Moon of Alabama Brecht quote
May 30, 2020

Young White Men Abuse George Floyd Protests For Violence And Looting

Last night at times violent protests took place in some 30 U.S. cities.

The escalation of the protests is not being driven by people of color whose grievance about systemic police brutality and institutionalized racism is driving the original, and in most cases peaceful protests.

There are clear signs that other groups have joined and abuse the original protests for their own purpose:

Mayor Jacob Frey said the people who are coming to Minneapolis to protest are not residents and are "coming in largely from outside the city."

"Our Minneapolis residents are scared and rightfully so. We've seen longterm institutional businesses overridden. We've seen community institutions set on fire. And I want to be very, very clear. The people that are doing this are not Minneapolis residents," he said at a news briefing on Saturday.

He said the protests earlier this week that were mostly peaceful and were largely attended by those who lived in the city, but "the dynamic has changed."

"Gradually that shift was made and we saw more and more people coming from outside of the city. We saw more and more people looking to cause violence in our communities, and I have to say, it is not acceptable," Frey said.

"This is no longer about verbal expression. This is about violence and we need to make sure that it stops," he added.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said everyone who was arrested in his city last night was from outside the state.

"What we are seeing right now is a group of people who are not from here," he said.

UPDATE: The mayor has since walked back that claim. END-UPDATE

Detroit has seen the same phenomenon:

Detroit Police Chief James Craig spoke in a Facebook Live video late on Friday evening.

“You know, I love this community and we work very well with this community, and we know that the individuals from outside the city of Detroit who converged at the protest location don’t represent this city. They’re not from this city,” said Craig. “And so I’m just asking for all Detroiters to continue to support us, let’s peacefully protest. But outside of that, we’re not going to tolerate it. We’re not going to tolerate criminal acts.”

While mostly people of color were protesting the murder by police of George Floyd, the looting was often led (video) by white young men (video).

That the police infiltrate protests and political movements is the norm. But who or what is sending people from outside a city to vandalize it? Who put down a pallet of bricks at a bus station in a high end shopping street in Dallas during a time of protests? Who is supposed to use these?

One group suspected to be involved in this capture of legitimate protests are the "Boogaloo Bois":

On May 26th, crowds gathered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to protest the death of 46-year-old George Floyd at the hands of the city’s police department. Floyd was black. Many of the protesters were people of color.
...
On the internet, meanwhile, a largely white, and far right movement publicly contended over what risks its members should take to support a black man killed by police.
...
On the Facebook page, Big Igloo Bois, which at the time of writing had 30,637 followers, an administrator wrote of the protests, “If there was ever a time for bois to stand in solidarity with ALL free men and women in this country, it is now”.

They added, “This is not a race issue. For far too long we have allowed them to murder us in our homes, and in the streets. We need to stand with the people of Minneapolis. We need to support them in this protest against a system that allows police brutality to go unchecked.”

One commenter added, “I’m looking for fellow Minneapolis residents to join me in forming a private, Constitutionally-authorized militia to protect people from the MPD, which has killed too many people within the last two years.”

These exchanges offer a window into an extremely online update of the militia movement, which is gearing up for the northern summer. The “Boogaloo Bois” expect, even hope, that the warmer weather will bring armed confrontations with law enforcement, and will build momentum towards a new civil war in the United States.

The Boogaloo Bois are mostly rightwing but the militia movement includes some African-American groups. They are armed and they seek conflict with the state.

The ruling oligarchy in the U.S. is behaving towards its own population no different than towards foreign ones. It looted the Iraqi gold reserves after the invasions of Baghdad. It is looting the oil of Syria. It is looting the money that was supposed to support the population during the pandemic:

In the ten weeks since the nationwide lockdown first began, the [Institute for Policy Studies (IPS)] calculates that billionaires have increased their wealth by $485 billion – equal to 16.5 percent. This half-trillion-dollar rise, for Chuck Collins, Director of the IPS’ Program on Inequality and the Common Good, is something close to looting the whole economy.

“The wealthy are economically distancing from the rest of society. Worse, some are pandemic profiteering, looting government stimulus programs and taking advantage of market monopolies,” he told MintPress News.

The looting by the oligarchs is one reason why I have expected protests and riots in the U.S. as a consequence of the badly handled epidemic. But I expected them for later in the summer, after July 31 when the federal unemployment insurance runs out. By then some 20 million of the 40 million currently unemployed will have learned that their old jobs are forever gone and that there are no new ones to find. By then mortgage defaults and evictions will have risen sky high.

Many of the affected people will not be from minorities but from the white lower classes. People who have lost their job and maybe even their home.

The social tensions will be extreme and will seek relief one way or another. Cornel West explains well (vid) why party politics in the U.S. can not be the way to solve this conflict. Something will have to give and it will not be the people - at least not without resistance.

Trump has asked the military to prepare to suppress unrest in Minnesota and elsewhere. Military police units have been put on alarm:

Soldiers from Fort Bragg in North Carolina and Fort Drum in New York have been ordered to be ready to deploy within four hours if called, according to three people with direct knowledge of the orders. Soldiers in Fort Carson, in Colorado, and Fort Riley in Kansas have been told to be ready within 24 hours.
...
The person said the military units would be deployed under the Insurrection Act of 1807, which was last used in 1992 during the riots in Los Angeles that followed the Rodney King trial.

The shooting of unarmed blacks protesters would probably be welcome by Trump's core voters. He could even use that as an advertisement in his re-election campaign.

But how will this evolve when Trump sends in the troops and recognizes that the conflict is with mostly white working class people who probably voted for him in 2016 but are now inclined to shoot back?

Posted by b on May 30, 2020 at 18:01 UTC | Permalink

Comments
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Another good article. I see some striking similarities between the way peaceful protests in other countries were hijacked by instigators and destabilization agents (negative factions of foreign intel services, namely CIA in many cases), and the way that the protests in the United States are being destabilized by way of instigations and incitement. Is this being done for the same purpose? Is it truly to provoke civil war? By what agencies (there are many that are known to have experience in such operations)?

Posted by: Joshua | May 30 2020 18:17 utc | 1

Would it be a great surprise if the deep state is going to fund and supply armed groups with the purpose of imposing martial law and identifying individuals and organizations/groups/etc (it has already targeted) for indefinite arrest and detention? I don't think this will work too well in rural areas of red states, but can be achieved in cities.

Posted by: Perimetr | May 30 2020 18:20 utc | 2


Whoever controls the narrative in this situation wins. You are siding with the same lame stories and excuses we lived through in the 60s and 70s. You devalue the message when you take away the validity of the protest by blaming outside agitators. This is an attempt to control the narrative. I could go through this tripe item by item and destroy the whole premise, which is very tiny but is being reinforced by it's reiteration by separate paid entities. Why has the story been the same for over 50 years b? You are in Germany or something right? You've never demonstrated here, have you? The German police don't have a prerequisite duty to murder black people, do you? I should say anymore since that whole final solution thing, right B? I'd filet you more but you wouldn't publish the comment. You're whole response here is choreographed right wing clap trap. You are appearing to be a straight up tool for right wing white supremacy and a racist to boot if you can't dig deeper. We really laughed when my people took over Alcatraz and the media said we were outside agitators and we were all native american. We kept that narrative. See you at the barricades where you side with the wrong side of history B.

Posted by: Madison James | May 30 2020 18:24 utc | 3

A repost from the last thread: "Watching alot of videos from various cities where protesting occurred last night, one thing that stands out is the fact that all are involved, black, white, latino, etc. This is not a race war but a class war. The powder keg was lit by a racism issue but now transcends it.."

Posted by: Lozion | May 30 2020 18:32 utc | 4

Well b, my comment at the end of the previous thread stands well here too. Trump's attempt to rapidly escalate the new Cold War versus China to cover his Treasonous Ass isn't going to work as the explosives and fuse for what's happening were laid long ago and awaited the spark. Ross Ashcroft was extremely prescient to revisit in abridged form his award winning, 90 minute, Four Horsemen documentary and call it "Four Horsemen: Chickens home to roost." They contain all the background reasons for an insurrection to occur within the Outlaw US Empire. And if I know about them, there's nothing to keep millions of others from knowing them too.

It appears that instead of reopening for business as usual; the Outlaw US Empire will experience a period of retribution and possibly widespread insurrection. Those who predicted no elections in November might be correct, but for all the wrong reasons.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 18:45 utc | 5

This is just the dress rehearsal for the day after the elections. America "is going to go through some things".

Posted by: BraveNewWorld | May 30 2020 18:47 utc | 6

I suppose it's too much to expect Moon to be right all the time, but this is ridiculous - Boogaloo Bois, who are 'mostly right wing'?
Why no mention that police were made to let this happen? Why no mention of Antifa, the obvious suspects, paid by Soros?
We've seen this pattern a lot.
- Mayor or someone in authority makes the police stand down
- Then masked men appear and attack

Posted by: Thomas | May 30 2020 18:58 utc | 7

Posted by: Trailer Trash | May 30 2020 17:12 utc | 229

You didn't witness Rodney King riots but you read about it... but I witness the 65 Los Angeles Watt riots, black were and still extremely angry and frustrated. This was not the first racial riots I witness. One raciest combines region riots in the 50s. These freak Americans' white and black never learned and continue bullies and getting greedy and greedier..

"Many of those companies and jobs are not coming back. Ever...." 100% they're not going to Vietnam, Laos or even Myanmar for long either, They're there temporary but spreading to Ethiopia, SA, and Kenya blah, blah.. Did you know even Ethiopia and I think Zambia making smartphone and cheaper than China? If I'm wrong not Zambia another African country. China is a step ahead the western and American they're teaching the African Chinese, yes Chinese...

"Only Trump is stoopid enough to shout, "When the Looting starts, the Shooting starts" but every governor and police and military commander is thinking the same thing." And you really believe people are that stoopid? I'm waiting a day soon than later they're burnt down the WH...NO? Remember the Storming of the Bastille?

