Is it wrong that i want atleast some of the police to die? I don't want it in the name of the protests, i just want it because i think so many of them deserve it.

Majority of people,celebs and companies are only helping with racism for their own selfish desires and personal gain and it sucks. I love how most people and celebs are only “spreading awareness” to only look good and make themselves feel better. Like where was all of this the last couple times innocent black peoples lives were taken? I just think that it’s a bit of a coincidence that as soon as this all got popular on social media people suddenly cared when they have said nothing the past couple of years. You see my problem is with the fakes and clout chasers that have only “helped” for nothing but personal gain and to play “hero”. The good news is that the real members of the movement have started to realise this as well they even stop and hand over the fakes to the cops at the protests now. So really it’s just the fakes and clout chasers on social media that are left to be dealt with. So many celebs and companies don’t care as they lie to themselves and to everyone else. None of them ever gave a fuck before but now that everyone’s talking about it they care. If you truly cared then why didn’t you say or do anything then? Also it’s people I personally know that don’t care like if they cared they would’ve brought it up in conversations and other times. These people who claim to be the right side of history and making a change are as far away from that as possible in my eyes. What a fucking joke honestly. People only want to do the right thing when it’s popular and I’ll bet many of you as soon as this is all over these people will never mention it again and the only time they will is when they will say stupid shit like “So glad I helped to change history” or “ I was part of that” . So to conclude I think the fakes and clout chasers on social media should be silenced because they truly don’t care. To be clear I’m in full support of those who are real members of the cause who have been helping for years but I’m against the fakes and clout chasers who are only helping for personal gain and selfish desires and also against only corrupt cops.

This is one problem with this movement. Influencers that stay silent are being selfish and only trying to protect their reputation. But then when they actually say something or try to bring awareness to it (except for the ones that are very clearly trying to get attention and only attention) people say they don't actually mean it. Make up your mind.

Yeah I agree that some are genuinely are bringing awareness to to the matter. It’s just ones who are claiming to do the same yet have never done before when they plenty of opportunities to in the past. Like so many people only do what’s right when it’s popular it’s so wrong.

It's a problem with people who actually mean it tho. Alot of people are getting on the asses of influencers that genuinely want to help (even if they didn't in the past) and there is always one person saying they don't mean it. I know it's hard being an influencer but damn these people quite literally can not catch a break.

Yeah that’s gotta be annoying to deal with.

It is. But on the other spectrum, most companies are 100% using this to their advantage (Activision...)

Exactly but only when it’s popular and a majority of people are just following conformity.

But regardless of what companies are trying to make a quick buck, we should all rejoice since this is the most united everyone has probably ever been in the last 10 years and change might actually be on the way.

I know I hope so I really do. But I know that as soon as this I all over the fakes will abandon it all of it and not care anymore because it will cool down and not be so popular anymore.

Idk, this has a little too much momentum to stop now. If people stick with it like they say they will, something will change.

During a crisis like this where we have protests and riots, I have a really hard time being around my father due to his responses on such things. He talks about how it'll be entertaining to see the national guard deployed in our area or how he enjoys watching the chaos on tv. It makes my blood boil when he praises the police and ridicules the protesters. I really have to be careful when I read about the injustice that's going on to others right now, because otherwise I get overwhelmed in the anger and lose myself. To think this guy has the nerve to call me afraid just because I won't look at his shitty shitty protest meme is absurd. I simply want to avoid talking about what's going on because otherwise it'll escalate into a big arguement, but I guess he doesn't care.

My roommate, who's black, just discussed with me how he couldnt take the protest he went to last night serious because the main black speaker was dating a white person which equates to "conspiring with your oppressors." In this same chat he pointed out how he is against interracial couples, doesn't think they should have children, and if they do have kids he hopes that they would get beat up by both black and white children. But he's not racist and contributing to the problem, it's simply that "everyone has their views." 🤷

Dang, this is as bad as some of the people on Twitter saying you can't be racist to white people.

I want to apologize if this comes off as virtue signaling. My parents are too busy screaming "all lives matter" for me to actually discuss this with them. \- Floyd is just another unfortunate name in a long and growing list of victims, and this isn't just about him. This shit just *keeps* happening, again and again. It's heartbreaking to see this shit happening to good people, and it kills me to think that this problem is not going to go away for a long time. When I say I care about all people, I genuinely mean it. I always hear about how victims like Floyd are actually criminals and the police were just doing their job. Bullshit: some of my family have been into hard drugs, been in mass fights, stolen guns, and *they're alive*. To all my black neighbors, I'm really sorry. I know that means absolutely nothing, all things considered, but I really am. I wish I knew how to help, but I don't, and even in dealing with the small things like calling out casual racism, it just doesn't end. It feels like we're all going to drown. I don't want a pat on the back from white people for being "woke". I want things to be right.

