OT-Your experiences at protests, rallies, or in the community
Hey Mgoblog community,
Given we are located all over the country, I was interested to hear some of your personal experiences over the past week and a half since the murder of George Floyd. I'm sure we all have very different experiences, whether just observing the happenings in our community or actually attending protests, rallies, marches, (riots & looting - hopefully we aren't involved in these activities).
On my end, I've been to one daytime march in Austin and it was peaceful, racially mixed, and mostly 18--35 year olds, with some older participants. Lots of anger and rage coming from the protesters and verbal abuse directed towards the police. The police, to their credit, remained calm and did not engage - no tear gas, no rubber bullets. It was frightening, however, to see police in militarized riot gear (a first for me). I was there for about 3 hours in the late afternoon.
I have not witnessed first hand any riots or looting, but I am also staying in at night. Essentially, my anecdotal experience was one of peaceful protests with a restrained response from the authorities.
Interested to hear about your experiences and locations.
Stay Safe, Go Blue!
I got a new flat screen tv and a bunch of shoes that don’t fit.
But at least you were able to express your first amendment rights and peacefully let everyone know what your views are!
Went to a vigil here in Boston sponsored by BLM. Was peaceful and respectful, though majority white people and families. Was in front of the police station and the cops largely just watched. It was about an hour and looks like they're going to have another one on Monday. For a city with a checkered history of racism, Boston has been pretty quiet all things considered. There was some destruction near Downtown Crossing earlier in the week and claims of looting at times, but overall it's been pretty mild compared to other cities.
I live in BOS too and am surprised how “quiet” it is, considering it is the city of “Common Ground” after all.
Getting ready to leave to go to a protest here in Ferndale, MI. I’ll report back later this evening.
The march/protest was very meaningful and very well organized.
Met at the police station, which is on 9 Mile Road, just east of Woodward. We got there around 3:30 for the 4PM march. Not many people when we arrived but probably around 2,000 once we started marching up 9 Mile Rd around 4:30. Crowd looked like people were mostly from around Ferndale and Royal Oak. Mostly young. Everyone had on a mask. People seemed cognizant of social distancing. Opening remarks were given by a recent high school graduate; she was very poised and heartfelt in her comments.
We marched west on 9 Mile Road, which was closed down and many of the N/S streets shut down to avoid cars crossing over 9 Mile. Police were present to direct traffic and keep the roads closed but otherwise kept to the front/rear of the march. This was truly a march rather than a protest. There was chanting along the way, but it was all very respectful. People were clearly passionate but there wasn't any violent anger.
March ended at a park, where there was some more chanting as we waited for everyone to get there. Once everyone arrived, a young black woman spoke passionately about the systemic and institutional racism they face...with specific focus of course on the bias among police and in the justice system...and how it has negatively affected people of color economically.
I believe this to be true. I am white, but every single black person with whom I've had a serious conversation has told me that they have felt they have experienced negative repurcussions because of the color of their skin. Whether it's professionally, academically, in the healthcare system, or even "driving while black." Racism is a real and pervading problem in our society; anyone who thinks the election of a black President is evidence to the contrary is deluding themselves.
The only area where I parted ways with the post-march speaker was her call to defund police. I'm not an expert in this area, but I don't see how that could have anything but disastrous results. Retraining and sensitivity education? Yes. Defunding? No.
Your reaponse was thoughtful and well articulated. Props to you for taking the time to go out there in support of racial justice.
I was also not sure about defunding the police also, but then again after seeing videos from around the country of well supplied heavily armed riot police, with brand new looking face shields, helmets and other protective gear, and I contrast that with the frontline health care workers, who barely have any PPE, and I cant help but think our priorities are in the wrong place. When police departments have enough funding to buy as much unnecessary surplus military equipment also, it definitely seems they have more than enough resources.
Police budgets are absolutely out of control. In some major cities they're close to 3/4ths of the total budget. Cities need to stop cutting money for social services and schools and starting cutting police budgets. How many more tanks and grenade launchers do the cops need?
So much for “no politics” I guess...
