WHEN PRESIDENT DONALD Trump announced on Saturday night that he would send the National Guard to Los Angeles to crush protests, a narrative emerged on social media that demonstrators had somehow given a gift to the authoritarian president by escalating confrontations with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.
“Los Angeles — violence is never the answer. Assaulting law enforcement is never ok,” Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., posted on Sunday. “Indeed, doing so plays directly into the hands of those who seek to antagonize and weaponize the situation for their own gain. Don’t let them succeed.”
In reality, the protesters throwing rocks at heavily armed security forces or attempting to damage the vehicles used to kidnap their immigrant neighbors did not introduce violence. They are instead acting in militant community defense.
After all, would the situation somehow be less violent were ICE left to snatch and disappear people without impediment? Does Schiff imagine either his pronouncements or the empty condemnations of his Democratic Party colleagues will slow down the deportation of our neighbors?
As an additional point to add to yours, every single political protest movement in history has included violent elements. It’s unavoidable. When these political “moderates” start pearl clutching about some windows being broken or whatever it is an attempt to de-legitimize the entire movement, and draw the focus away from the actual source of the majority of violence, the cops (including ICE).
I think I need to be clear, I don’t give a shit if windows are broken or they throw scooters off bridges onto cop cars, I’m talking about violence against humans. TBH, the looting sends the wrong message of greed instead of being for a cause, but not because they’re damaging shit.
I don’t even need to reach into the past for a very clear counterexample: do you really think Zelenskyy could have asked Putin nicely to not invade his country anymore, and it would have made a damn bit of difference?
This is not an invasion of our land, these are democratic protests. There is a huge difference between Russia sending bombs to bomb LA and Americans protesting. If Russia sends bombs, fuck them up.
It is very rare for the president to send the National Guard into a state without the governor’s cooperation. The last time was when LBJ used it to protect pro civil rights protestors in Alabama.
Unfortunately, Trump’s goal in LA is not so well-intentioned, it’s to establish authority so ICE can continue disappearing citizens without due process. It is, for all intents and purposes of the word, an invasion. Thing is, if Newsom attempts to intervene, Trump would loooove to arrest him for treason. And if they do nothing, and protestors step aside, ICE will just continue disappearing people, moving state to state, pushing and pushing, further and further, hoping that someone gives him an excuse to escalate.
And if America sends bombs to LA?
Okay, then violence is a good response, since it’s a defense.
And those bombs are in the form of the military policing American citizens on American soil, right now, so…?
You first, make sure to take lots of video.
I’ve done my part for 25+ years; at this point I’m not sticking my neck out for folks who allowed this to happen while they sit back consequence free. They broke it, they can fix it.