At which point you now give them free rein to just switch to auto and hose down the crowd.
Welcome to the joys of protesting. Unless you are going geared up for a riot, all protests are inherently “peaceful protests” where you are standing with your hands tied behind your back waiting for the blow. Because if you fight back any more than what is socially acceptable (often times pushing against riot shields), you will die. And so will everyone around you. And the people down the street. And that couple who were unfortunate enough to live above the bodega on 5th street.
Trump and ICE do make me mad, which is why I don’t support stupidly doing things that obviously serve their purposes.
Go back to demanding other people die while you sit on your ass and do nothing. Not supporting random, indiscriminate and disorganized violence isn’t “compliance and cowardice”, it’s not being a mindless fucking dumbass, pussy internet warrior.
If you think that lady in her car is the worst that can happen and that we no longer need to show any restraint, then you have a profound lack of knowledge of history. If a group of citizens start raiding federal offices, the military are going to get involved in defence of the federal offices.
And maybe that’s okay, honestly, maybe we do need to make a stand when things like this happen, but be fucking prepared and be honest about what’s about to happen because it will not be pretty.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. People really can’t handle uncomfortable truths. They’ve never seen war, don’t know what it’s like. It probably hasn’t clicked for them yet that they don’t get to respawn when they die. They don’t understand the unfathomable amount of pain that comes with getting shot. They don’t comprehend how irrevocable any act of violence is, or the responsibility that comes with permanently altering the course of history.
I mean sure, something needs to be done, but these people don’t stand a chance against a militarized police force with modern equipment and a virtually unlimited budget.
They don’t understand the level of coordination it would take, the organization and the discipline required. The manpower, the combat experience, the heavy equipment. Small arms wouldn’t cut it. They’re not prepared. They don’t understand what sort of preparation that sort of thing would require.
These are the same idiots who were saying before the election, “it’s better if trump wins because it will hasten the revolution.” Damn fools, there is no revolution. Not one that can succeed. The time to stop this was on election day, and we failed, because idiots like these thought call of duty was real life.
And then they downvote you for telling them war isn’t pretty. Pathetic.
I said it hasn’t clicked for them jackass. Knowing something as an abstract concept is completely different from knowing it in your bones. Have you ever had bullets fly over your head? Cause I have. Real bullets, not pixels on a screen.
But if you know more about it than I do, by all means, go ahead and overthrow the fascist regime. But if you’re gonna sit on your ass instead, then at least stop acting brave on the internet. You’re embarrassing yourself.
To be honest I don’t think all of the downvotes are legitimate, I’m sure the pro-Russian and pro-Chinese are tipping the scales in these discussions to promote violence whenever possible.
What you’re promoting and what the Trump admin wants align pretty well enough. What’s going to happen if you don’t have as much public support as possible, is not riding in like the cavalry and scaring the ICE off, far from it, those ICE offices will end up staying open and Trump will use the excuse to grab as much local authority as possible.
If you want to close those offices, for good, then you need the people of the cities, the judges, the city hall, as many people as possible to call for the closure and for the Police Department to enforce those rulings. If you don’t think that’s possible, look to Portland right now for inspiration: they’re out tonight in the thousands.
That you can’t process such a simple concept as gaining a majority support to resist with, that you consider anything other than run and gun action shooter scenes as “no resistance” is almost pitiable.
The reality is that they are scared and they are privileged.
They’ve never felt helpless before. They’ve never actually been impacted by the horrors that others… kind of just live with. To them? Cops are the enemy but they are also who you call when your neighbor’s party is a bit too loud.
So they had their first experience of fear and helplessness. And they need to DO SOMETHING about it. Which makes them think of all their role models like John McClane and John Rambo and John Halo. Maybe they’ve even shot a gun a few times and figure they know what they are doing. They’re gonna do something and they’re gonna do it all by themselves and anyone who doesn’t is a coward.
But also, episode 8 of Stranger Things is tonight so maybe next month? But all you fuckers who are talking about maybe talking to organizers and getting involved with their community? THOSE are the real cowards!
That’s not my responsibility and a really nice cop out on your part.