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/secret-service-member-injured-clash-dc-protesters-outside-white-house

Posted by: JC | May 30 2020 19:04 utc | 8

This may appear OT, but there's a connection. "Beijing sees Trump’s hand and won’t fold: With Sinophobic hysteria reaching new heights in US, China's counter play is a massive new economic plan." Some may recall my recent post on Putin's teleconference dealing with Russia's Labour Situation and the policies being employed to support the Russian people--actions that are the polar opposite of what Trump, Pelosi, and GOP have employed. Indeed, when looked at closely, the Russian and Chinese policies are almost exactly the same--their underlying rationales certainly are. Given the current circumstances, Trump's shooting himself in the head while trying to cover his ass as the Outlaw US Empire's economic rebooting relies greatly on having excellent trade relations with China and the rest of the world--conditions Trump's doing the opposite of fostering:

"Geopolitically, China rejects a 'Cold War mentality' and hopes China and the US will be able to cooperate. Li stressed the relationship could be either mutually beneficial or mutually harmful. Decoupling was described as a very bad idea, for bilateral relations and for the world at large. China, after all, will start to import more and that should also profit US companies. [My Emphasis]

Trump unknowingly continues to dig his own grave. Cloud-cuckoo-land is a phrase I've used before to describe TrumpCo. He and They are captured by their own extraordinary ignorance.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 19:10 utc | 9

Couple of things:

No, b, shooting unarmed protesters/blacks will not help Trump's campaign.

No, b, inner-city blacks did not sit out the looting. Check the Target videos.

BLM, we all know, is funded by international neolibs like Soros and company. I just tried to do some digging and could not for the life of me come up with a list of big donors. Check their wiki page and NOTHING! Very suspicious.

Please, someone, if you can confirm the inability to determine who funds BLM, that would be great.

If they are fully-funded to pay protesters and bus them in, it is not a stretch to think they could have dropped off the bricks lickety-split.

I imagine some kind of relationship between corrupt police forces, blm, and elites who administer the communication and relationship between all these parties perpetuating the racial divisiveness in this country.

As other posters say, it is a distraction. You will not topple the system by burning buildings to the ground, though I do not blame you for trying.

You would have had to get the drop on the useless elite in this country with a bomb under the table during their catered lunch.

But now, any chance of this is gone, because they have already moved their meeting.

Here is a useful American phrase for ya non-Americans looking on: "Barking up the wrong tree."

As Gruff mentions above. Blacks are in for even more hurt because of this shit.

Posted by: Nemesiscalling | May 30 2020 19:13 utc | 10

This post would be stronger if it situated the concrete analysis of the riots in terms of the historical failures of the US left to build a multi-racial political formation.

That's why we have the chaos and lack of coordination between white progressives, the black working class, the anarchist kids, the Latino unions, the white industrial unions, etc.

Posted by: Prof K | May 30 2020 19:15 utc | 11

“But how will this evolve when Trump sends in the troops and recognizes that the conflict is with mostly white working class people who probably voted for him in 2016 but are now inclined to shoot back?”


b: You’re assuming those violent non-minority protesters would have any interest in shooting federal troops or National Guard troops. They’d likely disappear, to allow the shooting of some minority protesters by troops.

Posted by: Jay | May 30 2020 19:21 utc | 12

. . . add the Hong-Kong Pro-Democracy groups to the list

I love how FOX and their numerous guests found this nuanced position that you can condemn protesters but still be for the original cause once the protesters misbehave or are infiltrated by ... 'anarchists, outsiders, or people looking to cause problems'. But in Hong-kong they were always 'pro-Democracy protesters' no matter what they did.

They could ... wear black head to toe to disguise their identity, throw rocks, shoot arrows, petrol bombs, burn people, buildings, build barricades and we had to applaud them.

We always called the Hong-kong police thugs if they used tear gas or arrested them but now we are using tear gas and concussion grenades. FOX wants us to send in the military because we are too restrained but punish the Hong-kong police for excessive force.

It is good to be king.

Posted by: Christian J Chuba | May 30 2020 19:35 utc | 13

Global Times today:

"US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi once called the violent protests in Hong Kong 'a beautiful sight to behold.' Now, the 'beautiful sight' is extending from Hong Kong to over a dozen US states. US politicians now can enjoy this sight from their own windows. Quite a few places across the US are witnessing protesters setting police stations on fire, smashing shops, blocking roads, attacking places and destroying various public facilities, as if the radical rioters in Hong Kong somehow snuck into the US and created a mess like they did last year in Hong Kong.

"A quick question for Pelosi and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: Should the Chinese government and National People's Congress issue a statement to support the protests by African-Americans and the grassroots of US society? It seems to be what Beijing should do according to the logic of Washington cheering for the rioters in Hong Kong. Otherwise, if China does not support the protests in the US, how could the latter keep playing its Hong Kong card? After all, US President Donald Trump just announced Friday to impose sanctions against China over Hong Kong affairs.

"Trump really had the nerve to make the announcement when a group of furious Washington citizens were storming toward the White House, which frightened people inside leading them to erect an emergency blockade."

"Over a dozen US states" and spreading:

"The US political system is declining. Worse, the process is accelerating, while the US showed no strength to carry out substantial reforms. The grievances of the grassroots are still left unheard. Since their difficulties can hardly be resolved, those people have no alternative but to resort to extreme ways to vent their anger."

I very much doubt you'll find anything nearing the honesty of that analysis in any Western media. There's more in the editorial for people to enjoy, such as the concluding paragraph.

And no, the protesters aren't funded by the Chinese Embassy or its government.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 19:41 utc | 14

Posted by: Perimetr | May 30 2020 18:20 utc | 2

"Would it be a great surprise if the deep state is going to fund and supply armed groups with the purpose of imposing martial law..."

Not at all. This was done 40 years ago in Turkey where the "deep state" infiltrated or organized both the left wing and right wing groups and pit them against each to create sufficient violence that led to a military coup (backed by the US). In this case to remove a left wing government.

In the US, the divisions between "Democrats" and "Republicans" have been systematically exacerabated through poltical and social means through the past 30 years. The end game will likely be martial law to help cover up the class crisis that would inevitably come later in the year. By pitting the "extreme" right and "extreme left against each other, the oligarchy hopes to whitewash its own responsibilites for the nation's declining economic performance by blaming it on the extremists, and saving the nation through martial law, or perhaps worse. After the weekly violence near home, the people will be grateful.

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | May 30 2020 19:43 utc | 15

Looks like a stock-standard regime change operation. Peaceful protests always serve as foil for insurgents, hence it's safe to assume they too are organized as part of the operation, in full or in part. The only remotely organic element has to do with timing, of successfully predicting and latching on to social grievances and general discontent. This time, with help from the pandemic, the insurgency might achieve the unstoppable momentum necessary to remove whatever the unwanted political element may be, unlike the other protests during Trump's tenure where there were timid attempts made to supercharge them, but which instead petered out due to lack of public support.

Prime suspects would presumably still be domestic intelligence agencies or rogue elements within the same -- whether they're working for a "Soros" or the other way around. I doubt foreign services have enough pull to initiate the operation, but they're certainly handed an opportunity to influence the controlled chaos in a direction beneficial to them. If it's a domestically initiated operation, the intent may be to pull back at the brink.

Posted by: Skiffer | May 30 2020 19:50 utc | 16

If I had a dollar for every time I heard "Outside Agitator!!!" while growing up, I could have a pretty good retirement. Calls of "Outside Agitator!!!" are also accompanied by other slogans like, "THAT'S NOT WHO WE ARE!!!", when it is perfectly obvious that state-promoted violence and greed are *exactly* "who we are".

The state has two strategies: (1) brute violence, (2) divide-and-conquer. The state is desperate to prevent a real movement from organizing itself. There are articles stating that Minneapolis (unionized) bus drivers are refusing to transport police or arrested protesters. Such stories suggest that divide-and-conquer may not succeed this time.

Posted by: Trailer Trash | May 30 2020 19:50 utc | 17

"how will this evolve when Trump sends in the troops and recognizes that the conflict is with mostly white working class people who probably voted for him in 2016 but are now inclined to shoot back?"

Posted by b on May 30, 2020
.....

My sentiments exactly when I read ScumTrumps "when the looting starts...the shooting starts"

As if the u$$a Regime has NOT been looting its own citizens and torturing the rest of the world?
u$$a foreign, domestic and economic policies are MURDER on a much grander scale than the murder of Floyd.

When the uSSa Gestapo minions of the cops and military open fire...it will not be a Kent State response. Citizens will return fire and everyone's streets will be red. Peaceful protests don't make a difference, Voting changes nothing for the better... Sooo what else is left?

Dr King: "... the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today: my own government"

Posted by: CitizenX | May 30 2020 19:57 utc | 18

Protests in US are always held at the wrong places. Like I offered a while ago, protest should be held at the US oligarchs residences occupy style. Yes, the 400 persons and families that own as much wealth as the bottom 50%. A finite known list (can be looked up)
Only then, can we see an impact. All other protest to date have been put down. Attica. Attica.

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | May 30 2020 19:58 utc | 19

b seriously misunderstands American culture, politics and structure. For example, he does not know that the US is a federation. The rather chaotic response to COVID occurred because the responses were under the legal control of the 50 state governors. The federal government’s role is limited by our Constitution to be advisory in these cases. One price to be paid for an actual representative democracy. All the governments in Europe are centralized police states, and b assumes Trump has dictatorial powers like every European PM.

More importantly, he has completely misread the violent riots that have erupted in a dozen or more American cities. These are not the spontaneous uprisings of the 60’s. They, rather, coordinated attacks by affiliated BLM and Antifa groups. This is more an organized revolt than a riot driven by racial grievances. I’m surprised b didn’t spot that. During the Cold War there were various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. Maybe b is too young to remember them

Posted by: bob sykes | May 30 2020 20:00 utc | 20

Perimetr:

“In the US, the divisions between "Democrats" and "Republicans" have been systematically exacerabated through poltical and social means through the past 30 years. The end game will likely be martial law to help cover up the class crisis that would inevitably come later in the year. By pitting the "extreme" right and "extreme left against each other,”


Haha, sad, Democrats extreme left, more like 1980s republicans. And in many cases the two parties are allied. You read like those who called Obama a socialist, when he was really a rightwing corporate Democrat–who was a much better public speaker than that other rightwing corporate Democrat, Hillary Clinton.