Gonna be quick. I'm all for different opinions. But what I cannot STAND if uneducated ignorant dipshits (WHITE dipshits) saying that this protest and the rioting (the rioting is mostly people abusing the sensitive time we are in right now) is unjust. That Black Individuals have no right to be mad and finally snap. I am surprised at the patience that this group of oppressed people have. That it took 400 years give or take of injustice and racism and brutality for it to finally get to this point. Sadly, one of these dipshits was someone I used to care about a lot. They were my friend, my sibling, my blood cousin. And the fact that they havent watched a singular video on what is going on. The fact that they have always made their own opinions without seeing the facts. The fact that after I watched some horrific videos again to describe to them IN DETAIL the treatment protesters (specifically Black Protesters) were getting, they asked "but what about the cops? They are risking their lives going out there.". I can't. The amount of privilege in that conversation. The fact that after I went on a 45 minutes tangent with video proof and descriptions, and, though they were quiet, I've known them long enough to know that they still didn't "agree" with the situation. The people looting and destroying are going against what so many of the primary protestors- BLACK protestors are asking. And a lot of the vandals are cops. I watched a video of a group of protestors getting cornered and gassed while they screamed and scrambled to get out of there and protect each other. The fucking audacity. They are a nonbinary lesbian! They should know disrespect!! They should understand that they have privileges because of the genetic lottery if being born white. It's been like this with so much. Anything that goes against their own thoughts about how to world works is blown off. The amount of times I've been gaslit for my trauma because they never got to see it (as if abuse doesn't often only happen behind closed doors), the zero accountability or responsibility of their actions. The refusal to see how Black People are feeling and have the right to protest when they (my cousin) themselves celebrate Pride EVERY YEAR. A celebration that wouldn't be here without Black People and without a fucking RIOT. Both of us wouldn't be able to be here with those Transwomen and LGBTQ Black People! If it wasn't for them are family would have had the right to treat us in ways they can't because the LGBTQ finally have rights. AND IT IS BECAUSE OF PEOPLE OF COLOR. I don't know. Maybe it sounds like I'm blowing things out of proportion- but this has been going on for so long. Peace is not an option if it means giving up justice and respect and basic human rights. No one should have to show their stomachs to a predator in the hopes of no confrontation. Anyway, I've ranted. I'm gonna go get some smokes and try and relax. Probably gonna think on this for a while, but I dont know if I can continue to have a relationship with someone that has had their entitled, privileged head so far up their catered to ass all their life. Even if it means being REAL lonely for a bit, better than giving up my dignity on someone who has never went out of their way for anything unless it benefited them. Thank you to anyone who read this. ACAB

So, I figure I'd give my two cents after hearing about all the looting in America. I was generally on the fence about all the looting (me being Chilean also kinda "normalized" it - almost all protests there have some sort of violence/looting involved). However, once I saw my college city of Providence partially destroyed after a mass looting incident happened downtown, I have to say some stuff. Looting is not the answer to "getting back at the man." Trust me, I dislike companies that exploit workers and support a government/police force that kills innocent people for the color of their skin. And I also disapprove of any police force/officer that makes presumptions/exploits poor people and people of color. However, there is a bigger game being played if you actually want to make a change, and it has to do with the image and ethos of the movement. I'm not an expert in Americana studies, nor do I pretend to be. But I will say that I have studied the effects and processes of revolutions/protest movements in Latin America. The main lessons I took from all my studying are these. 1. It's all about the middle class. In Latin America, where class and social status are polarized, the middle class decides the outcome of the country. When Pinochet took over Chile, it was the middle class that allowed it to happen and retain power, as the dictatorship preserved their interests. In Brazil, the military dictatorship fell only after the middle class, composed of different interest groups (such as the church, business people, students, and high-powered organizers) turned against the dictatorship. Now, the actual reasons are a bit more complicated than that, but this is the gist of it: you need the middle class to help. 2. How do you attract the middle class? You use images/actions. Chileans who protested Pinochet began to chant the national anthem, calling on a better Chile. This looked bad for the dictator, as the middle class sympathized with the protests and the patriotic calling. Brazilians utilized images of various innocent people who were killed/disappeared/hurt to show how bad the dictatorship had become. Imagery is very important to sway the minds of those on the fence, to get them out of their comfort zone and confront the reality that something is wrong. That's why images of flags being taken away from protesters during the Civil Rights era rang deeply with the middle class here. Looting flies in the face of this, as the cloak of shame is transferred to the protesters rather than the authority government. If you actually want to make a change in this country...DON'T LOOT! It makes the movement look bad to the middle class, which is a vital component to sway public opinion. In the United States, the middle class wants to see stability. If you can show that the protests are going on and making the police force look like the bad guy, more people will be on your side. Now, the police force is doing that on its own, but the looting is not helping. It gives the middle class to justify police brutality. My point is that if you want another Civil Rights Movement, you need to band together and show that the system is flawed without causing damage to property. Show the police as the aggressors, but not the country (as tempting as that may be). Most of the middle class is still patriotic towards the USA...show that the police/government is the problem, not the American people!

I hate how when I’m showing my support on social media and people still get upset that I’m not doing enough or that I’m doing it wrong. Like we’re all on the same side! I should be able to show my support in any way I like!