“Oh, I can’t do anything about it, because some random stranger on the internet didn’t pay for my flight. But it’s not because I’m a coward, no not that. I’m brave. I would totally overthrow the fascists if only that one stranger would have bought me a plane ticket.”
And that was one lady just like it is always one person. It is not cops and their fat white kid friends indiscriminately firing upon crowds of civilians like it is naptime for Miss Smart’s kindergarten class. Which is what we see during some of the more historic massacres.
I know you’re scared. We all are. But if you are taking a gun to a protest you are not just putting your own life in danger but EVERY single life at that protest. That is why the more experienced organizers keep an eye out for that and will grab your ass and drag you into an alley if they realize you are packing (and not an undercover cop).
I strongly encourage talking to those organizers. I am not going to discuss it on lemmy but rest assured that we are all aware of this.
Your unwillingness to fight for you community is embarrassing. Stay home.
Its OK that you are fucking coward, that is your right, but its time for you to get the fuck out of the way of the people who are actually going to change this shit.
You talk really tough for someone who hasn’t done anything about it. If you have, it surely would have caught some headlines, and you probably wouldn’t be alive to post about it. We’d probably all be commenting on a video of you getting taken out by 20x as many cops. And if you were in a crowd of people, likely many would be taken out with you.
So if you do decide to put your money where your mouth is, just be sure to do it far away from peaceful protestors and any bystanders.
Until then, stop calling people cowards, you coward.
Ok I’ll call people cowards then, I managed to square off with the SPD, along with a number of other Seattleites, a number of years back, and…
We managed to cause them to retreat from their regional precinct HQ, they burned all the documents they couldn’t take with them, and fucking abandoned it.
But sure, yeah, go on, tell me more about how direct action can’t work.
The entire fucking point is that you organize as something like a guerllia force, not that you just try to ‘one man operator’ this shit.
You need discipline, organization, tactics, actual physical capability, opsec, etc.
A lone wolf is a suicide by cop.
Yeah, don’t do that, duh?
Oh and no, there aren’t any identifiable videos of me.
I appreciate that everyone is skeptical of all comments here.
And I’m glad people express that skepticism.
It’s very clear there’s manipulation here. And if you think you’re immune, you shouldn’t be participating in anonymous social media.
But I do appreciate that there are some people here to fight against the bots and threats to democracy, both foreign and domestic. Even if we can’t tell who they are or what is manipulation and what is honest.
Be careful what you post. Be aware. Be skeptical. Talk to people in real life, because even if it’s just people at the corner shop, that’s a hell of a lot more valuable than here.
Lest anyone be misled, I’m taking the opportunity to note that Lemmy is not anonymous social media. It’s pseudonymous. We may not be using real names here, but nothing about this is private, and it’s all publicly accessible. Just a PSA!
Please avoid any protests where people don’t know you’ll be taking your emotional support assault rifle that you’ll obviously quickdraw with to kill the cops before they kill you. Because you are the best at call of duty.
Remember to take credit for the work that the rest of us do once this shit is over, just like every other coward that acts like they are helping when its safe.
Studies show that violent actions or rhetoric are much less successful than peaceful movements, due to the many undecided people choosing to cooperate with the victimized.
But just like the civil rights movement, you violent fucks feel free to ride on our coat tails.
The Nazis took control because of a Splintered Left into multiple factions while the Right was united. The Nazis came for the communists first while the moderates watched, because the communists and moderates were almost as much each others enemies as the Nazis were.
Look to this example and think of a way to gain support and build trust. Find a way to show people of all different ideologies how horrible these events are and how their loved ones could be next regardless of their own beliefs or their own skin color.
I feel the need to both support and dismantle this argument.
The Civil Rights movement in the 60s was not at all peaceful. That is mostly revisionist history pushed as part of Black History Month. There were MANY groups involved but two of the most well known are The Black Panthers and those associated with Martin Luther King Jr. With the general nonsense being that MLK et al were actually anti-violence while the Black Panthers were borderline terrorists.