Posted by: Jay | May 30 2020 20:10 utc | 21

choisi ton camp camarade

Posted by: sergio | May 30 2020 20:10 utc | 22

US citizens have been looted by their regime and its oligarchs. Crying about looting now is an absurd reaction.
I can recommend Paul Street's article today on RT News. I agree with him wholeheartedly.

Posted by: bjd | May 30 2020 20:14 utc | 23

"During the Cold War there were various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. Maybe b is too young to remember them"

Posted by: bob sykes | May 30 2020
.....

bob- you obviously know nothing about Operation Gladio so maybe you should stfu about what you claim other people don't know hmmm?

Those "various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy" you claim were actually working for the CIA and De Gaulle acting as terrorists... You know modern day ISIS style funded by the CIA?

Posted by: CitizenX | May 30 2020 20:15 utc | 24

Re Jay@21
I didn't write that Jay, nice work, obviously you pay close attention to details.

The US has quite a long history of running ops that cause violence, for example, Operation Gladio, which was formally revealed in 1990 by the Italian Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti in an official statement to the Italian parliament. By then, Gladio had already been exposed in the courts and elsewhere, but Andreotti’s ‘official’ revelations widely exposed the unpalatable reality. Italian investigations, into the ‘Years of Lead‘, revealed NATO’s hand in a series of terrorist atrocities that had taken place in Italy throughout the 1950s to the 1980s. These included bombings, assassinations, kidnappings and mass shootings by terrorist organisations. There is no doubt that elements within the NATO Deep State were routinely using false flag terrorism to control and manipulate public opinion and shape policy.

Posted by: Perimetr | May 30 2020 20:17 utc | 25

Posted by: Jay | May 30 2020 20:10 utc | 21

Yes, thanks Jay, I got carried away. I was thinking Turkey. Let's say extremist conservatives and extremist liberals

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | May 30 2020 20:20 utc | 26

It is striking how last summer's tacit acceptance and support for Hong Kong "marginal violence" from US politicians and commentariat has suddenly flipped now that their own neighbourhoods are in threat of being besieged. The US protests appear haphazard and improvised, in stark contrast to Hong Kong's extremely disciplined and organized (trained) black bloc cadres. If the Boogaloo Bois start hosting screenings of "Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight For Freedom" and inviting Azov Battalion members to USA, then this might take another turn - but what I see is most protesters do not articulate reactionary or right-based views.

Posted by: jayc | May 30 2020 20:27 utc | 27

Would it not be funny...

...if everyone in the US was preparing for a race war.

And when the war finally came they would all find themselves on the same side of the barricade.

Posted by: Petri Krohn | May 30 2020 20:28 utc | 28

Most of the commenters here are whack jobs. A man is murdered by a cop, but from I have heard the motivation is not racial, and the clowns who post here seem to think it is an example of injustice to black people. I dont recall the riots two years ago when then unarmed white woman was shot dead by a black policeman. He was convicted of third degree murder and sentenced to 12 years. Is that so hard?

When the blogger is not posting about our atrocities in the M.E.,he deviates into clown world.

Posted by: wj | May 30 2020 20:32 utc | 29

@Petri Krohn | May 30 2020 20:28 utc | 28

"Would it not be funny...

"...if everyone in the US was preparing for a race war.

"And when the war finally came they would all find themselves on the same side of the barricade."

Long ago I once heard an African-American woman speak at a demonstration, saying, "Racism is class hatred turned inside-out."

On the same side of the barricade? Conscious class war at last.

Posted by: Vintage Red | May 30 2020 20:42 utc | 30

Posted by: wj | May 30 2020 20:32 utc | 29

It is not a matter of black/white, it is an extension of the class war. The oligarchs are taking advantage of a white cop, black man killing to seed violence as a cover for their war on you and me.

This has been done before

Posted by: Blue Dotterel | May 30 2020 20:42 utc | 31

Thanks again B.

It appears the Max Blumenthal links posted in the Medium link have been taken down by Twitter. It was supposedly some video of suspicious infiltrators, possibly undercover feds or police.

Nat Sec interference, or Twitter selectively being the arbiter of truth again?

Posted by: Et Tu | May 30 2020 20:47 utc | 32

Tim Wise's most recent article in Counterpunch is worth a view for some background.

Posted by: Digital Spartacus | May 30 2020 20:47 utc | 33

"The Boogaloo Bois are mostly rightwing but the militia movement includes some African-American groups. They are armed and they seek conflict with the state."

I live in much-calmer Canada and anytime there's a protest these groups seem to show up. (I assume this is why protests are generally not preferred among the majority.) This is not news, in my opinion. The anarchists among us, and those who are armed and wish for conflict with the state, will always be among us. They will always show up for a fight, just like that person with the souped-up truck and the super-sized tires, who invariably takes to the streets in an historic snowstorm. Yes, the US state dept seems to fund these groups, but they exist without their support.

The news to me is Trump's response, which is almost unbelievable. What is the rationale?

"But how will this evolve when Trump sends in the troops and recognizes that the conflict is with mostly white working class people who probably voted for him in 2016 but are now inclined to shoot back?"

Posted by: Anonymous | May 30 2020 20:49 utc | 34

To debate weather this is a good ‘thing’ or a bad ‘thing’ is a waste of time and devalues this blog. So just face the truth,
It’s right here right now and it’s reality !!
Just pick ya f ing side, and let’s just get on with it.
All this bull about young white men is an attempt to devide.
America’s burning.
I’m with George Floyd I’m white and there’s billions of me.
BLM we got your back bro,
I’m ANTFA still waiting for my check from sorros !

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 20:53 utc | 35

@ Posted by: bob sykes | May 30 2020 20:00 utc | 20

That is the lamest excuse for a poorly executed, chaotic and dysfunctional response we have all seen.

Plenty of other Federations made up of states like Germany and Australia (and many more) set an example of how a central coordinated response is ultimately the duty of the Federal State. Are you seriously trying to convince us a State that can coordinate 10 wars simultaneously, run 800 foreign bases, interfere in the affairs of 20 foreign countries on any given day cannot coordinate its own national response to a medical emergency because of its "constitution"? Ridiculous.

If anything, it is the US Gov't being beholden to profit driven Corporations, not its States or Governors, that is central to its failures in responding to the Covid19 crisis.

Posted by: Et Tu | May 30 2020 20:56 utc | 36

@bob 20

B knows what a federation is. Germany has a federal system. The German police is the responsibility of the federal states. No, Europe isn't composed of centralized police states.

Now go home, you're drunk!

Posted by: vato | May 30 2020 20:58 utc | 37

Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett says that Bill Barr has reminded all and sundry that in AmeriKKKa it's illegal for US citizens to cross state borders to participate in protests. Trump has suggested that his supporters should begin setting up counter-protest groups (which is why Barr made his remarks). AL Jazeera also said that the US Military is not a policing outfit and cannot intervene, autonomously, in protests. States can INVITE the military to assist with unruly crowd problems but it can't arrest people and can only do stuff like setting up barriers.

OT
Space-X's rocket has just successfully launched - Live A-J broadcast.

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | May 30 2020 21:02 utc | 38

Here are Lavrov's comments about Minnesota:

https://tass.com/world/1162073

And there are protest in Toronto today too. I haven't checked social media for videos, but I"m sure most of the rowdies from southern Ontario will make an appearance. :-)

Posted by: Anonymous | May 30 2020 21:04 utc | 39

ACAB
Sad to hear Max blumintial has gon down there were several vids of different police infiltration.

Meanwhile anyone here condone this ?
Maybe watch two or three times to catch what a go on.

https://twitter.com/elitejmn/status/1266802159846338566

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 21:09 utc | 40

"During the Cold War there were various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. Maybe b is too young to remember them"
bob sykes@20
Operation Gladio Bob? Most of those "communist gangs" were fascists employed by the US government. But that isn't the case here: the strategy of tension in Europe was designed to prevent the Communist Party and potential socialist allies from winning elections. There is no such threat here.
What is happening is very simple: the Floyd killing is seen as a legitimate trigger for riots which are expressions of deep wells of popular anger and frustration. That is what the Floyd killing has in common with the Rodney King beating.
But there is a very big difference- the feeling of disenfranchisement and alienation is no longer restricted to inner city black communities or even the poor. It is very widespread. And why would it not be?

In the past three months the people who rule the US have put on a political clinic for the world to see: they have done almost nothing for the masses of people affected by unemployment- many of whom have not even had their claims processed- while they have signed trillions of dollars in promissory notes for the oligarchs who own Congress and keep Congressmen and women like racehorses, trained and fed so long as they win prize money.
The public-rioters and non rioters alike- knows that it has zero influence on government. It knows that the Court system is completely corrupted from the cops on the beat to the Justices in the Supreme Court. It knows that nobody cares what it thinks or even what it does, until it starts rioting. Or until other people riot.

Those who compare this with what happens in Hong Kong are wrong- far from supporting these angry reactions, the state is at a loss as to what to do to contain them. "The shooting starts" because the state can think of no alternative: it cannot bring itself to give the people Healthcare in a pandemic, it cannot bring itself to guarantee unemployment payments with 50 million out of work, it cannot bring itself to assure renters that they will not be evicted, homeowners, behind on their mortgages, that they will not lose their homes, it cannot stop itself from collecting student loan payments from the paltry support cheques it is issuing. The state is so thoroughly corrupted by the greedy, time serving, corrupt and evil people who compose the political caste that it is destroying every chance it had of preventing a temporary difficulty-the pandemic- from mushrooming into an existential crisis.

Jackrabbit had it right in the previous thread: reforms, denied, lead to revolutionary situations. And when those calling for modest reforms are crushed by the use of military force...well, that is what happened in Petrograd in 1905 and 1917.