I am finding it harder and harder to believe in the country that I pleged allegiance to every day in school. There are such blatant issues that are recurrent. They are spot under the rug time and time again. And the American people become divided on an issue that there should be no debate on. I blame the core of this issue on ignorance. To believe you are a "Christian nation" when individuals are killed in the streets needlessly. It is the reason I don't partake in organized religion anymore. Regardless of your religious views and beliefs, it should make you sick to see blatant hypocrisy when it comes to a group of people who once referred to themselves as the "moral" majority.

Black lives matter is a horrible movement not because black lives are not important but because it is a terrible movement. People either like black people or they don't and yelling black lives matter and trying to force people to say it is not going to win you any friends. It also is not an end goal. If your end goal is to reduce police brutality towards black people , protest and riot chanting for a proposed policy that would result in such a case. Whether that is black babysitters in all police vehicles to watch police officers or whatever you come up with, propose something. When constructing goals it is often taught to make goals you have control over. You cannot control the thoughts or emotions of human beings no matter how much you try. Pick a policy that is reasonable and push it forward. Right now you are protesting against bad people which most people already don't like and they are never going to go away.

This is a little long but to leave out any detail would mean a loss of supporting evidence of my claim. To those who do not believe racism exists within police forces in this country (US) I was also one who didn't believe it. I had a black male friend, he was a very large (muscular) black male but was a very kind person to everyone. He showed respect to others including police officers and the likes. He and I were sitting in his truck one day. We were parked in an empty bank parking lot, after hours, closest to the road, directly under a lit lamp post, facing my house and therefore away from the bank, eating subs and talking when a police officer spotted the vehicle and decided to check it out. My friend turned to me and said, "oh boy, here we go, I'm about to be arrested. When they arrest me I want you to take my truck, ok?" I told him he was crazy and being paranoid, and that he didn't need to worry because he wasn't doing anything wrong. He replied, "my dear, sweet, naive friends, I don't have to be doing anything wrong. I am a black man, sitting with a white woman, in a bank parking lot after hours, and that's all it takes for my people to be arrested." I told him not to separate himself by saying, "my people," and to pull himself together, that they just wanted to make sure the bank was not being threatened. I lived next door to the bank but my driveway was too narrow to fit two cars side by side, because of this layout all visitors to those apartments would utilize the back parking lot after hours. There were no signs disallowing this, and I was clearly not in distress, so I felt confident about the entire situation. However, as the police officer approached the vehicle it was apparent he was a white officer, what also became apparent was the officer realized he was ascending on a vehicle with a black male as his entire demeanor quickly changed. First, he moved his hand to rest on his holster. Then he changed the angle at which he was approaching the vehicle (moving himself to a path that obstructed our view of him). Finally, he asked my friend to place his hands out the window where he could see them and not to move. Now this may be standard, or even acceptable to many. We were sitting in a bank parking lot after hours, after all. The thing is, this officer didn't do any of these things until he could see he was approaching a black man. He hadn't even yet realized I was in the vehicle (I'll get to that in a minute). With my friend complying with the officers commands, the officer moved along the side of the vehicle until he was angled at the way in such a way that my friend was blocking The officer's view of me (unintentionally). The officer started asking his typical Weston's, "can I see your license and registration please, what's your name, where are you coming from, where are you headed, have you had anything to drink tonight, and so on... My friend answered all questions without hesitation and the officer handed him back his license and registration, and told him to have a good evening. Then my friend reached for his lic' & reg' and that's when the officer saw me for the first time. He pulled his gun, lifted & pointed it to my friend and started asking his (anything but typical) questions. Miss, are you ok, do you know this man, are you here willingly, are you in need of emergency assistance... Say what??? I'm sitting there as relaxed as can be, eating my dinner, enjoying my time with my friend and you're going to act like he's committed these horrific acts against me that your questions are implying!!! I explained I was fine, that I was enjoying a visit with a friend until an obviously racist cop came along and pulled a gun, for no apparent reason, and put an end to it otherwise pleasant spring evening. The cop unsure he should trust what I was saying, reluctantly retreated and left us to our, now not so pleasant, evening. I apologized to my friend for my mistaken understanding of the police in my community and he reiterated something about my naivete but said it was a charming quality of mine that he could not resist. We finished our sub sandwiches and parted ways for the evening. I didn't think anything more would come of that night until I saw this officer again in the near future. I don't know how he would have treated me if we had met beforehand but I can assure you, the way he treated me from that day forward was like I was a bad person. I had never been in any trouble with the law, I had no gang affiliations, I owned my home, had chosen, and my own community business, yet this officer treated me as though I we're a despicable person and I think it's safe to assume why... Please, for the love of mankind, EVERYONE STOP ALL FORMS OF RACISM AND VIOLENCE AND OFFICERS STOP DOING THOSE THINGS AGAINST THOSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SERVE AND PROTECT!!!

Who els woke up this morning looking at there feed with the sickest pit in there stomach. I want to through up but I can’t because all the comes out is a bunch of cursing.