That is very incorrect. MLK et al were very much pro gun because they understood what they were facing. But they also were very very aware of what the US Government had already done in places like Tulsa and the many many times that Native Americans were slaughtered. Carrying a gun to a protest just gives the cops/soldiers an excuse to unload on you. Hence, there were very very VERY different protocols when marching versus… for lack of a better term, surviving in between marches. Terrified black and brown people desperate to live? Yeah, they’ll show up. The white masses who are sympathetic but not to the point of wanting to eat a bullet? Maybe keep them away from the bullets if you want the numbers?
Which gets to the other side that ALWAYS angers me when the gun nuts bring them up: The Black Panthers. Yes, they were a group with militaristic tendencies that engaged in “open carry patrols” to fight back against the cops. But… that isn’t what made them so successful. It was actually all of the community outreach programs. The student lunch program (specifically breakfast) actually owes a LOT to The Black Panthers, funny enough. As one of their tactics was to actually organize and feed kids in communities.
Which, again, is what the gun nuts forget. There is no “we are going to take off our masks and blend into the populace after shooting the bad guys” nonsense. If you engage in violence, you are putting a target on you and your family. And all the government has to do is say “We have reason to believe John Smith is hiding in this neighborhood. Turn him over”.
You know how you don’t get your ass beat and lynched in a heartbeat? By being part of your community. When they come for you, they come for everyone. And you do that through outreach and actually protecting your community. Not just going to the range and practicing your quick draw shooting. And that is why people genuinely loved the Black Panthers (… and it is a model that has been used by organized crime the world over…).
When the cops and state won’t protect a community? You look to those who do. And when the cops and state decide they want to hurt the people who have been protecting you? You return the favor. Because Jamal and Muhammed aren’t just black power activists who openly carry rifles. They are the guys who walked all those kids home from school when the cops (and the whites…) were raiding the neighborhood. They are the people who helped you fix your door. They have been there for you. Are you going to be there for them?
Guess who you don’t care about? That dipshit who waved a gun at a cop and got the Johnson family killed in the crossfire.
And modern day protests very much come out of the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement (with many of the oldhats having actually marched in that… and been regularly investigated by the cops ever since). Protests are peaceful. End of story. Anything that might not be peaceful? Never heard of it and anyone who claims otherwise is a liar. But maybe go get to know your local community organizers and, when they trust you, ask them about what nonsense that is.
Did the Black Panthers break into state and federal congresses and force everyone to comply with equal rights? No. No they fucking didn’t. What happened was people stood in solidarity with men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the US Congress signed a bipartisan Civil Rights Act which was then signed into law by POTUS Lyndon B. Johnson.
US Law Enforcement was constantly hounding at Dr. King and the Black Panthers and every other group, the FBI and the CIA wanted open warfare against them and were preparing countless strategies for it, but sanity prevailed when we achieved a fair and democratic resolution. (well, the FBI and Black Panthers continued to feud for decades, but besides the point)
The intimidation tactics of the Black Panthers didn’t accomplish jack shit.
Please please go read a history book…almost all revolutions are born from violence. The oppressors don’t give a shit if you’re peaceful when they have no moral code.
Almost all revolutions fail miserably and the authoritarians they opposed use it as an opportunity to enforce martial law and expand their power. Germany and Spain being prime examples, and particularly relevant given the parallels between Trump and Hitler’s Gestapo.
Sometimes they succeed and give birth to even worse regimes, such as USSR, China, and Cuba.
Now look at what a successful revolution with a good outcome looks like: France. How did they do it? By organizing the entire population under their banner, and bankrupting the state, first.
No. If somebody is going to be the asshole going strapped to a protest, that should very much be a very public discussion. So that others can take the appropriate precautions.
Because in the time it takes for the organizers to decide if that dumbfuck is an undercover cop or someone who is going to get everyone killed? The cops might see the bulge too.
Probably not. But the national guard and the army will. I recommend looking up the Tulsa massacre as well as all the times we have slaughtered Native Americans by the dozens (and that is just in the US).
Go look up what flock cameras are. And understand there are plenty more where that came from. We live in a surveillance state. So when you and your friends run out of nowhere to scream “wildcats” and shoot up the cops? They’ll fairly trivially track you to your home where you, your family, and the people down the street can be massacred at the leisure of the army.