How are the protests political?
"Police need to stop murdering black men" doesn't have to be a left vs. right thing, you know.
Blue Lives Matter
The share of black victims is less than what the black crime rate would predict it to be so you’re waging a fake war.
With all due respect, shut up.
Politics isn’t necessarily a left versus right thing... you know.
Austin has had one of the most violent responses from police forces around the country.
I marched in Detroit the day after the police arrested and beat a few hundred people for "violating curfew". Cops backed off for the march and, surprise surprise, nothing bad happened. People on the streets and in their cars cheered us on and honked their horns. Literally all cops have to do is not brutalized people, but they can't even refrain from doing that.
This is a better take than the OPs.
The police, to their credit, remained calm and did not engage - no tear gas, no rubber bullets.
Why is not engaging in violent criminal behavior in opposition to the peaceful exercise of Constitutionally protected speech "to their credit"? It's infinitely not to their credit that that seems surprising to people.
Unfortunately my expectations for police restraint, given actions taken during the recent protests, are very low.
You are absolutely correct that based on our constitutional rights, they should not be celebrated or given extra credit for letting Individuals exercise their right to freedom of speech.
However, everything is relative, and given the directive from the top (“to dominate the streets“), and what we have seen in other protests overrun by police brutality, I was glad our’s stayed peaceful and the police did not engage.
I have no disagreements with what you say here. I just don't think it's "to their credit" when, to everyone's surprise, they avoid behaving like a violent criminal gang.
But there has been a lot of restraint on display that we should celebrate, namely, the restraint of black people, whose patience is incredible, worthy of respect, and deserving of major structural reforms and institutional changes to stop, once and for all, the epidemic of police violence.
Went to the now notorious philly one last week. Started out great. Was gone though before everything went down.
Friends were in I-35 in Austin last week. They had a poor experience.
Was at the Philly one as well. Stayed through most of it and walked around while the looting/rioting was happening too.
A lot of the anarchy-inducing mofos were called out during the day; however, as the protest went on police would corral the people into tight areas with suspiciously placed empty police cars as if they were trying to bait people into causing problems. Same thing occurred at City Hall. The cops close the streets right next to the Rizzo statue, which has been a notorious icon of contention in the city for 8+ years, and expect the protesters to not vandalize it? (Only took a decade of asking nicely and 3 days of rioting/protesting to finally take it down *rolls eyes*)
Add in the fact that they drive in w/ SWAT vehicles agitating people and then leave while keeping a couple cars AGAIN suspiciously close to protesters like bait.
Overall, I think the Philly police have handled the protests better than most departments around the nation but I can't help to think some of the violence can be avoided or if it's deliberate to induce herd mentality craziness at sundown to gain favor w/ the public outside of the city.
Today's march is much larger, so we'll see how it goes.
The Rizzo statue needed to come down a long time ago. It’s a shameful reminder of a terrible leader in the city.
What’s worse is that scumbag county commissioner Joe Gale (looks like Johnny Manziel and Jay Leno had a baby with the worlds most smug, punchable face) is really doing his best to rub salt in the wounds right now by saying Philly needs more leaders like Rizzo and labeling BLM as a hate group.
Anyway, I live in one of the new apartment complexes out in King of Prussia across from Lockheed Martin/KOP mall. Last Saturday night was wild there with cops for sure.
Not surprising Montgomery County is an embarrassing example of redlining. Take a left off of City Ave and compare it to taking a right.
We just got back from going to see the Floyd memorial at 38th and Chicago. We thought it was important for the kids to see and feel what is happening. It's pretty powerful stuff to see the actual spot where he died, as well as how they've written name after name of local victims of the police in chalk down the street.
There were a ton of people of all ages and races. I think something may finally, fundamentally change in this country.
I agree.
Unfortunately that change may be to ditch the republic in favor of, something else.
The US as we used to know it is probably done. Too divided, too many factions, too many narcissists, too many self righteous fucks. We hate each other and can't possibly stand the notion of someone with a differing opinion. I image the US will dissolve in to several smaller regions/countries. Perhaps this doesn't occur in my lifetime but it is coming. The US used to have big bad foreign enemies to unite the masses but nowadays, without that foreign threat we just eat ourselves. People aren't going to get up tomorrow and suddenly get along.