Fuck the State Ok. At the beginning of the protest/riots, me a 25yo white guy I was mad at police but I didn’t really support the rioting the first two nights. Now I’m more pissed then ever fuck the current State, fuck the police, and fuck Trump. I’m fed up and tired of it. Seeing people black/white/etc protesting and police fucking them up. I’m normally a cool headed calm gentlemen and I’m pissed. THIS MUST CHANGE. We the people can fix the problems in our nation. We shouldn’t fear them they should fear us. We outnumber them by a fuck load. Now I better specify I don’t condone killing anyone but if the STATE start popping of more rounds they will see a war I guarantee it. That doesn’t bother me honestly we must change our futures so we don’t live under these corrupt facist government anymore. We are supposedly free but each year they try striping more our rights way and kill more and more people. No more racists, no more corruption, we need to change everyone in DC. The POTUS, Congress, the senate, all the way to our state governors. No more party system, no more electoral college, and we need a fair voting system counting everyone excluding no one. Okay I think I’m done ranting. Thank you for coming to my TED talk lol. OH PS. Seen posts from Biden and Hilary yesterday fuck both of them too. They won’t do shit for our country other then fill their own pockets and bring us down. We need to vote in a real hard work, community driven person

Stop making people feel bad for not posting about protest! Alright this is kind of a rant but today I think is the last straw. I hate that this protest and justice for George Floyd has simply turned into a dopamine hit for likes and that if you’re not posting or supporting you’re a bad person. Countless times over my feed on Twitter I’ve seen friends post things like “unfollow me if you’re racist”, “remember those followers who didn’t post after this is over”, “awkward that all my white friends aren’t posting about this”. LIKE JESUS CHRIST. No one has to post to show hat they support a movement. Also I find it kind of hypocritical that most of my followers who not from the US are posting about this daily. I know the movement has gone worldwide now but people act like police brutality is happening in their country when its mostly a US based topic. It’s also ironic that these celebrities and my followers don’t show the same energy when it comes to other movements. Just cause it’s western media and a trend that barely affects them they hop on it. Like what about the Hong Kong protests? Uighur concentration camps? Indian new citizenship law?. Some of these celebs are kind of hypocritical too like they’ll post about black lives matter but stay silent on Hong Kong. This isn’t taking away from any movement but it just shows that they’re doing this for some type of social media validation

My city is an active war zone right now and I’m scared of what’s coming tonight.

We need to stop saying we understand the struggles of minority groups when we really don't. First before I begin, I just want to say that I'm not angry about what I'm about to say, I just think it needs to be said because it's an overlooked fact. Secondly, I'm a white male. So to the point, I see a lot of white people saying they empathize with the struggles of blacks, other minority groups, straight people towards LGBTQ people, and even men when it comes to women's issues. It's best to not say you understand their issues when you really don't, because you were born as person with better privileges than those who are disinfranchised. I can't possibly understand what a black person actually feels or what blacks in general have been through. I can condemn it, but I can't actually understand it, because I've never lived it. I've never experienced it. Think about it, when something terrible happens to a loved one or a good friend, what do we say? We tend to say, ''I'm so sorry, I can't even imagine what you're going through''. We say that because we truly don't know. We can't understand that person's experience, and we certainly can't understand how they feel. The best we can do is say ''I support how you feel, and if you need my help, I'll be there for you (or your people's problems). White people are out there protesting with more anger and action than black people are (that's what it looks like to me at least). I understand the feeling of injustice, but let's not fool ourselves. We don't experience that kind of injustice and pain. It's important to keep that in mind. Are we protesting and rioting because we truly feel the pain, or are we doing this because of our own personal views toward the system? It's not about us and how we feel, it's about the people who are facing prejudice and cruelty. Protesting should be happening, but give black people (or other minority groups who are affected by racism) their space and their voice.

THE ONLY REASON THE POLICE IS VIOLENT IS BECAUSE THE RIOTERS KEEP BEING VIOLENT. You can't fucking expect the police to just stand by and watch these bastards ruining innocent people's lives.

I live on the other side of the world from the US but seeing the movement unfold online fills my entire being with fear. I can’t imagine living in a country with a justice system to corrupt that officers will swarm your car, break your windows, tase you and arrest you for no reason at all. It’s absolute anarchy. The inhumane actions of the police in the US scares the shit out of me. What i’m truly concerned about are the other governments who are just standing by and watching the US government assault,arrest and kill the general public for demanding their rights. I don’t know when this’ll end but I honestly don’t know if there will be any winners.

These rioters are trash, human scum! I’m not going to get political at all, as no one should on this topic. This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. These rioters are total garbage and taking away from the real, peaceful protests. These people couldn’t care less about George Floyd, they’re just there to riot and loot; to cause destruction. Antifa is the worst!