And yes, yes, I know. You and all your friends are going to coordinate to destroy every single camera all at the same time so that nobody can ever track you. And you’ll aim your rifle in the sky and take out the satellites overhead. And you’ll do all of this without ever having to coordinate with another human being because, if you actually knew how to do that, you wouldn’t be speaking like a child and would realize you aren’t the only person with these fears and those community organizers are well aware of things.
Or they’ll just take a page from the israelis and blow up a random apartment complex because there were black people and The Gays in there. They were probably the shooters, right?
That would be a strange argument to have. I don’t know what the scarecrow’s deal is, but that isn’t at all what I am saying.
To summarize: if you bring weapons to a protest, you are not protesting, you are rioting. And if you bring weapons with the intent to kill (basically the only way a firearm is useful to “protect” from another firearm), you are literally a terrorist. That results in a VERY VERY different response.
Is there a time and a place for that response? I am not going to answer that on lemmy. But understand that most people at that protest are there to make their voices heard and don’t expect to soak up bullets for john rambo. And if it becomes known that is what happens because someone is always gonna bring a gun? Those protesters stay home
That’s a good first step. One of the best things we can do to fight back is make sure we have cameras that report to us, and that don’t report to them.
We decided what our cameras are used for. Not them.
I dunno. Maybe you should consider showing your local community and protest organizers you are trustworthy and talk to them about it? Not in a form that is trivially scrapable by anyone who can vibecode a spider?
At which point you now give them free rein to just switch to auto and hose down the crowd.
Welcome to the joys of protesting. Unless you are going geared up for a riot, all protests are inherently “peaceful protests” where you are standing with your hands tied behind your back waiting for the blow. Because if you fight back any more than what is socially acceptable (often times pushing against riot shields), you will die. And so will everyone around you. And the people down the street. And that couple who were unfortunate enough to live above the bodega on 5th street.
How did compliance work out for that lady in her car?
They don’t need a fucking reason.
We are past the point where being “one of the good ones” makes you less likely to get killed. Time to be a hard target instead of a victim.
Guarantee you won’t be in the thick of it.
Lot of “tough guy” internet warriors with zero consideration of pointlessly destructive that would be.
Pay attention to what the rest of us do so you know what stories to make up so your kids didn’t learn what a useless pussy you were when it mattered.
I already see what you’re doing. Typing words on the internet instead of doing anything. You’re pathetic and useless.
If only what Trump and ice were doing got you as mad as criticism of your advocacy for compliance and cowardness.
Trump and ICE do make me mad, which is why I don’t support stupidly doing things that obviously serve their purposes.
Go back to demanding other people die while you sit on your ass and do nothing. Not supporting random, indiscriminate and disorganized violence isn’t “compliance and cowardice”, it’s not being a mindless fucking dumbass, pussy internet warrior.
Is what I actually said so hard to argue with that you need to make up bullshit arguments to argue against?
If you think that lady in her car is the worst that can happen and that we no longer need to show any restraint, then you have a profound lack of knowledge of history. If a group of citizens start raiding federal offices, the military are going to get involved in defence of the federal offices.
And maybe that’s okay, honestly, maybe we do need to make a stand when things like this happen, but be fucking prepared and be honest about what’s about to happen because it will not be pretty.
We’re going to recreate Tiananmen Square. We may zip right past Kent State.
Being downvoted for the truth.
Not generally how downvotes work.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. People really can’t handle uncomfortable truths. They’ve never seen war, don’t know what it’s like. It probably hasn’t clicked for them yet that they don’t get to respawn when they die. They don’t understand the unfathomable amount of pain that comes with getting shot. They don’t comprehend how irrevocable any act of violence is, or the responsibility that comes with permanently altering the course of history.
I mean sure, something needs to be done, but these people don’t stand a chance against a militarized police force with modern equipment and a virtually unlimited budget.