Will this lead to a revolution? Not likely, but it is possible because there is no alternative. When even Bernie Sanders is too dangerous to be allowed to run, there is virtually no chance of meaningful reforms being granted. And when tens of millions of people are suddenly thrown out of work, and every aspiration that they ever entertained becomes a bad joke, and when the oligarchy cannot disguise the nakedness of their overwhelming power and their contempt for the populace...
The problem in the United States has long been hubris- the ruling class thinks that it has impunity. That it can make as many mistakes as it wishes, act thoughtlessly, lie transparently, betray everyone it deals with and get away with everything.
The government (at every level) has shown itself to be callous and incompetent throughout the Covid crisis. It has also shown itself to be wedded to the idea that the solution to any problems is to blame it on China. As if fifty million unemployed Americans, wondering when the bailiffs would arrive and whether there would be any food on the table tomorrow, would content themselves with blaming the Chinese Communist Party for their predicament and using their last reserves of bodily and psychic energy to cheer on the President's aggression.
The United States no longer works. And it isn't clear that the mechanism for reforming it and getting it to work exists. In the meantime, one thing is clear: the forces of coercion, from the military to the police, are enormous. The temptation for the state to use force to put down calls for reform is probably too great to resist. We can only hope that, like the Cossacks in Petrograd, these sons of the people in uniforms refuse to kill their neighbours on behalf of a system they know in their hearts to be corrupt.

Posted by: bevin | May 30 2020 21:10 utc | 41


File this under "LOL America's coming apart and we finally get to shit-talk them!" It's a growing genre of click-bait commentary that's both easy to write (just look b's intellectual laziness here) and guaranteed to get readers aching to distract themselves from the inevitable carnage climate change will reap on all countries

Posted by: WasteMaker | May 30 2020 21:10 utc | 42

B is correct.. there is no legitimacy remaining in the government. It has become a weapon, tool or device to allow a few to manipulate the masses. .

Trisha @13 says Politicians are corporate whores doing their master's bidding, as are the "police." by: Trisha @ 33
Trailer Trash @ 17 says, The state has two strategies: (1) brute violence, (2) divide-and-conquer. The state is desperate to prevent a real movement from organizing itself. There are articles stating that Minneapolis (unionized) bus drivers are refusing to transport police or arrested protesters. Such stories suggest that divide-and-conquer may not succeed this time. by: Trailer Trash @ 17 Snake says Government is a tool, being used by the corporations.
Trisha @ 33 yesterday explained =>. The true enemies of humanity are corporations, so the violence is not a "civil war", but revolt. Along those lines, it's not "looting" but sabotage. And the "police" are not peace-keepers but militarized enforcers. It's a complete waste of time engaging in electoral "politics."

Snake reminds "there is no legitimacy remaining in the USA government; it has become a weapon, tool or device to allow a few to manipulate the masses." Those few are the monopoly holding (patent and copyright) corporations and parts of government doing business as private oligarch owned corporations (privatization).

Bob Sykes @ 20 has ignored that these are armed groups condoned by both sides of the isle. the riots are corporate warfare and fear mongering propaganda. Since 1850s a long history of how corporations raised private armies under cover of government and used them to quell labor riots in the USA and read the regime change in Ukraine. Read the labor laws. and Read the post here by Perimetr @ 25

Posted by: snake | May 30 2020 21:11 utc | 43

> AL Jazeera also said that the US Military is not a policing
>outfit and cannot intervene, autonomously, in protests.

The US military kills anyone who gets in their way. At home or abroad, it's all the same to Dear Leaders. I've been reading reports that the troop withdrawals in Afghanistan are ahead of schedule. Generals are figuring out troops will be needed to kill US civilians, like they did in Detroit 1967 riots: (from Wiki)


Governor George W. Romney ordered the Michigan Army National Guard into Detroit to help end the disturbance. President Lyndon B. Johnson sent in the United States Army's 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. The result was 43 dead, 1,189 injured, over 7,200 arrests, and more than 2,000 buildings destroyed.

The militia people like to talk about the federal "Posse Comitatus" law that allegedly stops the Army from intervening without the approval of Congress, but when push comes to shove, nobody worries too much about crossing the t's and dotting the i's, as we have seen with the arbitrary house arrest "executive orders" that may or may not have a basis in law.

Posted by: Trailer Trash | May 30 2020 21:23 utc | 44

you know b is saying something very relevant when the troll brigade appear... just ignore them.. you know who they are...

i encourage everyone to watch the documentary @ 5 karlof1's post - the 4 horsemen... thanks karlof1 and b...

Posted by: james | May 30 2020 21:38 utc | 45

more of what b is talking about... Black protester in Colorado tells an Antifa douche to stop vandalizing property and defacing statues.
https://twitter.com/stillgray/status/1266824900427132928

Posted by: james | May 30 2020 21:43 utc | 46

Bravo Bevin! @41

Posted by: Perimetr | May 30 2020 21:45 utc | 47

Good thought provoking piece B. IMO that the riots taking place in a number of US cities over the murder of George Floyd by four Minneapolis cops is another indicator that the US is in deep social, economic and political trouble. If the issues of racism, deep economic inequality, and massive political corruption and incompetence are not addressed soon, this country will join the League of Banana Republics. In fact, the US may be closer to this than many think. The late American economist and historian of economic thought probably but best when he wrote in the introduction to his book, "The Worldly Philosophers: the Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers" that "economics is the only science that has put men on the barricades."

Posted by: GeorgeV | May 30 2020 21:47 utc | 48

I would never have believed I would one day see a link to the Belingcat here.

Posted by: Stephane | May 30 2020 21:54 utc | 49

B lists above that the mayor of Minneapolis has claimed that most of those arrested are out-of-towners and not even Minnesota residents.

Here is a list of major cities from other states <400 miles (1/2 day's drive) from Minneapolis:

230 miles to Madison, WI

288 miles to Omaha, NE

294 miles to Milwaukee, WI

333 miles to Lincoln, NE

349 miles to Chicago, IL

389 miles to Winnipeg, Canada

411 miles to Kansas City, MO

The fact that those arrested were outside provocateurs is completely irrelevant though it does point to a coordinated effort...from where?

The mayor of Minneapolis claims that it is from far-right groups that is causing much of the vandalism.

B has reiterated this above but I have yet to see any proof.

Show me the mugshots!

Those far-right militia types are easily identifiable. Usually facial hair/unironic beards or entirely clean-cut ex-military types.

Those Anti-Fa and BLM are also easily identifiable: questionable gender, questionable sexual orientation, colored hair, acne, lack of muscle definition, hipster attire/clothing, unkempt appearance, untidy hair and grooming, etc. College age!

Show me the fucking mugshots!

Posted by: NemesisCalling | May 30 2020 21:56 utc | 50

“ The shooting of unarmed blacks protesters would probably be welcome by Trump's core voters. He could even use that as an advertisement in his re-election campaign.“
For a second there I thought I was reading CNN or the AFP.

Posted by: Rodney | May 30 2020 21:56 utc | 51

@46 The guy in that clip looks like Antifa to me. He's wearing the full uniform. I'm a little out of touch with modern political movement but isn't Antifa the complete opposite of Boogaloo.

Posted by: dh | May 30 2020 22:00 utc | 52

someone else is always to blame. "outside agitators". MN-StP are big areas. the plunge in the price of Corona beer is China's fault. suspicion about authorities saying this kind of crap is a must.

2 goals: 1) bring every US troop, spy, "diplomat", business man (sic, start over) home, every missile, every dollar. 2) dismantle every nuclear weapon the US has in the world; 3) this means the destruction of the USG. sorry if you don't understand. get your head out of your ass.

as the US uses corona as a bio weapon, the faux concern about property destruction is worth a big yawn. every organ of the state w/o exception is 100% behind "reopening the economy." fuck all these people. live by the sword, get ready to have it shoved up your ass. "total dismantlement of the Roman imperial state..." dismembered, piece by bloody piece.

but as a more practical matter, work stoppage, cessation, complete cessation, will do wonders and, if violence must be expressed, the banks are a good place to start. and most likely to stop. this is a heavily armed nation w/ deep traumatic wounds. there's nothing the elites do not deserve. unfortunately, we really are all in it together.

and the capitalists will gleefully allow us all, ALL, to shoot each other while the planet burns. I was at a volunteer drop in center in the Pacific NW yesterday, all women and children naturally, as capitalism runs on the theft of women's labor, and lo and behold, deputy dog sheriff has to pop in. why? one wag noted that "criminals" show up at places like this. horrific indictment of US society. yes. so do other "illegals."

but I suspect the copper was there to check on the self-organization of the bugs at that church hall. make sure it isn't getting out of hand.

money as the abstract value, a fiction, around which our society is organized and by which it is tyrannized will change as society changes. hastening the collapse of the dollar by refusal to participate in any way in dollar exchanges might also be great (I know, i'm still waiting on my stimulus check...) might keep people from being tortured to death over $20 if we just agreed that none of it was worth shit. like gold, whose value, except in science, is nothing more than a reflection of social values, belief.

bringing the undocumented into the light via marriage and childbirth, family building, is an idea. fuck any person, any institution that says you cannot love someone and offer him or her the protections that come from your commitment to that person.

unfortunately, all of the institutions of ideological control in this society are in the hands of the state. w/some small exception in the place where conflict w/the society regularly erupts: the black community. thus the drug war and police state concentration on that community. but churches, academia, the media, entertainment, all that bs called "civil society" are all behind "reopening the economy," contrary to all medical evidence. the disease running rampant thru this nation is the truth: we are diseased.

logos is common to all, but each acts as if he had a common sense all his own-Heraclitus. medical science, STEM stuff, all of it is common to all. the whole of officialdom in this society is completely lost in own its sick cultural delusions.

Posted by: jason | May 30 2020 22:00 utc | 53

@ 50 nemesis calling... what did you think of the guy in the videos in b's last night breaking all the windows who was found out to be a white guy?? did you see them? he was holding an umbrella while smashing windows... who do you think that was? i am curious...

Posted by: james | May 30 2020 22:02 utc | 54

>We can only hope that, like the Cossacks in Petrograd, these
>sons of the people in uniforms refuse to kill their neighbours
>on behalf of a system they know in their hearts to be corrupt.
>Posted by: bevin | May 30 2020 21:10 utc | 41

Commanders will give orders to shoot, but will troops obey? Before the current crisis, most likely yes. Now I am not so sure. Troop morale is awful, as demonstrated by the Russian photos of their slovenly quarters in Syria. The troops in Iraq that were bombarded by Iran seemed like a bunch of scared rabbits. They know the generals are fools and in it for the money, i.e., grunts know the brass could give a rat's ass what happens to them.