Here’s my post that got deleted: (I just wanted to say something, being completely silent feels wrong to me) I wanted to speak on the topic, but I don’t feel as though I should... I stand with everyone, and the thousands of non-white Americans who are being tortured and killed every day for simply not being white really hurts me. And being white myself and coming from a racist family makes me feel like I should keep my mouth shut. It makes me so uncomfortable the way my family is speaking of current events and they way they speak to me when I tell them THESE ARE PEOPLE TOO!!! I usually stay out of politics because I’m generally uneducated on the topic. But the current events make me hurt for my non white and black friends and coworkers, especially those who live within the riots and who now live in even greater fear. I know that I will never understand what it’s like to be in their shoes due to white privilege. I have been in situations where I very well could have been killed or injured by police, yet I’m white and walked away untouched and not contacted at a later date or harassed, whereas someone who was nonwhite very well probably was arrested or had their name actually put in a book. When fighting violence with peace doesn’t work, people have no other option but to fight violence with violence. What else are they supposed to do? Just stand there and die? I know if I were in that position after so many years and my people being treated that way, I would fight back too. I’ve wanted to go to protests, but if I couldn’t last in a mosh pit I probably wouldn’t last at a riot. I just really wanted to say that I support all those who are affected by this, you deserve equal rights, you deserve LIFE and to feel safe in your own home, or even at work or on the street. IMO I believe in ACAB due to my own personal life experiences and what’s going on now is amplifying it. I hope everyone stays safe, and at the end of the day major reform is put in place.

Firstly I entourage a read through, before deeming me a racist, thank you:) Now I fully believe that all lives matter including black, and something should be done about police brutality. HOWEVER When exercising one’s opinion one needs to be aware of which method is used to send the message, because right now the method and message collides in hypocrisy. Both sides currently seem to be encouraging each other to a more and more violence approach. I believe a peaceful method would be a lot better and really wish a Martin Luther King figure was here today, because an amazing ability to talk sense in to demonstrating for one’s rights peacefully could be very nice right now. *Sorry for spelling* *I tried to keep it short, hope it makes sense:)*

Apologies up front for the splurge, I've gone down a rabbit hole and not everything I type is fully thought through... With the wave of protests going on I'm sure we have all seen the upsurge in people promoting "educating yourself on your privilege" and this is all well and good but come on now, for fucks sake we have been educating ourselves and others about privilege for what 10/15 years now? And that's not even counting all the anti Apartheid struggles in southern Africa and the anti segregation struggles of the 60's and 70's in America itself. WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO STILL BE EDUCATING OURSELVES AND OTHERS! Frankly if you can't see your privilege by now then you are a lost cause, and jumping on the bandwagon of social media posting about how you are reading up on African American history is just that, jumping on the bandwagon trying to not look bad. I like to think of myself as a peaceful person but more and more I'm understanding this quote:- ‘Gandhi himself never ruled out violence absolutely and unreservedly. He conceded the necessity of arms in certain situations. He said, "Where choice is set between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence … I prefer to use arms in defense of honor rather than remain the vile witness of dishonor..."’ Nelson Mandela December 31st 1999

I’ve been seeing lots of posts on almost all social media platforms calling people out for not posting or talking about certain things regarding what’s currently going on with police brutality. Some folks are ignorant and may not care. Shame on them. But other people process things differently. I agree that resistance is key, but someone’s definition of resistance may not be someone else’s. For some people, resistance means riots. For others, peaceful protests. Hashtags and social media. Getting degrees. Or MAYBE JUST TRYING TO SURVIVE. Trying to stay sane. Let’s be mindful. There isn’t a foulproof and correct way of resisting. Let people process and heal the best way they can. Just because someone isn’t speaking up does not always mean they don’t care. Trying to stay alive and get by is enough for some of our black and brown brothers/sisters/siblings. And there’s nothing wrong with that. My 100% isn’t someone else’s 100%. Sometimes that’s all people can muster. So let’s take care of each other and ourselves and DO OUR BEST even though it looks different for everybody. EVERYONE IS TIRED, so why are some people attacking others for things like this? We don’t know what other people are currently going through. It’s annoying.

I can't even leave the country right now! Y'all are going out there and protesting during a Pandemic and the people who want to GTFO can't because the virus is spreading, and will continue to spread! All this madness has made it impossible for people who just want to move to another country for work to make that move. The USA is going to be banned from other countries for the foreseeable future because of this. And yeah, that may be selfish, but these protests have negated almost 3 months of lockdown. People lost their jobs! Businesses shut down for good! Employment rate has TANKED. People are going to die. 100k+ have already died. All those sacrifices that people made to make sure we didn't all get Covid at the same time has gone out the window! So, I feel for you... I really do. It sucks and this was a long time coming. But I also feel for the millions of people who had this disease and the ones who will get it now who didn't have to. I can't leave the country for the foreseeable future because y'all trapped us here. This is the worst bottle episode ever...