They don’t understand the level of coordination it would take, the organization and the discipline required. The manpower, the combat experience, the heavy equipment. Small arms wouldn’t cut it. They’re not prepared. They don’t understand what sort of preparation that sort of thing would require.
These are the same idiots who were saying before the election, “it’s better if trump wins because it will hasten the revolution.” Damn fools, there is no revolution. Not one that can succeed. The time to stop this was on election day, and we failed, because idiots like these thought call of duty was real life.
And then they downvote you for telling them war isn’t pretty. Pathetic.
“People don’t know that they don’t respawn when they die”
What kind of Gamerslop bullshit is this. Yes, people know that when you die you’re dead.
This also reeks of defeatism. “Our chance was election day and they ruined it.”
Fuck all the way off with that bullshit.
I said it hasn’t clicked for them jackass. Knowing something as an abstract concept is completely different from knowing it in your bones. Have you ever had bullets fly over your head? Cause I have. Real bullets, not pixels on a screen.
But if you know more about it than I do, by all means, go ahead and overthrow the fascist regime. But if you’re gonna sit on your ass instead, then at least stop acting brave on the internet. You’re embarrassing yourself.
So you think people should be taking action?
I think people should take realistic action, while being aware of feasibility and limitations
To be honest I don’t think all of the downvotes are legitimate, I’m sure the pro-Russian and pro-Chinese are tipping the scales in these discussions to promote violence whenever possible.
This administration has been promoting violence. We are promoting self defense.
What you’re promoting and what the Trump admin wants align pretty well enough. What’s going to happen if you don’t have as much public support as possible, is not riding in like the cavalry and scaring the ICE off, far from it, those ICE offices will end up staying open and Trump will use the excuse to grab as much local authority as possible.
If you want to close those offices, for good, then you need the people of the cities, the judges, the city hall, as many people as possible to call for the closure and for the Police Department to enforce those rulings. If you don’t think that’s possible, look to Portland right now for inspiration: they’re out tonight in the thousands.
You know what the Trump admin wants more than armed resistance? No resistance at all.
That you can’t process such a simple concept as gaining a majority support to resist with, that you consider anything other than run and gun action shooter scenes as “no resistance” is almost pitiable.
That would make sense. Explains all these tough-guy keyboard warriors calling everybody cowards while also not doing anything about it themselves…
The reality is that they are scared and they are privileged.
They’ve never felt helpless before. They’ve never actually been impacted by the horrors that others… kind of just live with. To them? Cops are the enemy but they are also who you call when your neighbor’s party is a bit too loud.
So they had their first experience of fear and helplessness. And they need to DO SOMETHING about it. Which makes them think of all their role models like John McClane and John Rambo and John Halo. Maybe they’ve even shot a gun a few times and figure they know what they are doing. They’re gonna do something and they’re gonna do it all by themselves and anyone who doesn’t is a coward.
But also, episode 8 of Stranger Things is tonight so maybe next month? But all you fuckers who are talking about maybe talking to organizers and getting involved with their community? THOSE are the real cowards!
Oh so you’re paying for my cross country ticket then.
Pay for my ticket to the other side of the country. You won’t.
That’s not my responsibility and a really nice cop out on your part.
“Oh, I can’t do anything about it, because some random stranger on the internet didn’t pay for my flight. But it’s not because I’m a coward, no not that. I’m brave. I would totally overthrow the fascists if only that one stranger would have bought me a plane ticket.”
Get a load of Chesty Puller over here.
compliance would have been surrendering and opening the door.
Oh that justifies the murder then.
nothing justifies the murder
That’s completely false, they told her to leave.
Stop fucking lying.
oh boy, i didnt know that, i only heard what he said
And that was one lady just like it is always one person. It is not cops and their fat white kid friends indiscriminately firing upon crowds of civilians like it is naptime for Miss Smart’s kindergarten class. Which is what we see during some of the more historic massacres.
I know you’re scared. We all are. But if you are taking a gun to a protest you are not just putting your own life in danger but EVERY single life at that protest. That is why the more experienced organizers keep an eye out for that and will grab your ass and drag you into an alley if they realize you are packing (and not an undercover cop).