At home military families are forced to live in squalid base housing while their military retired relatives fight for healthcare and promised benefits. The house arrest debacle has financially ruined their aunts and uncles who own "beauty parlors", restaurants, car dealerships, etc. Even their own mothers are prohibited by "Executive Order" from attending church, still the center of social life in rural communities. Meanwhile the parents and grandparents of soldiers are locked away in nursing homes to die alone.

When chickenhawk draft-dodging Trump gives the order to kill looters, there is a growing probability that they will say, "No, not today". As for sending troops to openly attack Iran, China, Venezuela, etc. it is too late for that. While Uncle Sam Land is burning, the rest of the world can breathe a tiny bit easier.

Posted by: Trailer Trash | May 30 2020 22:02 utc | 55

James @ 46
James you linked to a right wing, devide and rule tactic site, spewing misinformation !
You do know antifa stands for anti- fascism ? Are you suddenly pro-fascism ?

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 22:03 utc | 56


First off, long time reader, some-time commenter since the Billmon days. Really appreciate all the author(s) have to contribute to the discourse. b gets it with regard to the United States and how Americans think. It’s crazy to see so many comments that can’t process his analysis. Indeed, Americans are in general a thick headed bunch on their “pet” issues – nobody is going to change their minds on the issues of race, the environment, party politics, guns, science, religion, police violence against citizens, abortion, foreign interventions unless something happens directly to them forcing them to re-think the *years* of constant programming and propaganda.
I honestly never thought I’d live to see the day that b linked to bellingcrap (the Boogaloo Bois blurb). WOW! However I did read that story and cross-checked some of its claims using my own social media accounts and all that I was able to find checked out. Still….I’m shocked, b – Bellingcat…..REALLY?!!!
But my main point in breaking my silence to make a comment here is the general tone and closed-mindedness of so many of the recent commenters on this thread and the COVID-19 threads. This one in particular jumped out because so much misinformation is being spread. Here’s a short list, going from memory without naming names or attempting to belittle anyone.
1. To the point that “white people don’t riot when one of us is killed by a cop” – Whites in general have more avenues for redress than blacks in the USA. That is just undeniable. Whether it’s access to money, influence, business ties/campaign donors or just connections in their communities who themselves have influence. The woman killed in Minneapolis was an Australian national. Yes it took 8 months for the city to fire and charge him, but only because her family back in Australia pulled many strings and worked really hard to get justice. American whites had no real connection to her and there hasn’t been a history of black cops shooting or strangling or intimidating or harassing white people and getting away with it. It obviously was not provably racially motivated in the case of the Australian woman, but one needs to focus on the forest and not the trees when considering the claims of racism/racially motivated police abuse of the African American community through the entire history of this country to properly place the (media generated in some cases) high profile killings of black men who were shown, on video to pose no threat to the offending officer. PLUS – in the case of white cops killing black people, I can literally count on two hands the number of times said cop has been charged, much less sentenced.

Plus, American whites are generally (although this will surely change after the economic disaster of coronavirus) separated from the inner cities and policed differently than blacks. We are not inclined to assemble and we sit idly by when administrations like W. Bush and Obama make new orders/laws that prevent us from doing so. We should look at the peaceful protests of the (mostly) black communities with respect and support. Instead outside agitators, controlled opposition and other infiltrators almost always breach such movements once they reach a large enough scale and are the ones who almost always instigate the violence, looting, vandalism, etc. There are more and more videos coming out on this every day now. I’m not saying that African Americans NEVER loot or riot or what have you, but that brings me to the next point…

2. The US corporate news media ONLY reports on looting and violence when it is suspected to be committed by or affiliated with black-rights protests or natural disasters that primarily affect black people (ex. Hurricane Katrina). Where is the corporate media on this obviously white guy busting out windows at Autozone? There are tons of other videos out there as examples.

3. We have a problem with police lawlessness and violence and unaccountability in general in the USA. It mirrors, directly, the behavior of the Outlaw Empire US federal government and DOD. They can do what they want, when they want, and they have constructed a vast legal framework designed to strip regular people of our rights while granting themselves ultimate authority to eavesdrop, infiltrate, lie, cheat, steal and murder – Just like Mike Pompeo so proudly bragged at Texas A&M University not too long ago. This means that far too often white and other citizens will be murdered and treated wrongly as well. The way that I have always looked at it is in the framework of “First they came for the socialists….but I was not a socialist so I said nothing….” Well, first they came for the blacks and black communities (not to mention the Natives, but that’s another sordid story) and they continue to do so. And white America mostly said nothing. When police departments in the inner cities militarized and adopted military “forward operating base” tactics, it was only a matter of time before suburban and small town PDs would be sporting a new MRAP and a bunch of literal military assault gear and tactics. First cops killed mainly black people and got away with it. We let them (white people don’t “riot” remember?) and guess what – now they’re coming for us too, with zero accountability thanks to our long-time inaction. If you want to see something that will make you sick to your stomach, search the Web for “the shooting of Daniel Shaver.” Disgusting! There are others, including those NOT on video for all of us to see. Still, what did the white community in Arizona do when Shaver was brutally and cruelly murdered as he groveled and attempted to comply with confusing and much too hostile orders? Nothing as far as I know. Maybe a few family members went to City Hall, but the cop got off.

SWAT raids are out of control in this country too. They are used way too often and mostly for drug related warrants. The War on Drugs is another example of how law enforcement in the USA systematically went after blacks (and the left) and created this situation we’re in. And most of us said nothing because, well, we only used a small amount of weed and everyone knows it’s harmless right? White kid gets pulled over in the 80s or 90s with a few Js likely gets off every time in most places in the USA.

4. The idea that it’s George Soros or other “leftist” organizations and donors who are funding the BLM movement and sending in violent outsiders to commit the acts we’ve seen being done by the agent provocateurs is as silly as the thought that a few Facebook ads purchased by an entity called Internet Research Agency were sufficient to change the course of the US presidential election. How much money could Soros be funneling to this group? Enough to buy a few Facebook ads or sponsor a particular user in trying to organize protests? Even the latter sounds far fetched to me insofar as BLM or Antifa goes. I’ve seen them. To anyone who claims that it’s another of evil George Soros’ tricks to keep BLM or Antifa going, please try thinking about that as critically as you do the notion that Russia “hacked” our democracy in 2016. It’s ridiculous and it’s also a smoke screen. Israel was far more likely to have slanted the outcome to Trump and the USA media isn’t touching it. You will have to go to Times of Israel to find stories about it. In fact IIRC there have been some recently released (and heavily redacted) FBI documents that basically back this up. But RUSSIA RUSSIA RUSSIA == SOROS SOROS SOROS!!!

5. Finally, claiming that the USA federal government *didn’t* totally botch the COVID-19 pandemic prep, response and dissemination of accurate information is something only a fool would believe at this point. B has done a very respectable job of covering the issue from the outset. Yes his mind has changed on some things, as is what a thinking human being does when new information comes to light. But the level of vitriol in the comments from obvious Trump supporters, once they find out that the author they enjoy reading when he’s talking about ME policy and the US empire, isn’t on the same brainwashed page as they are on every subject, is insane. I’m sure thousands of comments have been deleted over the past 3 months as a result.

Anyway keep up the good work, b.

Posted by: _K_C_ | May 30 2020 22:06 utc | 57

@ 56 mark2.. i thought the guy was calling him out on his vandalizing the state.... what am i missing? thanks..

Posted by: james | May 30 2020 22:09 utc | 58

Before saying anything else, allow me to wish every bar fly peace and prosperity.
Here is local reporting from Minneapolis on the natures of those arrested recently: https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/kare-11-investigates-records-show-arrests-mostly-minnesotans-as-george-floyd-protests-riots-continue-minneapolis-st-paul/89-73f3e0e8-0664-41d5-8d3e-4467d04da7cb
The official records show that the arrested are nearly all Minnesotans, and only one had any confirmed connection to a right-wing organization.
B, I normally agree with your truly excellent analyses. I rely on you to parse the truth, based on the extraordinary research you conduct on important issues. And I have supported your work. But here, I think you are way off base. A few videos of whites involved in rioting does not a case make. I am surprised you fell for the MSM narrative, which is to blame whites for anything and everything it can.
What you don’t seem to know is that no nation in history has done as much to promote racial harmony as the United States has done. One might say “Well, isn’t Europe doing a great job with biculturalism?” I would respond with terms including “rape capital of the world,” and “No-go zones.” And we’ll see in a few generations how difficult the problem is. Good luck to you and yours! I truly feel sorry for you all, because you all are as naive as you can possibly be. You have truly drunk the kool-aid. And for you to castigate us entirely is intellectually bankrupt. And frankly offensive.
Before you again comment on race relations in the United States, I suggest that you spend some time here in America, perhaps buying a house in a minority area in any formerly-great American city, such as Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington DC, or Newark. But do spend some time in Nashville, Memphis, Atlanta, Dallas, New York, Miami, Seattle, San Antonio, and so many others in which the great American experiment in racial harmony is generally working.
Next: of course white people are seen among the rioters. Many are probably intelligence gatherers for private organizations, local police, state police, National Guard, and FBI. If they weren’t trying to determine who was doing what, I would be seriously pissed. But we’ll see in the future who these people really are.
Once again, I wish all bar flies peace and prosperity.

Posted by: Robert | May 30 2020 22:13 utc | 59

@54 James

In my post above I said that it is likely both police and neolib wannabe leftist groups like Antifa and BLM are working for the same admin/purpose.

The fact that there is probably some disguised coppers inciting stuff fits into the above theory just fine.

What the post you are referencing I wrote is about whether or not those arrested are right-wingers or those mentioned above in this post.

That was the question.