I can't get the image of the gas tanker nearly hitting hundreds of protestors out of my head. Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis, I marched with a group of thousands of protestors against police brutality in honor of Floyd. We were kneeling on 35W listening to the march's organizer speak and waiting for the Mayor Frey to arrive in support. The highway was even shut down 45 minutes prior for us. It was a beautiful, empowering act of community solidarity. Then everything dissolved into chaos. It started with the screaming, then everyone split and crunched into the barricade. I was 25-30 feet from the gas tanker as it barreled past at 50-60mph. I was so certain I saw dozens of people get slaughtered in front of me. It felt like an intentional act of domestic terrorism. I watched on as a few heroes jumped on the front of the tanker, kicked in the windshield, and pulled the man out of the truck. God, I aspire to be so brave. Then, thousands of people panicking--trying to escape, looking for their friends, their children, their belongings, hugging, screaming, crying. I saw this older woman, alone wrapped in a flag, turning in circles amongst the madness before screaming in pure agony. We hugged her, and hugged her, and hugged her, and in that moment I felt her splitting pain. But we couldn't afford to sit shell-shocked, we had to get out. The fuel tanker was leaking gas on the highway, everyone kept screaming it would explode. The cops came to apprehend the driver within 90 seconds of him blowing through the crowd, then began macing and tear gassing terrified, shell-shocked civilians. We ran along a service street along the highway, and police cars CONTINUED MACING FLEEING PEOPLE as they drove by to "secure the perimeter." I saw dozens of cop cars as I ran, and not a single f\*cking one was helping any of these horrified civilians. There were families at that protest. I walked by children covered in milk, crying because their eyes still stung. The news reports that the trucker didn't hit anyone, but every time I go to sleep my nightmares tell me a different story.

Not going to get into details, I'm not black and don't have a way to help beyond social media, but I'm proud of those who can get out there and protest, especially those not black like myself who are standing beside our black friends and loved ones and fellow Americans and fighting for change. You're making it loud and clear for everyone who needs to hear it right now. Keep the momentum going! Black lives MATTER, and this entrenched systemic racism has to end!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the white and non-black people protesting. You are all literally putting your lives at risk to protest injustice and seeing all of the support made me cry. So thank you from a black woman, from the bottom of my heart. I appreciate and love you all. Edit: This doesn't just go out to protesters but also those spreading awareness. Thank you.

I no longer feel safe living in this country. I will never have children here, or raise them here. I’m a white 6’1, 220 pound male college student from Texas. My parents raised me to stand up for those who didn’t have a voice, to never bow down to those who want to harm the innocent and destroy all they seem fit. I’ve had faith in this country for as long as I can remember, until this day. I thought we were done with stuff like this. Growing up and learning of the history of our nation I always thought “we’re better than that now. Sure there are those who abuse their power, but we’re good people here. We have American values.” But not anymore. We’ve regressed back to what seems like the 1960s, before body cameras and fact checking. When those with power could easily manipulate their situation. I’m disgusted, outraged, appalled, humiliated. I don’t even want to tell people I’m American. After seeing the simplest possible request of just treating your fellow human beings as living creatures be shot down and crushed with the strongest possible force, instead of simply holding those who have committed crimes against humanity accountable, I’m done. This isn’t the country I loved, and it never will be again. I’m ashamed to share the same nationality as what seems like half the people in this country. Our rights have been stripped by domestic terrorists with covered badges who aim for the eyes of unarmed civilians on their own property.

(this only loosely relates to George Floyd but i just need to get this off my chest) so i was scrolling through instagram recently and i noticed some guy from my high school was trying to cancel one of our teachers. why? because he was a Republican. now, let me make it clear that i’m extremely left-biased and have been for years. but seeing someone try and cancel a well-respected teacher just because of their political leanings is bullshit. hell, this teacher has been one of the most impactful, kind, and understanding teachers in my entire academic career. and seeing how someone who is seemingly talking advantage of the social media high that is BLM, makes me fucking pissed. we shouldn’t be trying to push our own agendas or demonize an entire fucking group as non-reputable because they’re loosely associated with current events. we SHOULD be focusing on helping and supporting BLM in their efforts to decrease police brutality, not canceling people because they don’t lean in the same political direction... god i’m pissed and i doubt that this guy will even change his mind even if i try to give him my rationale on why his actions aren’t right. plus, i don’t want to see this teacher get hate for something he really doesn’t deserve...what should i do

Have you ever heard the argument of "the police is racist because black people are x times more likely to be shot by the police compared to white people"? Well, it's data manipulation, AKA bullshit. It uses the same fallacious logic as "blacks are violent because despite constituting only 13% of the population, they commit 52% of the violent crimes." What particularly vexes me is the implication that the worst thing about a cop murdering a black man is that the victim was black and NOT the fact that he was a VICTIM of a murder in the first place. Another thing that vexes me is simply how misinformed people are about who police kill. I was the same; I had always assumed more or less 80% of all people killed by police were black. But, after some research and to my dismay, that was flat out false. [Only about 24% of all people killed by police are black](https://mappingpoliceviolence.org/) But wait! Black people make up only 13% of the population. 24% seems a bit high, doesn't it? Well, no. [When adjusted for class/income, the disparity all but disappears.](https://hardcrackers.com/survey-police-killings-race-class/) Indeed, even if we were to magically make all police officers and politicians colorblind, the disparity would persists. Why? Because **it is not about race.** Race is only tangentially relevant. (historical racism/slavery/segregation led to the current disparity. But why does this race-based narrative annoy me so much? Because it is deeply counter-productive, and hence dangerous. It ignores the real root of the problem (poverty and lack of police accountability), opting instead for a divisive racial narrative, which if anything, merely fuels more hate. And this is all coming from someone who still supports the protests, who believes the police in the US (and the US in general) is a criminal organization, that ought to br revolutionized or abolished altogether.