I strongly encourage talking to those organizers. I am not going to discuss it on lemmy but rest assured that we are all aware of this.
Your unwillingness to fight for you community is embarrassing. Stay home.
Its OK that you are fucking coward, that is your right, but its time for you to get the fuck out of the way of the people who are actually going to change this shit.
You talk really tough for someone who hasn’t done anything about it. If you have, it surely would have caught some headlines, and you probably wouldn’t be alive to post about it. We’d probably all be commenting on a video of you getting taken out by 20x as many cops. And if you were in a crowd of people, likely many would be taken out with you.
So if you do decide to put your money where your mouth is, just be sure to do it far away from peaceful protestors and any bystanders.
Until then, stop calling people cowards, you coward.
Ok I’ll call people cowards then, I managed to square off with the SPD, along with a number of other Seattleites, a number of years back, and…
We managed to cause them to retreat from their regional precinct HQ, they burned all the documents they couldn’t take with them, and fucking abandoned it.
But sure, yeah, go on, tell me more about how direct action can’t work.
The entire fucking point is that you organize as something like a guerllia force, not that you just try to ‘one man operator’ this shit.
You need discipline, organization, tactics, actual physical capability, opsec, etc.
A lone wolf is a suicide by cop.
Yeah, don’t do that, duh?
Oh and no, there aren’t any identifiable videos of me.
… Because I am not a moron.
Your canned lines are tired. And yes, you’re a coward.
Nice deflection. You’re a coward too, the difference between you and me is that you’re pretending to be better than everyone else.
Canned lines? You haven’t done shit. And if you do, make sure you don’t get other people killed who didn’t agree to be part of it. Canned lines.
You’re right though, I am tired. Peace out dude.
How was your nap? ICE shot a couple more Americans while you did fuck all.
But it’s okay. You’re tired.
Nothing I could possibly have done today would have changed that.
What did you do today? Why didn’t you stop them from shooting those people? And why are you blaming me, when you didn’t stop them either?
Please take a looong nap lmao.
Honk shoo 💤 wake me when the fascists are gone.
I think he probably is better than you. I know I am.
Why’s that? Because he’s not afraid to virtue signal on the internet? Oh, so brave. I’m glad we have such shining examples of valor.
What have you done that makes you so sure you’re better than me?
Fuck off, you think we don’t see the fresh 7, 15 day old accounts all advocating for bootlicking.
I appreciate that everyone is skeptical of all comments here.
And I’m glad people express that skepticism.
It’s very clear there’s manipulation here. And if you think you’re immune, you shouldn’t be participating in anonymous social media.
But I do appreciate that there are some people here to fight against the bots and threats to democracy, both foreign and domestic. Even if we can’t tell who they are or what is manipulation and what is honest.
Be careful what you post. Be aware. Be skeptical. Talk to people in real life, because even if it’s just people at the corner shop, that’s a hell of a lot more valuable than here.
Lest anyone be misled, I’m taking the opportunity to note that Lemmy is not anonymous social media. It’s pseudonymous. We may not be using real names here, but nothing about this is private, and it’s all publicly accessible. Just a PSA!
The difference is a speed bump. It’s a relevant one, but not that relevant, especially in the era of chatbots.
I made my account a week ago after I got my ip permabanned from reddit for telling russian bots to fuck off too many times.
What I’m doing here isn’t bootlicking, what I’m doing is telling you to stop calling people cowards for not doing things that you’re also not doing…
Well then you shouldn’t mind me telling what sounds like a Russian bot to fuck off.
Whatever dude. I’m not wasting any more time on you.
You’ve put a awful lot of thought into justifying being a pussy. Is that the story your telling your kids when this is over?
Have you done anything that I haven’t? You act like you’re so brave and tough. Show me the headlines where you did anything about it.
Sure. That’s it.
Please avoid any protests where people don’t know you’ll be taking your emotional support assault rifle that you’ll obviously quickdraw with to kill the cops before they kill you. Because you are the best at call of duty.
Remember to take credit for the work that the rest of us do once this shit is over, just like every other coward that acts like they are helping when its safe.