Posted by: NemesisCalling | May 30 2020 22:14 utc | 60

"If the Chinese want to come here and study Proust or the Tale of Genji, let them. but quasar computation is out"-leading US politician, who lives in a fairy tale world of secret US weapons that don't run along the same physical principles as everything else in Washington DC. and the cosmos. he also apparently looks at US society and sees the Federalist Papers, whatever that toilet paper brand is. sorry, dipshit. the rest of the world, and some in the US, know the US can't win anything w/o nuking it. they can make money off destruction, sure. but "winning"? I guess Grenada counts. how much credit does a gov't get for taking out its own asset in Panama? or Pakistan?

it is an absolute truth that what the US is doing in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Yemen, Mexico, Nicaragua, Columbia, Panama, Bolivia, Ecuador, Poland, Estonia, Djibouti, Somalia, Korea (sic, there is no "north" korea), Pakistan, etc., etc., they will do in this country.

as soon as the shared belief in the dollar as the organizing principle of society begins to totter, as soon I don't believe this dollar translates into any material good like food, home, etc., the Donald Trumps and Elon Musks who run this shithole will turn it into Baghdad overnight. why wouldn't they? they, all of them, are already doing everything they can to make war w/China seem inevitable, to "busy giddy minds with foreign wars," an age-old tradition. if they can't reduce to China to rubble, why not Minneapolis?

when the weeds don't do what you want, you spray Ready round up on them. what part of that don't people understand?

Posted by: jason | May 30 2020 22:24 utc | 61

Black folk aren't going to burn down an affordable housing development under construction in their area.

Who Would Have Motive To Burn Down An Affordable Housing Unit?

My guess is these are Trump's unofficial Brown Shirt Shock Troops. If the nation is under Martial Law, there will be no election come November. The Samson Option.

We need some Julian Assanges to crack the communications that are coordinating all of this and expose it to the light of day. This could be the pretext for the hard REAL coup that will turn America, officially, into an autocratic kleptocracy. Trump is itching to get his Erdogan on.

Posted by: 450.org | May 30 2020 22:27 utc | 62

>The official records show that the arrested are nearly all Minnesotans

Every establishment news report I have read or heard today is making a huge noise about "outside agitators". When every police agency and every news agency agrees on something, and are endlessly promoting the exact same phrases, that is a very good clue we are being lied to.

Thank you Robert for the link to actual observations.

Posted by: Trailer Trash | May 30 2020 22:28 utc | 63

Sorry James we’re all a bit jumpy at the moment,
It’s just as I mentioned on the first Floyd thread —-
‘This is a white problem not a black problem’
Meaning white people need to deal with this as they caused it, Black people are the victems in this instance,and they know it ! Whilst I’m sure you will agree we are all victems but generally the white public are ‘unaware’
Antifa are a brave bunch deserving respect for being ‘on the street’
As an instance — racist haressment in white areas against vonrable black people in thier home is often stopped by Antifa.
But James much much respect to you !
We’re all on a learning curve here. Build bridges I say !

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 22:31 utc | 64

bevin @41 and I are of the same mind and almost write the same. One day I hope to get to where he resides in Canada and buy him several pints or whatever beverage he enjoys while we talk. Here's part of what I replied to the rabbit on the previous thread that compliments bevin:

"The times are unprecedented and the waters are uncharted. 2005 & 2009 remain fresh memories for millions. The $$trillions given away to the #1 national parasitic institution isn't at all secret, nor are the aims of the never ending wars. The only political alternative acting as a safety valve removed himself in a manner designed to agitate his erstwhile supporters leaving a vacuum that required filling but remains unfilled. 80% of the electorate opposed bailing out the Fraudulent Banksters in 2009, which clearly included many from the white middle-class. They too are being destroyed by the Debt Trap, and their kids see what's happening too. The Class War will rage until victory is attained by the Masses. When is the only real unknown."

Recently, I linked to the most recent Hudson Interview and urged all to at least listen from the 40 minute mark to its conclusion, which is @13 minutes. And I do so again!! Hudson correctly calls the pandemic a "catalyst" that's accelerated what was already ongoing. That's what the execution of Mr Floyd has become--the catalyst for an eruption from the losing side of the never ending Class War.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 22:31 utc | 65

During the Cold War there were various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. Maybe b is too young to remember them.

Posted by: bob sykes | May 30 2020 20:00 utc | 20

Whose most violent acts were induced and perpetrated by infiltrated operatives from Gladio , like the assassination of Aldo Moro, timely and coincidentally, when he was about to share government coalition with the then so powerful Italian Communist Party.

Other "Communist gangs", as you label them, turned to violence when they saw their very lives and basic rights at danger. As happened in Franco´s dictatorship in Spain, where you could leave the country for ever, or face summarily execution at dawn, your propiety stolen, your right to speak in your own language or taking part in political life forbidden. Some people just decided to stay in their country. In the same standards, a known example of what you peyoratively call "Communist gang" would be the Donbass militias, constituted for self-defense of the lives and human rights of the peoples of East Ukraine.

Coincidentaly, you are holding the same position than Pat Lang, am alleged "libertarian constitutional intent" in whose blog not few times has been praised Franco.
Someone should inform that inconsecuential demagogue that Franco through his military coup d´etat slided the Spanish Republican Constitution for that part to imposse the "new rules" of his fascist "The Movement". He died in bed of old age after 40 years of dictatorship strongly supported by the US, millionaire he and his family, with invented nobility titles and consequent lifelong monetary asignations.

As the BellingCat report clearly show, the US citizenry is being fooled by a myriad of far-right organization and blogs who sometimes play the libertarians, others the socialist, other the Leninists, so as to confuse the masses into going the wrong direction and entering willingly into the trap they are placing for the US working masses, which will not be other than, what is to be expected from fascists, a military coup d´etat and military junta at the helms of government.
Go rehearsing the military squaring, in case you are thnking og accomodate yourself to them...or go preparing the luggage...for a long, may be defintive travel...

Wondering how many people will leave the US...I am expectant....

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 22:33 utc | 66

Is this the empire’s “Spring” as in 2011 in Arab world?
If allowed, I would then extend the comparison of George Floyd to Mohamed Bouazizi.
It was the empire then, that bottled up that revolution(s). Who is going to bottle this one up?

I call for restitution to African Americans. It would raise the whole lot out of abject poverty.

However, the view that restitution, like other legal responses, can be triggered by any one of a variety of causative events is increasingly prevalent. These are events in the real world which trigger a legal response. It is beyond doubt that unjust enrichment and wrongs can trigger an obligation to make restitution
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restitution

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | May 30 2020 22:34 utc | 67

@58 Well james you must surely know that any black American who objects to vandalism must certainly be a police officer in disguise or an Uncle Tom. It is impossible for people of colour to be decent law-abiding citizens.

Posted by: dh | May 30 2020 22:35 utc | 68

b you're done mate. You've gone off the reservation. Even here in my little corner of the world it's clear as day these protests are left wing opportunists, probably designed to further destroy what's left of a US not willing to toe the NWO line. You're done. i have no idea why or if that dude Floyd actually died, was killed, didn't the officer who killed him know him from working security in a club together? In the Age of Epstein Didn't Kill Himself, I trust nothing, LEAST of all 'public uprisings' in the West. Crickets when Wall Street fleeced the people again. But racial crimes, suddenly everyone is mobilized. Covid overwhelingly horrific in Democrat precincts. Why? You're done. You're nothing to me. Your analysis is Don Lemon level right now.

Posted by: Jezabeel | May 30 2020 22:39 utc | 69

@ bob sykes | May 30 2020 20:00 utc | 20

I’m surprised b didn’t spot that. During the Cold War there were various violent Communist gangs operating in Europe, especially in Germany and Italy. Maybe b is too young to remember them

Actually bob, the ignorance is entirely on your side.

Look into that thingy called "gladio", part of the "strategy of tension". RAF, Brigate Rosso, CCC - all of those groups were managed by shady arms of NATO and various nameless affiliates thereof. It's not particularly hard to find if you dig into it a little bit.

Posted by: Lurk | May 30 2020 22:42 utc | 70

@62 "who would burn down affordable housing?"

people don't know much about this country do they? christ almighty, is there some kind of need in this world for more construction? no, there isn't. is "affordable" housing generally speaking a decent place to live or a shithole? are people living in "affordable housing" constantly threatened, harassed, neglected and lied to?

how many goddam "affordable housing" owners and managers lie to their disabled and elderly tenants about their rights routinely? think that has changed cuz a virus showed up or gotten worse?

we don't need any more goddam houses or any crap built in this country. do the earth a favor and unlock what's already there. in superabundance. poverty abounds b/c the trash is kept under lock and key.

"help" in this society is just another way to control people and make them utterly miserable. that you don't understand why I might gleefully torch your pseudo-help might indicate what a condescending patronizing colonialist prick you are. indeed, fuck off as almost all of you agree that if I smoke a joint, I sure as hell don't deserve housing, neither me, my wife, kids nor anyone else clinging desperately to your "affordable housing." so much for military "service", if i have that. rather, you think such actions merit serious prison time. and just what has changed at the employer/housing level in states where weed is legal? in any programs receiving one penny from HUD?)

please keep your help to yourself.

Posted by: jason | May 30 2020 22:46 utc | 71

We need some Julian Assanges to crack the communications that are coordinating all of this and expose it to the light of day. This could be the pretext for the hard REAL coup that will turn America, officially, into an autocratic kleptocracy. Trump is itching to get his Erdogan on.

Posted by: 450.org | May 30 2020 22:27 utc | 62

Yeah, where are all those "Fancy Bear", "Yogi Bear", "Gucci-fan" and the kind, when one needs them!

You really got it.

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 23:00 utc | 72

Dam I love the smell of cognitive dissonance in the morning,
What a couple of threads.
Ok about the burning and looting (thin ice this one) I don’t condone it that’s my official stance ok that’s the disclaimer done.
But what the hell ! Where do even begin.
Four hundred years of white man evil crap. And people cry when your victems cut up rough,really!
There is a mass of evedence showing police provocateurs responsible for doing some of those acts ! Oh but Wait the tecs are busy removing the evedence from the net.
Plus people watch a murder by cops on film and whine about angry protesters ! Really !!
If that was your son on the ground being murdered never mind ya f ing race. How would you react.
I could go on, and will but not know.
Thanks b for this platform in these difficult times. Kudos.

