Can someone please explain to me what is going on with

[kacekwl]

the protests in Portland and elsewhere. Is this still about Black lives Matter? The same with the protesters attempts to topple various statues. Who are these people and what is the message they are trying to get at. Are there any discussions between BLM and local and federal agencies to address the systemic racism in law enforcement ? Since the initial protests after the Floyd killing the message and protests have become to me a disjointed confusing mess. All I'm hearing about now is Nazi fake cops rounding up who knows who and for what reason. Seriously I can't figure out who is who and why anymore. The original message seems to have been lost.

[Thomas Hurt]

1. The protests were never just about police murdering people and racism...IMO

They have been primarily about that of course, but they are also about COVID, the economy, and people are just sick of Trump and his maladministration. People understand that he is, at best incompetent and wants to make himself dictator here.

Now that is not to say that there are not criminals of various types out there vandalizing and burning and assaulting people.

I have no doubts that there are political extremists among the protesters as well trying to stir up riots and place the blame on others.

The statue destruction was originally, mostly about confederate statues but seems to have spread beyond that. I have not heard of any statues being brought down for weeks now.

Trump's thugs are not about history or preserving heritage, it is a concerted plan to attack people's civil liberties.

These protests have been a protest of conservatism and christofascist theocracy, that whackjob in the WH is just responding like any tyrant would.

[global1]

5. I Wouldn't Put It Past Trump To Hire Thugs Around The Country To Foment Unrest So He....

and Barr can send in their unidentified goons in other cities - to take over - like they are doing in Portland.

[2naSalit]

12. That's exactly what they are up to.

It's the battle of appearances.

[MichMan]

9. Attempted statue toppling in Chicago this weekend

Chicago police, protesters clash during bid to topple statue

CHICAGO (AP) — Protesters trying to topple a Christopher Columbus statue in downtown Chicago’s Grant Park clashed with police who used batons to beat people and made at least a dozen arrests after they say protesters targeted them with fireworks, rocks and other items.

The clash Friday evening unfolded after at least 1,000 people tried to swarm the statue in a failed attempt to topple it following a rally in support of Black and Indigenous people.

Police said 18 officers were injured and at least 12 people were arrested during the clash. Four protesters were also hurt during the confrontation, which led local elected officials and activists to condemn the officers’ tactics.

“We unequivocally condemn Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decision to send the Chicago police to beat, arrest, and terrorize the demonstrators and journalists gathered in Grant Park tonight,” a group of elected officials said in a statement released late Friday.



https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142540506

[Thomas Hurt]

10. Thanks, I figured I had just missed some and the novelty has worn off for the media.

Of course, that vandalism, justified or not, is just an excuse for the Pig.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. The actions in Portland have been ongoing reactions to the increasingly oppressive tactics taken

by the cops. After thousands of public comments recommending decreased funding for cops, the city passed a budget a tiny cut. It's an ongoing action that continues as people learn more about the role of cops in their community, power's willingness to hurt in order to stay in power, the role of white supremacy in policing and the connections specifically between the Portland Police and white supremacist organizations.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. This might be helpful as well:

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/portand-oregon-police-brutality-history-1027677/

[cos dem]

4. Wouldn't we all.

Here's my speculation of what they're trying to do:

- Nazi boogaloo types are causing havoc, which gets implicitly associated with peaceful BLM protests. Mix in some general troublemakers, and no one bothers to separate them.
- A Nazi-wannanbe regime sees the opportunity to blame a fictional organization they've called antifa, and an opportunity to place Nazi stormtroopers in a city usually associated with a liberal mindset.
- Nazi stormtroopers do what Nazi stormtroopers do, which is to violate people's civil rights, and stir up the Nazi boogaloo types.
- Nazi boogaloo types want an encounter with Nazi stormtroopers, and Nazi stormtroopers want an encounter with antifa types. They both more or less get their wish, since the agitated scene creates opportunity for more havoc, mostly property damage.
- Nazi stormtrooper types gain the support of Nazi sympathizers within the general population, by convincing them that the property damage is more important than peoples lives, since the ones who caused the damage (allegedly "antifa", but really Nazi boogaloos) are sub-human.
- This gives them cover to harass the "hippies" by labeling them sub-human antifa.
- For the rest of the story, see "Third Reich" and "Reichstag Fire".

I have hope this will not be the end result (only so much time before 3 Nov), but it sure seems like what they're trying for.
History may not repeat, but it does rhyme.

[bluedye33139]

6. Portland has a small anarchist community that always participates in protests

This goes back decades. Virtually any visit by any politician would lead to "black bloc" anarchist activists, sometimes with wonderful street theater, sometimes with more chaotic behavior bordering on violence.

I think that a lot of the problems on the street come from the anarchist groups, who are taking advantage of this moment to engage in their routine activities.

I am occasionally unhappy with how the anarchist kids behave, but I have never really looked upon them as evil. They can be very unhelpful, however.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. Really?

[kacekwl]

8. That's my point. Now this has become about

trump and Barr and the protesters. Who are they? Barr's goons stirring up trouble, BLM protesters, anarchists doing what they do and who knows who else. trump and Barr and republicans in general are shit we know that. But sadly the original message is lost and any discussion or solution is lost in my opinion. Like gun control, the Parkland kids again gone. The time was right but now the message has faded away like always.

[SiliconValley_Dem]

11. you hank you for your concern

i think the Black Lives Matters murals painted on 5th Avenue in NYC and on the street near the White House are keeping focus on the message.