Studies show that violent actions or rhetoric are much less successful than peaceful movements, due to the many undecided people choosing to cooperate with the victimized.
But just like the civil rights movement, you violent fucks feel free to ride on our coat tails.
Were the Nazis stopped by peaceful protests?
The Nazis took control because of a Splintered Left into multiple factions while the Right was united. The Nazis came for the communists first while the moderates watched, because the communists and moderates were almost as much each others enemies as the Nazis were.
Look to this example and think of a way to gain support and build trust. Find a way to show people of all different ideologies how horrible these events are and how their loved ones could be next regardless of their own beliefs or their own skin color.
I feel the need to both support and dismantle this argument.
The Civil Rights movement in the 60s was not at all peaceful. That is mostly revisionist history pushed as part of Black History Month. There were MANY groups involved but two of the most well known are The Black Panthers and those associated with Martin Luther King Jr. With the general nonsense being that MLK et al were actually anti-violence while the Black Panthers were borderline terrorists.
That is very incorrect. MLK et al were very much pro gun because they understood what they were facing. But they also were very very aware of what the US Government had already done in places like Tulsa and the many many times that Native Americans were slaughtered. Carrying a gun to a protest just gives the cops/soldiers an excuse to unload on you. Hence, there were very very VERY different protocols when marching versus… for lack of a better term, surviving in between marches. Terrified black and brown people desperate to live? Yeah, they’ll show up. The white masses who are sympathetic but not to the point of wanting to eat a bullet? Maybe keep them away from the bullets if you want the numbers?
Which gets to the other side that ALWAYS angers me when the gun nuts bring them up: The Black Panthers. Yes, they were a group with militaristic tendencies that engaged in “open carry patrols” to fight back against the cops. But… that isn’t what made them so successful. It was actually all of the community outreach programs. The student lunch program (specifically breakfast) actually owes a LOT to The Black Panthers, funny enough. As one of their tactics was to actually organize and feed kids in communities.
Which, again, is what the gun nuts forget. There is no “we are going to take off our masks and blend into the populace after shooting the bad guys” nonsense. If you engage in violence, you are putting a target on you and your family. And all the government has to do is say “We have reason to believe John Smith is hiding in this neighborhood. Turn him over”.
You know how you don’t get your ass beat and lynched in a heartbeat? By being part of your community. When they come for you, they come for everyone. And you do that through outreach and actually protecting your community. Not just going to the range and practicing your quick draw shooting. And that is why people genuinely loved the Black Panthers (… and it is a model that has been used by organized crime the world over…).
When the cops and state won’t protect a community? You look to those who do. And when the cops and state decide they want to hurt the people who have been protecting you? You return the favor. Because Jamal and Muhammed aren’t just black power activists who openly carry rifles. They are the guys who walked all those kids home from school when the cops (and the whites…) were raiding the neighborhood. They are the people who helped you fix your door. They have been there for you. Are you going to be there for them?
Guess who you don’t care about? That dipshit who waved a gun at a cop and got the Johnson family killed in the crossfire.
And modern day protests very much come out of the lessons of the Civil Rights Movement (with many of the oldhats having actually marched in that… and been regularly investigated by the cops ever since). Protests are peaceful. End of story. Anything that might not be peaceful? Never heard of it and anyone who claims otherwise is a liar. But maybe go get to know your local community organizers and, when they trust you, ask them about what nonsense that is.
Did the Black Panthers break into state and federal congresses and force everyone to comply with equal rights? No. No they fucking didn’t. What happened was people stood in solidarity with men like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the US Congress signed a bipartisan Civil Rights Act which was then signed into law by POTUS Lyndon B. Johnson.
US Law Enforcement was constantly hounding at Dr. King and the Black Panthers and every other group, the FBI and the CIA wanted open warfare against them and were preparing countless strategies for it, but sanity prevailed when we achieved a fair and democratic resolution. (well, the FBI and Black Panthers continued to feud for decades, but besides the point)
The intimidation tactics of the Black Panthers didn’t accomplish jack shit.
Please please go read a history book…almost all revolutions are born from violence. The oppressors don’t give a shit if you’re peaceful when they have no moral code.