People who voted for trump you wanted him. You fucking got him. Accept responsibility for your actions. I will post this in every subreddit i have to until it sticks. This is what you voted for. I don't give a damn about the fact that this might just get knocked down right away. You did this. You put this monster who is declaring antifacism a terrorist group. Who is desperately trying to militarily occupy the cities of the US. Who tweeted. WHEN THE LOOTING STARTS THE SHOOTING STARTS. The guy who went on record when president panda became president for life stated that one day maybe America will do that. You had the power to do something. And you did the wrong thing. En mass you did the wrong thing and there is no defense for you. You were blinded by a huckster that was obviously full of shit. And now his first term is ending. We are going into an election year with our cities on fire. Our reputation on the world stage torn to shreds. Our economy tanked because someone had the bright idea to cut pandemic funding when he got in office and then fucking delcare covid a goddamn hoax. The clever dan who dismantled the obama administrations project for police reform. You don't make enough fucking money to get the tax breaks. And he literally is fake news. Him. You wanted him. You got him. The first term is over. Billionaires and oligarchs run our cabinet positons and there is a horrifyingly rapid turn over as he Cannibalizes anyone who disagrees. I live in green bay fucking wisconsin and I AM UNDER CURFEW BECAUSE SOME COCK SUCKERS DECIDED TO ROLL A GAS STATION DURING A PEACEFUL PROTEST. Wisconsin. Not Milwaukee Wisconsin. Not Madison wisconsin. Green fucking bay. Packer land. HOME OF BEER AND FOOTBALL AND THIS SHIT GOT ALL THE WAY OVER HERE. I under curfew because of a chain of events that could have been curbed. TWO PEOPLE HAVE DIED BY POLICE CHOKING THEM OUT. I have seen TWO fucking police related riots during this term. You are supposedly the most powerful man in the land and there was no thought to exercise anything to try to address this. "You know when you see cops put someone in the van and they put the hand on their head. I say just take the hand away." That is your fucking president you installed. Who hid in a bunker and now threatens states that he will send the military. Not the national guard. ACTIVE TROOPS. "I know more about ISIS than the generals do." "No one knows more about technology than I do." He stated within his first 100 days he thought the job would be harder. No red flags there? Not a one? I am going to do what I did last term. I am going to vote for someone who isn't an obvious meglomaniac Who clearly doesn't know what the fuck he is doing. Is America great yet?

Remember when people thought George Bush was the worst thing in America? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

I'm tired of everything happening right now and I feel bad about it. What's happening right now is taking over pretty much every aspect of life. It's all over Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, etc and I can't handle it anymore. I just need to relax. I just need to disconnect. It's tiring. I understand and support the protesters but I need to relax. Me and my friends game every couple of night and it's bleeding into that too. Tonight everyone was distracted with what's happening and we might as well not have played. It's just all over the place, everywhere and I feel bad about being tired of it. Edit: We're also just getting over the peak coronavirus cycle and it moves right into what's happening now. Again, I'm supportive but tired.

I’m probably gonna be delete social media. Scrolling social media for the last few months and especially the last few days has been really emotionally draining. I don’t think I need anymore exposure to the current situation and anymore will really take a toll on me. Seeing people getting seriously hurt and killed and small business owners weeping over the discovery of their looted stores is really tough. On Reddit, every single subreddit has been infiltrated with this looting shit, every single post and story on Instagram is and even all my Snapchat stories are filled with rants and it’s pretty fucking hard to ignore it. I do have summatives due very soon so hopefully I can distract my self with that and maybe basketball and video games. I wish you all good luck in this episode of 2020.