The founders made a mistake. We should have done a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, like the UK has today. Non partisan head of state to steady the ship, and a PM with less power and more easily accountable to the people.
Maybe we'll luck out and get another cold war going. Otherwise I think you're correct.
"Non-partisan head of state" is an interesting way to say "king."
And given everything that's gone on with Brexit, I wouldn't say we should be modeling ourselves after the UK.
I mean, it's basically the Russians' fault. Once the Red Menace collapsed in '91, it was only a matter of time before America turned on itself. You need those foreign threats. China won't work because it's a manufacturing base for domestic consumption.
We didn't know how good we had it in the '80s, geopolitically speaking.
I live in a small town in upstate NY. Not much to note, all peaceful. Last week some impromptu demonstrators were downtown and the only thing of note were rednecks harassing them. Yesterday a big organized rally with nothing of note to report.
plenty of misinfo about riots burning the place to the ground, antifa... but nothing happened as usual. The radial white supremecists are the ones stirring up lies. It’s their playbook - you can tell bc it’s how they project it by accusing others of false flag operations (like 9/11).
When ever the extreme right accuses something they are projecting intention to others bc they are very likely actually doing it so it distracts from the truth and Also often they genuinely believe the left would do this shit bc they know they themselves would or ARE doing it.
who's yelling about preventing voter fraud? And who are the ones actually committing voter fraud?
who's railing about false flag opps? And who’s setting up lies about busses of antifa burning down the country?
who rails against homosexual behavior? And who seems to be a closet homosexual?
I'm also in a small town in upstate NY. I rode through a demonstration on my way to work today. Lots of honking in support, light police presence. Folks seemed to be enjoying being together in public.
Most of my coworkers are the sort of rednecks you describe, and the misinformation and deliberate mischaracterization of the protests is atrocious.
You’ll vote for the hair sniffing rapist come November but were up in arms about kavanaugh with zero evidence but Biden who has mashed potatoes for brains has numerous democrats to come out against him. Just forget about believing women for now. You’ll vote for the rapist come November. Shove the hypocrisy up your ass idiot.
The irony
Not to mention a plagiarist a liar about his life and the spokesman for who is and ain’t black
Your time has come to an end.
You lost the culture war. Gay people and women and black people and brown people will be allowed to thrive in this country. Religiosity is on the decline for good
you lost the war about facts and science. global warming is real and it’s caused by human activity. Evolution is real and the world is not 6000 years old.
As a result of all of that and A black man named Barack being elected president led to your sad attempt to run to the fascist side of the political spectrum ever since; it is sad and pathetic. First the tea party and now you’ve allowed an inhuman narcissist whose father was KKK member and who cares about nothing other than his own power and himself to corrupt a once respectable political party that housed selfless men like John McCain, Bob Dole, Ford.
White supremacy and fascism will never return to this earth and one day people like you will look back and wonder why you were on the wrong side of history just like those who were against MLK in the 60s, against gay rights in the 90s, against Lincoln in 1860s and supported Jim Crow in between.
bluewings!...Congratulations on your graduation from Trump University (with Honors). Your degree is the best, and everybody knows it.
To celebrate your commencement I propose a night out at Trump Casino Atlantic City where we can eat Trump steaks and grab women by the pussy.
It will be the biggest and best graduation party - tremendous really - you know it, I know it, everybody knows it.
Took our daughter to a local protest today. She is 10 and wanted to go. We are trying to raise a good human so we went. There were around 1k people and it was pretty powerful to see.
I am hopeful that things will change for the better due to this movement.
Just got back from a march in Concord, NH. Very large turnout for what is essentially a small town. Quite respectful and positive. Lots of young people as it was originally organized by some local HS kids. There was a strong sense of community solidarity--folks distributing water, snacks, disposable masks, etc. Local police managed traffic and had a cruiser at the front of the march leading the way. No violence at all that I witnessed. There was a small group nearby that I would call "counter-protesters" (large Trump sign, open display of guns) but I didn't witness any conflicts.
