Minneapolis Social Injustice and Related

[mzilliox]

a mile from my dad and sister in san bernardino, store owners are out front of their premises fully armed with assault rifles because last night protesters and looting began. is this America? is this desirable? im saddened, deeply saddened at the priorities of society. what comes next?

[j44ke]

These kinds of political intimidation tactics are frequent from the police unions in NYC.

Chiara de Blasio Arrest: Police Union Disclosed Information in Privacy Breach - The New York Times

[caleb]

The Feds have charged one of the Minneapolis instigators who livestreamed himself burning down buildings and handing out bombs: 'We came to riot': Illinois man livestreamed lighting fires in Minneapolis - StarTribune.com

His name is Matthew Lee Rupert, and he's a 28 year old white guy from Galesburg, IL, a town of 32,000 in middle of nowhere western Illinois. According to his Facebook page, he has a GED and works at McDonalds.

An Illinois man who came to Minneapolis to riot over the weekend live-streamed himself handing out explosives, destroying property and appearing to set a Sprint store on fire, according to charges filed in federal court Monday afternoon.

Matthew Lee Rupert, 28, is in custody in Chicago on charges of civil disorder, possession of unregistered explosives and participating in and organizing riots, making him the first person to face federal prosecution for allegedly taking part in the fires, looting and other violence that engulfed the Twin Cities since the death of George Floyd in police custody. He is scheduled to appear before a federal judge in Chicago later Monday.

Last Thursday night, Rupert posted on his public Facebook page an invitation for “goons” to join him in traveling to Minneapolis, where he said he was renting hotel rooms and planned to wreak havoc and “take hella good videos.”

As more evidence comes out that the rioting component was/is seriously white, the direct comparisons to the riots of the Civil Rights Era seem more strained. If we follow MLK's advice that riots are "there and must be understood," we might end up in a significantly altered explanatory paradigm today than the one he developed.

[Saab2000]

Thanks for sharing.

I’ve sort of tuned out of this thread but will devour local reports. I get my daily news from my brother, a local Salonista who almost never posts (hey Will!) and another buddy a block off Hiawatha about 6 blocks south of Lake St. He’s in the most challenging spot.

It seems to be settling down and I hope it stays that way.

[monadnocky]

Trump's use of the word "dominate" in regard to the protests.

You turd of a man. You tiny little racist shit. You supporters of this "man": time to stand and be counted.

[Mabouya]

His name is Matthew Lee Rupert, and he's a 28 year old white guy from Galesburg, IL, a town of 32,000 in middle of nowhere western Illinois. According to his Facebook page, he has a GED and works at McDonalds

The odds are 0.00 that he has any history whatsoever in the Civil Rights movement, and I'd bet that in his case it's the exact opposite.

[beeatnik]

You cats have any interest in the situation in LA and Santa Monica? We're under a countywide 5pm curfew. Superficially, things look like the LA Riots, except the cops are up to shenanigans and there are less guns and gangbangers on the ground. Only one death reported, so far.

edit: just saw the San Bernardino post above. As of yesterday, I think they had one strip mall looted.

[Colinmclelland]

This seems on point...

Twitter

[Will Neide]

Trump's use of the word "dominate" in regard to the protests.

You turd of a man. You tiny little racist shit. You supporters of this "man": time to stand and be counted.

His "dominate them" spiel is sickening.

[Walter Sobchak]

I’d like a moment with just the white people in the room. Please stop posting inspirational pictures of Martin Luther King with the phrase “didn’t riot” or the like. You’re beginning to damage my calm.

Dr. King was hounded, hectored, and harassed by law enforcement. He was beaten, stabbed, and jailed. Ultimately he was assassinated at just 39 years old. Just what are you trying to sell?

I know that makes him a Christ figure, and I’m no Christian, but isn’t the point of that religion that He died for your sins so you don’t have to? I don’t see anybody out there trying to sell 20-somethings on the wisdom of being crucified.

So shut the fuck up, Karen. You’re out of your element.


Is it because you have to make it past the first minute?

[bcm119]

The Feds have charged one of the Minneapolis instigators who livestreamed himself burning down buildings and handing out bombs: 'We came to riot': Illinois man livestreamed lighting fires in Minneapolis - StarTribune.com

His name is Matthew Lee Rupert, and he's a 28 year old white guy from Galesburg, IL, a town of 32,000 in middle of nowhere western Illinois. According to his Facebook page, he has a GED and works at McDonalds.


As more evidence comes out that the rioting component was/is seriously white, the direct comparisons to the riots of the Civil Rights Era seem more strained. If we follow MLK's advice that riots are "there and must be understood," we might end up in a significantly altered explanatory paradigm today than the one he developed.