Almost all revolutions fail miserably and the authoritarians they opposed use it as an opportunity to enforce martial law and expand their power. Germany and Spain being prime examples, and particularly relevant given the parallels between Trump and Hitler’s Gestapo.
Sometimes they succeed and give birth to even worse regimes, such as USSR, China, and Cuba.
Now look at what a successful revolution with a good outcome looks like: France. How did they do it? By organizing the entire population under their banner, and bankrupting the state, first.
These are conversations better had offline.
No. If somebody is going to be the asshole going strapped to a protest, that should very much be a very public discussion. So that others can take the appropriate precautions.
Because in the time it takes for the organizers to decide if that dumbfuck is an undercover cop or someone who is going to get everyone killed? The cops might see the bulge too.
ICE will not show up if people actually shoot back. They only act like this because they believe they are invincible.
It’s like everyone has forgotten why the Black Panthers showed up to protests armed.
A half dozen or so armed citizens on ICE watch in every neighborhood will have a chilling effect on their bullshit pretty fucking quick.
And if not? If not, then you’re already so far gone that you have no choice but to fight.
Some level of law enforcement is going to have to respond if there’s open gunfire in the streets.
What did they do at Uvalde Texas again?
How is this a point? So fucking stupid.
That ONE event doesn’t predict any other event.
Probably not. But the national guard and the army will. I recommend looking up the Tulsa massacre as well as all the times we have slaughtered Native Americans by the dozens (and that is just in the US).
Both of which were unarmed when slaughtered
How well has the army done against guerrilla warfare?
Psychotic gun-nut argumennts
Vietnam is on the other side of the planet and were supported by the Soviet Union.
Such a stupid fucking argument.
If there is one thing the right is correct about it is about keeping the guns.
Do you really not think there will be outside involvement when things go tits up?
Here’s another bot commenting 46 times telling us to swallow boot.
Are we really fucking doing this again?
Go look up what flock cameras are. And understand there are plenty more where that came from. We live in a surveillance state. So when you and your friends run out of nowhere to scream “wildcats” and shoot up the cops? They’ll fairly trivially track you to your home where you, your family, and the people down the street can be massacred at the leisure of the army.
And yes, yes, I know. You and all your friends are going to coordinate to destroy every single camera all at the same time so that nobody can ever track you. And you’ll aim your rifle in the sky and take out the satellites overhead. And you’ll do all of this without ever having to coordinate with another human being because, if you actually knew how to do that, you wouldn’t be speaking like a child and would realize you aren’t the only person with these fears and those community organizers are well aware of things.
Or they’ll just take a page from the israelis and blow up a random apartment complex because there were black people and The Gays in there. They were probably the shooters, right?
Homie was right, you’re a coward.
super strange argument you have, “these people are oppressive and totally powerful, and we should do nothing.”
whats the end goal of your ideology?
That would be a strange argument to have. I don’t know what the scarecrow’s deal is, but that isn’t at all what I am saying.
To summarize: if you bring weapons to a protest, you are not protesting, you are rioting. And if you bring weapons with the intent to kill (basically the only way a firearm is useful to “protect” from another firearm), you are literally a terrorist. That results in a VERY VERY different response.
Is there a time and a place for that response? I am not going to answer that on lemmy. But understand that most people at that protest are there to make their voices heard and don’t expect to soak up bullets for john rambo. And if it becomes known that is what happens because someone is always gonna bring a gun? Those protesters stay home
Black Panthers?
Rioters.
Armed defense for Drag Queen Nights?
Terrorists.
Idk man. Seems like a bad summary.
That’s a good first step. One of the best things we can do to fight back is make sure we have cameras that report to us, and that don’t report to them.
We decided what our cameras are used for. Not them.
Long pole with a spray can on one end is classic anti camera tech.
and then what?
I dunno. Maybe you should consider showing your local community and protest organizers you are trustworthy and talk to them about it? Not in a form that is trivially scrapable by anyone who can vibecode a spider?
Fucking scrape me. If I’m not on multiple lists by now then I’ve been doing something horribly wrong.