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 23:08 utc | 73

_K_C_ @57--

Thanks for uncloaking and providing your observations! Ross Ashcroft's Four Horsemen ends with the suggested solution for the Outlaw US Empire's problems being the reform of its political system. While I agree, I know attaining such a solution is next to impossible because of how well the system's been rigged to prevent such from occurring--a fact noted in the film. I've continually called for a solution arrived via the political system because it's the safest for the overall populous versus rebellion; yes, I've viewed it through the prism of a moral problem. Now however, it seems the stakes have changed for the worse and that without a swift change in the political-economy the moral outcome is reversed--more is to be gained than lost via rebellion. I hope you and others will respond to this new analysis of mine. 100,000 have already died in this latest portion of the Class War, many more when those from other nations, like the UK, are included; so, a great deal of carnage has already occurred, although it didn't take place on a traditional battlefield.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 23:10 utc | 74

The link to the Detroit story does not support b's contention. 8 of the 9 places are suburbs around Detroit you can drive from in about 20 minutes.

Detroit Police Chief James Craig: “... we know that the individuals from outside the city of Detroit who converged at the protest location don’t represent this city. They’re not from this city,” said Craig.

That is plainly a lie.

Look at the linked article. He mentions suburbs of Detroit that are a short drive from the city centre. 15-30 minutes is a normal commute in many places.

Westland - 30 minutes drive
Farmington Hills - 24 min
Grand Blanc - one hour (fair enough! that's outside the city)
Hamtramck - 17 min
West Bloomfield - 30 min
Warren - 20 min
Lincoln Park - 15 min
Clarkston - 35 min
Dearborn - 12 min

Google has different drive times depending on which part of the suburb you start in, how close to the onramp, and the time of day. Driving at night would be faster.

My impression is that Americans think nothing of driving 30 minutes, whereas its my impression that Europeans think a 30-minute drive is a long drive (which in some cases will take you into a nother country). Maybe that's why this flew under b' radar.


Posted by: Deltaeus | May 30 2020 23:10 utc | 75

B. has impressed me over the years with his independent analysis of a wide range of issues, both international geopolitics and even domestic US politics, although he is not an American. He has repeatedly shown a unique drive to discover the truth about issues and then write level-headed, analytical short essays and posts about them. I am absolutely bewildered by this post, which to me is so far disconnected from reality as to be completely absurd. I wondered at first if it was sarcasm. Unfortunately, it is not. The saddest thing is that the claim that right wing infiltrators are pushing or even significantly involved in driving these protests is so easily debunked by watching just a few videos of protesters clashing with police or looting stores. The white people in ALL of these videos are obviously ANTIFA protesters, and yes, they are organized and coming in from other cities, towns and regions. The title of this piece is also unbelievably biased and inaccurate: "Young White Men..." Again, I urge everyone to look at some of the videos and notice the prevalence of young white women among the protesters. A cursory glance at the white infiltrators taking part in these protests is enough to provide positive identification of radicalized left-leaning, Antifa types. This post by B. makes me wonder if funding of this Moon of Alabama blog has resulted in a change in agenda. This would certainly be a very sad thing. I didn't even say "Soros" once in this comment, so there it is. "Soros"

The worst thing that ever happened to the Occupy Wall Street protesters is that they were co-opted by the financial elite and media and redirected against their fellow citizens under the fake dog-whistle banner of "white supremacism." It's too bad that they are unable to think independently enough to realize that it has been (((big corporate and finance supremacism))) all along.

Posted by: frankie p | May 30 2020 23:10 utc | 76

Jezabeel @69

OK, you are first here to say explicitly that we don’t even know if Floyd is dead. Some things are hard to know. Reading up on his background just all kinds of contradictions. As best as I can tell, with zero confidence, he was a five time loser. Last stretch was for an armed robbery plus home invasion, breaking in on an old woman. Hard to believe he was paroled after that. And then lands a prize job as a bouncer. Not at a dive owned by a friend but a big popular music and dance club with a security staff of twenty. They didn’t check him out? And the cop who works outside didn’t know? Cops can smell ex-con. And Floyd was not a melt into background guy, he was either 6’6” or 6’7”, everybody in vicinity is always going to be aware. Cops are not going to work with cons - at least not in ordinary circumstances. And supposedly Chauvin worked the one rent-a-cop gig continuously for 17 years? This is just the beginning of the problems with the official story. No, we don’t know anything yet.

Posted by: oldhippie | May 30 2020 23:16 utc | 77

NemesisCalling #50

"show me the mugshots"

Hours ago I saw numerous images of 'demonstrators' wearing a white armband. They were all circled with the question being who are these people. All caucasian as I recall.

Perhaps at this stage this is a USAISIS recruitment exercise to build up the home brand isis corps.

I guess Steve Bannon is holed up somewhere with the Mercers calculating.

Big THANK YOU to bevin, snake, karlof1

and Stephane! b cites bellingcat - ye gods what is the world coming to?

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 30 2020 23:18 utc | 78

I find a very strange coincidence that the "Boolagaloo Movement" started warning its followers/members that the event which could derive in the opportunity to start a civil war in the US was close around November, just at the time the US intelligence report on a coming pandemic event in Wuhan was sent to the USG...

The fact that they wear all kind of former "alt-right" paraphernalia, like Pepe The Frog, points all the way to Banon´s second coming, this time without the old disguise of "leninist".

All those forums could well be managed by the sectors of the intelligence services who are also impersonating or sending in violent riotters in Minneapolis and other cities. In fact, is not that "Q" one of them?

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 23:21 utc | 79

#67, Sakineh, regarding restitution, what do you think white people have been doing since 1865? How many trillions have gone to Medicaid, food stamps, outright cash payments, and free legal representation for criminals?
Sakineh, you obviously do not live in the United States, as you haven’t the slightest idea about race relations in this country. I suggest that your country start showIng some generosity and start paying black people here in the United States. Or, you could write some checks yourself!
Regarding your idea about restitution: and we would give money to people who were not involved in slavery? To people whose values, mores, and culture have held them down?
C’mon. Get real.

Posted by: Robert | May 30 2020 23:25 utc | 80

To be quite honest, I do not exactly know what is going on with these protests, but one thing I am most sure about is that for anybody to have a protest of much more than ten or twenty or so people, one needs to have some Big money supporting you. The question becomes who is the big money that is stirring up this mayhem, and what are they out to acheive? Justice for a black man who got squelched by a white cop is not enough. That happens all the time, and the big money don't give a hoot about that. There is something much bigger going down.

Posted by: Robert Shule | May 30 2020 23:26 utc | 81

As b is from Germany he should know about the black Bloc anarchists, autonomists and antifascist riots.

The same loose networks exist all over North America. There are thousands of those kids, mostly punks and itinerant drifters. Minneapolis has had an anarchist punk and activist scene since the 90s if not earlier. Love and Rage had a chapter there.

Sometimes cops infiltrate the black Bloc and engage in property damage to justify police violence.

BUT, the key point, which b misses, is the historical disintegration and atomization of the US left, a legacy of historical state violence and the particular structures of class formation in the US, which divided workers on racial lines.

The stupidity of the black Bloc anarchists and the episodic black riots against police violence are a manifestation of the failure of the US left to organize a multi racial working class party.

It is only in that context that immature expressions of resistance appear, which are easily repressed or co-opted.

That being said, we are witnessing the slow motion collapse of the US social formation and institutional political economy.

The task of building a multiracial working class socialist party is still the most important imperative.

Posted by: Prof K | May 30 2020 23:28 utc | 82

"Wondering how many people will leave the US...I am expectant...."

Posted by: H.Schmatz #66

I liked that - and exactly where are they going AND how will they get there?

Maybe Bolivia or Venezuela ? I doubt it as they would regard that as a poisoned chalice. Mexico? unlikely there would be a welcome mat there.

Can't fly to New Zealand, Australia or pretty much any other place on earth just now.

Maybe those flighty USAians could stay right there and help put their house in order. I pre-revolutionary circumstances they need a leader - a representative that can have respect across the factional divide and defuse the violence and neuter the fascist coup brigands. Both Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard have squandered their chance and there are few about with the commanding skill and oratory to fill the needs of today.

Without that, I expect the Bannonite fascists will have it their way.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 30 2020 23:31 utc | 83

Ha ha frankie pee @ 76
That’s brilliant ! It’s the way you tell em. We got a right old cluster here and no mistake.
America is burning or haven’t you noticed ?
from north to south east to west !
People are angry get it.
You won’t devide us you won’t conquer us.
My advice to the angry public is don’t waist your time with the degenerate grunts in uniform or not.
Take the fight to the people who train the grunts.
And we all know who they are.
The US govenment hatred has now turned on its own people.
Hell a go pop !

Posted by: Mark2 | May 30 2020 23:40 utc | 84

Posted by: Hoarsewhisperer | May 30 2020 21:02 utc | 38 Al Jazeera's Kimberly Halkett says that Bill Barr has reminded all and sundry that in AmeriKKKa it's illegal for US citizens to cross state borders to participate in protests.

She's incorrect. It's illegal to cross state lines to engage in criminal activity - that makes the activity a Federal crime. It is *not* illegal to cross state lines to engage in *peaceful* protests.

Of course, in essence she is correct. Barr wants to use *any* excuse to prosecute *anyone* who engages in protests of *any* kind.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 30 2020 23:41 utc | 85

Report on happenings in DC tell us that Trump fled the White House after his provocative tweets and threats toward China to cover his Treasonous Ass. I must note the measured response of DC's mayor:

"'While he [Trump] hides behind his fence afraid/alone,' tweeted Bowser, 'I stand with people peacefully exercising their First Amendment Right after the murder of #GeorgeFloyd & hundreds of years of institutional racism. There are no vicious dogs & ominous weapons. There is just a scared man.'

"'I call upon our city and our nation to exercise great restraint even while this President continues to try to divide us,' she added. 'Our power is in peace, in our voices and ultimately at the ballot box in November'."

Unfortunately, a political solution will not be found via "the ballot box in November," for there's no choice that remotely promises any change in the status quo. I again ask for comments to my @74: Hasn't it "become necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another" or in this case the Class of people that controls them? If the wording sounds familiar, it's because it's from the USA's Declaration of Independence announcing the onset of the State of Rebellion over matters of an almost equal nature.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 23:42 utc | 86

Hours ago I saw numerous images of 'demonstrators' wearing a white armband. They were all circled with the question being who are these people. All caucasian as I recall.

