have easily led his “Phalanx” of cops right around the guy. Instead the cop took a baton and forearm to the guys chest, levels him and momentarily gives the guy the eye while he is bleeding out his ear. Real tough guy.

As far as protesters/looters go Scottsdale Mall in Az. got trashed. it wasn’t a bunch of protesters that did the damage. Mostly it was upper class east valley, southern cal. brats mixed in with thieving gangs getting their punk on. Millions in damages. There were no protesters present. One did not mix with the other. The looters largely could have cared less about any racial issues.

Oh brother. I could honestly care less what you think is a 'dumb take' or not. It's much more interesting to figure out what is actually going on in the video. The guy, Martin Gugino, is a well-known protestor. You don't get involved in those activities and barely know how to use a cell phone. Speaking of dumb takes- you obviously have no experience in that realm. Here is him barely using his cell phone right after the incident:

https://twitter.com/giovanni15v/status/ ... 0972390402

I don't know for certain what he is doing with his phone, but he is clearly scanning something - look at the way he waves it around multiple officers. It also bears repeating that he walked up to them and into their space - they were already holding batons. The officer didn't exactly rear back and 'level' him, he just pushed him away as he was moving forward. I listened to the mayor's interview and he said the police are trained to keep moving the crowd forward and if anyone needs medical attention they have medics embedded in their group. So that explains why, after initially stopping to check on the guy, they moved on and you can see one of them calling for help. It was their training to keep moving forward and not break the line.

Much is being made of the D.A.'s response, but these guys are not fired, they were released without bail, and the mayor has made some interesting statements that might be interpreted as support. He is obviously in a difficult position, but we'll see if anyone actually gets convicted, or even fired from this.

Big difference between over aggressive agitation and protesting. Maybe you don’t get that. So what if he is a known protester. You have no clue what he was doing other than walking up to some riot cops. Nothing you can link backs up your conspiracy “scanner” claim. Even if you could, big deal, the guy gets his phone confiscated, not his head cracked.

The point is a guy that age is no threat to a group of riot cops and mixing in a little common sense with your training goes a long ways to diffusing a melee. Drop the hammer on a bunch of looters, not some protestors not engaging in physical altercations.

Isn’t over aggressive policing the reason these protests are happening?

[Phalanx]

I love the logic behind him scanning something with his cell phone. What could he possible be going except "stealing their signals!"

He couldn't possibly be recording badge numbers or names. Or shooting that they might have their badge numbers covered, as some PDs have been found during these protests (police are to have visible identification when in uniform, if they don't it changes the rights of people who are confronted by them).

Scanning their signal. I can't help but laugh when I hear you say that with a straight face.

Right, he comes up to a line of police to scan their badge numbers, just because. Sounds totally legit. I know when I see a large group of police in riot gear, my first impulse is always to go up to them and wave my phone all over a couple of them, (including at belt level?) and find out their badge number.