I also saw a group that might have fit with the "fringe" elements that are appearing at some of these demonstrations--one guy predominantly in camo with a balaclava, one holding a Guy Fawkes mask, another with a hard-core respirator-type mask, and another wearing a shirt that could be categorized as Hawaiian. Funny thing is, I couldn't tell if they were likely to fall into the category of left-wing fringe (anarchist, Occupy, Antifa, etc.) or right-wing fringe (Boogaloo Bois, white nationalist, etc.). I guess perhaps there is a political point in there. Either way, the large majority were folks that pretty much looked like run-of-the-mill Concord people.
I was in two on Thursday in NYC, one planned during the day, one impromptu just before after curfew.
Both were extremely peaceful and diverse in terms of race and age, several in wheelchairs and walkers. The streets were empty during the evening protest but the day protest started at Gracie Mansion (home of the mayor) and ended up 3 miles away at Trump International Hotel. Onlookers in their cars were beeping in solidarity as well as hanging out their windows and fire escapes cheering everyone on and banging on pots and pans, nurses for medical centers in the area came out side and joined in for a block at a time.
The only incident that I saw was during the evening protest, someone was throwing something down on a group a few people in front of me from his 4th floor fire escape.
Every single protester that I encountered had PPE and several others were offering bottles of water and hand sanitizer to anyone who wanted them.
Both were incredibly emotional, powerful and extremely important to me, being there. Joining my voice with so many others to fight for the change that should be important to us all.
90% white community. Rally/march happened. Everyone walked through town peacefully, many gathered at the local park, kids, adults had a chance to speak after the organizers from Detroit established the purpose of the march. Everyone left at 9:15. Peace was had. No issues, the message was unity and perspectives.
I went to three. They were all on U-M's campus in Ann Arbor. They are all peaceful, but lots of anger, and drive for change. I would say racially they were all about 50% white, 40% black, 10% other.
I'm kinda kicking myself for not going back to hometown to protest. Theirs were a lot smaller and could've used more people. The department is also known to treat black people like second class citizens (I've seen it in person, too.)
Was at the Troy one yesterday (Athens high school to City Hall). Cops estimated 1500, but I think it was twice that at one point. We filled more or less 3 lanes of Big Beaver for the better part of a mile. It was entirely peaceful. Got a lot of supportive honks and only 3 middle fingers, lol. Felt good. People were absolutely not distancing though.
The people in my cities protests are fatter than other cities protestors. I noticed this right away
To all mgobloggers protesting in the streets: stay safe and beware. I'm sad to say that I've lost an incredible amount of respect for the police. I used to give them a certain amount of respect for doing an incredibly difficult job in difficult times, especially since our policymakers have largely abandoned them on gun control and mental health issues. But now its too obvious to ignore: too many police officers are out of control and there's no accountability for them.
But its starting to get scary. There are way too many incidents of these officers needlessly attacking or spraying protesters who don't appear to have done anything. This seems to violate their constitutional right to peaceful assembly. The number of journalists who have been targeted is troubling as well - seems like an attack on the freedom of the press.
Stay safe out there.
My faith in the police has been shaken as well. Thought for a while it was just a few bad eggs, but now — although I think most cops are still decent people — it's clear that the problem is more widespread in our police departments than we thought.
The NYPD is not going to take this lying down. And the buffalo pd maybe be beyond repair along the Mpls
Police departments all over have a higher than average contingent of white nationalists. The same can be said of the military.
I'm sure there'll be unfortunate incidents still, but it does seem like the people in charge had a WTF moment this week and cops have largely toned it down a lot and (surprise) the protests have been much more peaceful. Turns out the vast majority of people don't want to escalate violence if they're not being shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed for no fucking reason.
"This seems to violate their constitutional right to peaceful assembly."
I am all for the peaceful protesting. But were you also against the arresting/preventing of people who were attending church these past weeks?