Posted by: uncle tungsten | May 30 2020 23:18 utc | 78

Exactly, I was going to comment on the same issue and then forgot it.

Notice that all of them also wear civilian clothing resembling activists, cammo bermuda, black t-shirt and black cap...and a lot of tattoos....not exactly the antifa style..but more the Maidan one....Are those guys being reciclated into the US...or were they really Americans?

Remember that when the carnage in Odessa was being built up, there were some "activists" with red brazelets amongst both,v maidan and anti-maidan activists, and that far-right US thugs are being trained by Azov Battalion members...

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 23:49 utc | 87

uncle tungsten @83--

One of the reasons I prompted people to listen to the Hudson Interview was the revelation made by both him and the presenter of the emptying out of New York City, not just the abandonment of businesses. That exodus is likely happening elsewhere as the perception is of another, different sort of plague is about to be unleashed for which the only defense is flight.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 30 2020 23:50 utc | 88

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 22:33 utc | 66

Agreed. Well said.

"Go rehearsing the military squaring, in case you are thnking og accomodate yourself to them...or go preparing the luggage...for a long, may be defintive travel..."

As I like to say, most preppers are training to be either a refugee or a fugitive. I prefer to train to be either a survivor or an operator. A survivor is someone who isn't there when SHTF. An operator is someone who uses the SHTF situation to accomplish his mission, whatever that might be.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 30 2020 23:50 utc | 89

Posted by: Robert | May 30 2020 23:25 utc | 80
Thank you Robert. Your government just wrote checks to the oligarchs enriching them over Covid to the tune of $750 Billion. Multi trillion $ bail-out to the rich. You have no problem with those, but enriching -- let me see why they are there in the first place -- African Americans?

Posted by: Sakineh Bagoom | May 30 2020 23:51 utc | 90

Posted by: H.Schmatz | May 30 2020 23:00 utc | 72 Yeah, where are all those "Fancy Bear", "Yogi Bear", "Gucci-fan" and the kind, when one needs them!

I'm sure Anonymous (the hacker group) is on it. Or the Chinese. Or the Russians. But hacking takes time; it's not like the TV shows and movies where the hacker hits a few keys and in less than a minute, "I'm in." It takes days, sometimes weeks or even months. These riots just started. Sooner or later something will slip. Whether it will matter at that point is another thing. If I was sufficiently up on my hacking skills at this point, I'd be on it.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 30 2020 23:55 utc | 91

When I first saw the video of George Floyds murder I thought something was off. The police officer doing the murder saw he was being recorded and said nothing. His partner did nothing to stop or at least block the recording The person doing the recording was silent. I got the sense this was an operation staged for some nefarious purpose (certainly the poor George Floyd was a victim) and that they wanted it recorded and circulated

The purpose seems to be to establish Martial Law. Lock Down to Martial Law. Oh Joy.

Posted by: Kay Fabe | May 30 2020 23:58 utc | 92

I think b's post has been misinterpreted by many here. I think he's quite aware of more than one facet of this situation, and his post is mentioning a couple that might be overlooked.

1) Yes, there are going to be "outside agitators." This happens when any major protest event occurs in the US. As others have correctly noted, there are groups who spend their time looking for things to go to. There will be right-wing agitators *and* left-wing agitators. And probably simple criminal gangs as well, looking for an opportunity to score.

2) Yes, there are legitimate protesters involved in these events. That should be obvious. Blacks, whites and everyone else are pissed off - sometimes for different reasons, sometimes for the same reasons. They all view these situations as opportunities to protest. It's not all one or the other. People insist on trying to make *everything* a binary either-or choice when situations are usually multi-faceted.

3) Yes, the state and Federal officials are going to run the game that it's "all outside agitators" - with the word "all" being the actual lie.

4) People who don't understand why blacks would burn down buildings in their own neighborhood should read up on the Situationist International. The Sits did considerable analysis on the Watts riots. See here: The Decline and Fall of the Spectacle-Commodity Economy

Looting is a natural response to the unnatural and inhuman society of commodity abundance. It instantly undermines the commodity as such, and it also exposes what the commodity ultimately implies: the army, the police and the other specialized detachments of the state’s monopoly of armed violence. What is a policeman? He is the active servant of the commodity, the man in complete submission to the commodity, whose job it is to ensure that a given product of human labor remains a commodity, with the magical property of having to be paid for, instead of becoming a mere refrigerator or rifle — a passive, inanimate object, subject to anyone who comes along to make use of it. In rejecting the humiliation of being subject to police, the blacks are at the same time rejecting the humiliation of being subject to commodities. The Watts youth, having no future in market terms, grasped another quality of the present, and that quality was so incontestable and irresistible that it drew in the whole population — women, children, and even sociologists who happened to be on the scene. Bobbi Hollon, a young black sociologist of the neighborhood, had this to say to the Herald Tribune in October: “Before, people were ashamed to say they came from Watts. They’d mumble it. Now they say it with pride. Boys who used to go around with their shirts open to the waist, and who’d have cut you to pieces in half a second, showed up here every morning at seven o’clock to organize the distribution of food. Of course, it’s no use pretending that food wasn’t looted.... All that Christian blah has been used too long against blacks. These people could loot for ten years and they wouldn’t get back half the money those stores have stolen from them over all these years.... Me, I’m only a little black girl.” Bobbi Hollon, who has sworn never to wash off the blood that splashed on her sandals during the rioting, adds: “Now the whole world is watching Watts.”

Now do I think that is a *smart* approach to the situation everyone is in? No. But it's an *understandable* approach.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 31 2020 0:10 utc | 93

Many referred here to the Gladio Ops. I posit the systemic killing of Afro-Americans is a sanctioned program developed, supported & funded by the Intelligence community with training tactics shared with the IDF/Mossad. Its not isolated cases of disgruntled officers, rogue elements of the force or right-wing nutcases. It is a nationwide ongoing campaign of terror to instil fear as fear is the prime obstacle to motion and therefore change. Time to stop being naïve..


Posted by: Lozion | May 31 2020 0:11 utc | 94

Posted by: Kay Fabe | May 30 2020 23:58 utc | 92 The purpose seems to be to establish Martial Law. Lock Down to Martial Law. Oh Joy.

You may well be correct. What better way - for the state - to deal with the reaction to the pandemic and the upcoming Greater Recession or Depression with the resulting citizen unrest than to *stimulate* and attempt to *control* and *direct* the citizen unrest in order to impose martial law, postpone the elections and otherwise impose greater state power? As I and others here have mentioned, the elites and the Deep State frequently take advantage of events to further their agenda - as do those who oppose that agenda.

Whether that is the case and whether if it is the case it will achieve its aims, we can only wait and see.

Posted by: Richard Steven Hack | May 31 2020 0:14 utc | 95

Hi Sakineh,
Why do you say that I have no problem with the Federal Reserve’s further enrichment of the already wealthy? I have serious problems with that, as more and more ordinary Americans do, as they find out where nearly all the money is going: to the wealthiest among us, primarily bank executives and investment companies. I will not be at all surprised to see Trump go after the Federal Reserve later this year. I have no idea what could replace it, but Congress certainly could not.
Please do not assume anything about my views until you ask.
I am curious about your point about enriching African Americans. What on earth do you think white Americans have been doing, particularly in the past fifty years?
You might be interested in researching the nature of the first known slave trader in North America, a guy who lived in New Orleans in the Seventeenth Century.
About restitution - do you think I want to give even more of my tax money to these people? After Medicaid, food stamps, affirmative action in the universities and workplaces, free legal representation and so much more. C’mon...

Posted by: Robert | May 31 2020 0:19 utc | 96

Open your checkbook, friend.

Posted by: Robert | May 31 2020 0:20 utc | 97

Just read this article that centers on Cornel West's interview with CNN and illustrates the radicalization of the writer, Joe Queally, a writer for Common Dreams I gave much criticism to during 2015-16 before I was exiled from commenting there, for then he'd be incapable of writing the words he chose to complement the excellent observations made by Mr. West.

Joe opens with this paragraph, very similar words that got me banned from the site he still writes for:

"Harvard University philosophy professor Dr. Cornell West appeared on CNN Friday night amid nationwide protests over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota and offered a searing indictment not just of white supremacy, the neo-fascism of President Donald Trump, and a criminal justice system that repeatedly brutalizes the poor and people of color—but also of a deep depravity that exists within the neoliberal capitalist system of the 21st Century in the United States that dominates both major political parties…. [My Emphasis]

"West told CNN's Anderson Cooper in an interview, 'I think we are witnessing America as a failed social experiment.'

"'What I mean by that,' explained West, 'is that the history of black people for over 200 and some years in America has been looking at America's failure. Its capitalist economy could not generate and deliver in such a way that people could live lives of decency. The nation-state, it's criminal justice system, it's legal system could not generate protection of rights and liberties. And now our culture, of course is so market-driven—everything for sale, everybody for sale—it can't deliver the kind of nourishment for soul, for meaning, for purpose.'"

Indeed, how many could disagree when comparing the rationale presented in the Constitution's Preamble with the results seen daily which Mr. West correctly illustrates? Yes, "a failed social experiment" is 100% correct. But I wonder what the top 10% think if they were to actually listen to Mr. West instead of muting the TV? For if they don't care to listen, then they deserve the vengeance that will be visited them.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 31 2020 0:24 utc | 98

Frankly, the federal, state, county, and city forces need to defend themselves and prevent further destruction. I wish all of them a safe night, and I wish the rioters and looters a very, very bad night.

Posted by: Robert | May 31 2020 0:30 utc | 99

Kay Fabe @92--

I somewhat wondered about that too. IMO, none of the cops thought anything would happen to them because nothing ever did previously when Amy Klobuchar was DA and refused to indict over 2 dozen killer cops, including this gang's leader. Although if the alleged connections between killer and victim are verified, then it's likely something deeper and of a greater evil's at work.

Posted by: karlof1 | May 31 2020 0:34 utc | 100

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