2020 Protests

There have been large protests across the nation over the death of George Floyd. Some of these protests have been non-violent while others have not. This has sparked some discussion on social media about whether or not the violent actions of some protesters have been justified.
What do you think about these events?

Any time laws are broken - expect consequences.

When the innocents get hurt - my own heart is heavy.

There a lot of confusion and upset everywhere. I try not to be in the places where me or my family can be overtaken by any “thing”. - mob people animals ocean water rain storm you name it - so when I see things like this - I encourage others to keeping their focus helps prevent unwanted and needed turmoil.

The American in me

It saddens me to see Americans act this way. It almost - makes me sick. In a state of confusion and fret. Hate to see this state in any one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKx3DD74SXo

My views on the protests, and what I personally believe should happen to the group of officers responsible are not in line with TOTJO doctrine or AUP mandates; specifically line 2 of "Jedi Believe".

That said,

The police in this nation have been allowed to operate far too long under the status quo, and the time for that system to undergo monumental upheaval and restructuring has been so long overdue as to be worthy of a crime against humanity.

There should be some form of constitutional amendment enacted which gives citizenship the right to act under good Samaritan law in response to any demonstration of police brutality, overstep, and abuse of state granted powers. The police force(s) in this country have done, continue to do, and will continue to do things like this because they know the citizenship are powerless to do anything to stop them.

Eh, idk what anyone expected. Botham Jean (who I personally knew), Arbery (kinda different), that gal in Kentucky, and then Floyd in such a short span? While a lot of people even from the least traditionally racially friendly groups (Heritage foundation's pres comes to mind) have said it's absolutely outrageous, the pent up anger in many large cities isn't going to be placated with words.

Of course, the rise of violent counter protesting like the Salt Lake City man who drove in solely to attempt to shoot protestors with his bow just amplifies the problems. If marginalized communities don't feel enough political power to change their plight, what should anyone expect but outbursts like this. Unless there's a radical change in how DAs prosecute cases and how law enforcement is held accountable, Rodney King is going to be pocket change compared to the future damage we'll see.

This is a difficult subject. My first reaction was yes, these actions are justified. Generally I think a Jedi should oppose violence and look for a diplomatic solution where possible as is also stated in TOTJO doctrine. But difficult situations call for difficult measures and thankfully I live in a country where things like these aren't a issue as much but it breaks my heart seeing it's still a issue at all these days. And It won't stop, the amount of black casualties of police violence in the USA keeps growing and one day people will speak up for themselves and say enough is enough as they should. Not saying destroying properties and looting is to be justified, because generally speaking it's not but again change requires difficult measures at times and no guarantee they will listen but racism should be opposed, and therefore people should raise their voice against this abuse of power that should never be allowed to happen.

I will say this. Do I personally agree with the concept of using violence to achieve one's goals? No. HOWEVER, do I understand why and what drove us to this point and do I understand that what happened was BEYOND morally wrong and SOMETHING, preferably the officer(s) involved being arrested, needs to be done to rectify this atrocity? AB. SOLE. LUTELY.

Yea if they want to start fires and send a cloud over society all while causing actual civil disruption, then peaceful protests and the creation and management of burning roadblocks is the best bet.... as the looting and anti-Police aggression is counter-productive to their cause IMO.

Burning roadblocks can be numerous, effective, controlled, sustained and have the same disruptive impact without the risk of disenfranchising supporters or escalating the issues beyond its intended scope. To go from peaceful protests to outright anarchy is a bit silly, but they seem a bit young so that makes sense I guess. Shame that in places those over the top actions are undermining their message. IMO.

As to the issue, I'd need to see the whole video from start to end and know why the Officer thinks he had to do that, and consider other influencing factors. I get it was a big guy, but surely they have techniques to control that don't require choking someone out.

Adder wrote: As to the issue, I'd need to see the whole video from start to end and know why the Officer thinks he had to do that, and consider other influencing factors. I get it was a big guy, but surely they have techniques to control that don't require choking someone out.

Judging by the grin on his face within the video mentioned, I don't think "had" really had much to do with what transpired. At some point, the officer(s) decided that he (they) wanted to kill Floyd, and proceeded to do exactly that; understanding that bystanders had neither the legal capacity to intervene, nor the adequate weaponry to do so in match to the fully loaded sidearm present on each officer.

The police forces nationwide have, at the time of this counting; murdered a reported 1093 individuals. This compares to the currently counted 532 victims which have died as an outcome of mass shootings.

For quick math, police have killed over twice the number of Americans that have been killed in mass shootings.

They want to, they can, and so they do.

I think there is (in general) this idea that there are two sides to every story. Which may be the case. It's just that George Floyd doesn't get to tell his story, and neither do the countless others that have died at the hands of police.

In my job we are trained in de-escalating. We are not allowed to put our hands on a client. We who are without lethal power have that stop gap. How much more should officers be trained in and use de-escalation?