My read so far is that while these protests were ignited by police brutality, a lot of the tangential looting and destruction is more about class than race. I'm not one to condone violence of any kind, but I do wonder how long a country can expect to remain orderly and peaceful as inequality grows more severe. The entanglement of simultaneous anger about both race-based police brutality and the growing class divide is going to be a tough narrative for the media to get right as they try to cover everything that's happening.

[caleb]

The odds are 0.00 that he has any history whatsoever in the Civil Rights movement, and I'd bet that in his case it's the exact opposite.

Yup, that would be my guess, too. The guy passing out the bombs is very unlikely to be a civil rights activist.

My read so far is that while these protests were ignited by police brutality, a lot of the tangential looting and destruction is more about class than race. I'm not one to condone violence of any kind, but I do wonder how long a country can expect to remain orderly and peaceful as inequality grows more severe. The entanglement of simultaneous anger about both race-based police brutality and the growing class divide is going to be a tough narrative for the media to get right as they try to cover everything that's happening.

Agreed, but the desire of the media and the more-woke-than-thou left to shove these events into a totally overdetermined narrative that racial hopelessness leads to riots in some linear fashion (see Charles Blow in the NYT today, for example) is intellectually dishonest.

It's a totally reasonable question for people to look out their windows and ask, "Why is my city smoking?".

And the only acceptable answer to the question (that's not supposed to be asked) is a neat story of extending the Civil Rights Movement that's mostly about peaceful protest, with violence as a sideshow. It's the same impulse to pot history that still marginalizes the role of the Panthers in the wins of the Civil Rights Movement.

The story of why cities are smoking right now can't be a story of toxic masculinity, the emptying of rural America, the rise of internet fringe groups, or much of anything else that might explain this guy from Illinois. We have to tie it up neatly with a bow in order for white people living in white neighborhoods to post to Instagram about allyship in order to feel good about themselves.

How a white dude/dud from some little town ends up motivated to drive hundreds of miles to pass out bombs can't be the story because that's the wrong story. We're supposed to know the right stories and the wrong stories in advance. The inconvenient facts and complexity of what's occurring be damned.

[beeatnik]

Meanwhile 21 miles away from Downtown Los Angeles in Richard Nixon's hometown

Brown Skin in the Game

Latino Owned
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Latino Owned
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My sister's little shop! Latino Owned
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Ironic?
Latino Owned
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White Skin in the Game

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And back in DTLA:


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@walterwbrady
The cops were out here laughing with this white lady instructing her on what to tag on this building. If you listen closely towards the end they told her to add “Floyd.” What kind of shit is that? But of course this shit gone fall back on black people at the end of the day. Hate to see it.

Outside Agitators or Misery Tourism?

McLaren
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Ferrari
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Flickas taken across the street from the first protest site in DTLA.

[Mabouya]

White Skin in the Game

Re: Helen's

Hmmmm - not the greatest look for PR in the days of Trump, Blue Lives Matter, and the Boogaloo bois - unless that's the demographic you plan on selling to in the future.

[beeatnik]

^Pinarello F Series Dogmas are so hot right now.

[Sbti]

Come out, come wherever you. All is well. Occupant's lawyer had the street cleared with tear gas so he could leave the bunker and walk over to the church for a photo op. He heard Sleepy Joe was out and about so he had show he ain't scurred. He was waving some book around piously.

[Mabouya]

He was waving some book around piously.

A book that he has likely never, ever touched, let alone read, except for show.

[Clean39T]

At the risk of posting something connected to bikes...

TrainerRoad, the training and fitness app company, posted this today on Instagram:

trainerroad Things need to change. We’re donating $10,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. We believe in their mission: to achieve racial justice, equality and an inclusive society. We’re also matching up to another $10,000 if you donate. If you choose to, please send a screen shot of the receipt to donate@trainerroad.com.

I got them 1% of the way to their matching cap. I'm sure there's room for more.

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Also, if you haven't checked them out in a while, give it a go. I have a few free trials to extend, just PM me.

[caleb]

Re: Helen's

Hmmmm - not the greatest look for PR in the days of Trump, Blue Lives Matter, and the Boogaloo bois - unless that's the demographic you plan on selling to in the future.

I’m guessing we’d be having a drastically different national conversation right now if everyone with something to say on the internet had just spent the last week with the open carry of long guns by civilians after dark as a norm because the state has failed in its most basic duties.

[Mabouya]

open carry of long guns by civilians after dark

It's all fine, as long as it's just the white folks doing it.

Mulford Act - Wikipedia