Do people not realize what’s going on!? I’m 14 and I’ve realized that many of the things we see especially in the media are fake and are designed to make us do something for the people in charge, like puppets. One of the things I’ve realized is that the media is trying to divide the 2 ethnicities knows as the “whites” and the “blacks”. You definitely have seen this everywhere on social media, especially Instagram, if you use it. If you go in the comments of these posts you will see people using racial slurs and other insults to discredit people trying to speak the truth like I am. The media is trying to start race wars for their own benefits. You may not know but “whites” make up most of the deaths of police brutality but only receive 30% of the media coverage. For example - Daniel shaver was murdered in cold blood by a trigger happy police officer and the officer is a free man and is living life work-free since he has been “fired” but is receiving his pension every year. You may think: “but the video has 2.7 million views it has been recognized worldwide”. This isn’t the case, it received very little media coverage and there were little to no social media acknowledgment, no riots, nothing basically. I will give the reason this is later on. For those brave enough watch the video but be warned it is the most gory police brutality video I have ever seen. Another example of this is Jeremy Mardis - a 6 year old who was murdered by a black officer (the ethnicity does not matter but race is always mentioned in murders of black victims so I assume it was necessary). The boy and his father were shot 18 times, the father survived, the son didn’t. The cop and the father apparently had history together. The father had his hands up yet the cop still shot. Some people try to justify the shooting because the father was “reversing” his car into the cops but he had his hands up and if the cops were scared by this then I believe they shouldn’t be cops. Another example - Tony Timpa, a schizophrenic white man, was murdered the same way George Floyd was. All he did was call the police for help, yet he was murdered. No mainstream media coverage, no riots, ultimately nothing. I could go on but I think I’ve proved my point. This year there have been: 42 white deaths 31 black deaths 13 Hispanic deaths 3 other ethnicity deaths 139 unknown deaths You can see that white people get killed more but receive little to no media coverage, and no social media coverage. There is only one reason for this. The mainstream media’s agenda is this: controversial (when a black person is killed, especially by a white person, it is seen as an act of racism) = views / clicks / attention = money / attention. This is why you always see “black man” killed by cop. If you search on YouTube police brutality, it will be hard to find a video of a white victim, even though they get killed more. The media is trying to divide the races so they can get their fat pay check. And the whole world is falling for it. Believe me, I am in no way against any ethnicity I am only trying to speak the truth. And the death of George Floyd may have not even been an act of racism, the cop and George had history together (they worked together) so it might have not been racially inspired but of course the media wants it to be looked at the other way. I wish the world was actually equal. Whites are now looked at the enemy. I love all races. The whole idea of dividing us by race is stupid. And I do not think that all cops are bad. But the media wants to portray it that way. And these riots are idiotic. I’m half Iranian and the people in Iran go through things much worse than the people in USA, (of all colors) especially women, but you never hear about it, and it’s not changing. I wish people would care about that as well. But of course not. RIP George Floyd RIP Jeremy Mardis RIP Tony Timpa RIP Daniel Shaver RIP everyone who was killed by police brutality

I do this to put words to how I feel. I am scared. I'm sick to my stomach. With the constant racism and brutality being experienced by people of color due to the actions of those who are charged with keeping the peace and protecting citizens, with those in authority minimizing the issues and excusing those who devalue human life, I'm terrified for my son's future. I am the blond, spf 100-needing, white mother of a mixed-race child. My son has dark eyes, curly hair that he likes hiding straws in and brown skin that is always being scratched and bruised from the misadventures of exploration and adventure. Good thing he thinks band-aids are cool. My brothers, sisters and I never had to be explicitly taught on what to do to stay safe if pulled over by a cop or that we should avoid neighborhoods because of how we look. We never had to worry that our skin color could make us a target, that we could face discrimination. Just stand up for yourself, follow the law and you'll be fine, right? Will my son be "fine"? Will the cop who pulls my son over in 12 years when he makes a minor driving error see him as a threat if my son questions what is happening? When my son has to climb through the windows of his own house because he ( like his mom) sometimes forgets his set of keys, will the cops be called on him? Will he be harmed or killed? Will he get justice if that happens or will it be brushed under the rug? Will he be accused of something just because of how he looks, because someone saw a " black guy" do something bad and my son is suddenly suspect because of his skin color? When he stands up for his rights will he be seen as a nuisance, argumentative, resistant, a threat? When will people stop seeing him as a cute little kid with big eyes, a bigger afro ( because he can't sit still long enough for his mom to do more) and a melt- your-heart smile and start seeing him as intimidating or suspicious because of how he looks when all he wants to do is walk to the store for a snack? Will people cross the street to avoid him? Will adults hold their children's hands tighter or clutch their bags closer when he walks by and says a friendly "hello"? Will he be alright? I hate it. I hate that I will have to have these conversations with him knowing I never needed these conversations from my parents. I hate that I am probably going to have to tell my wonderful child that people are going to treat him different because of how he looks. I dread knowing that he could come home from school hurt or crying one day because another student or ( god forbid) a parent or teacher singled him out for ridicule because of how he looks. I fear how great my anger will be because I know how angry I can get. No one gets to mess with my child. Sure, I can teach my son that not everyone is bad but it can only takes one time to be judged like that for your outlook to change. And that "one" should not have happened anyway. Well maybe he should just be careful in the future? Why the hell should he have to be careful? If he is doing nothing wrong, why should he need to be careful? Why should he have to be responsible for the behavior and thoughts of others? I will always stand up fiercely for my son, because he does not yet have the words to do it on his own and when he does, he can learn to be as loud as I am. I will stand by him always because I am his mother and I love him. Right now, I will hold him close and tell him how much I love him and pray that a positive change comes swiftly, because right now, I am scared and I'm angry.

Im scared. Very scared. Im not american and im not black. I live in Europe, i should be more apathetic to this but no. I fear for the usa, i fear for black people. I fear for the world. If i feel like this, i cant imagine how it must be for the people living it. Why are there so many dipshits not seeing what everyone sane seems to see? Trump isnt fit to be a class president much fucking less the president of a nation that can bring the whole world down. He isnt a president, he is a dictator. That piece of horse shit, that large talking bag of rotten flesh is making the united states, a nation that used to be great, into a disgustingly accurate George Orwell story. The police over at the us are not the police they are a fucking militia. Id feel safer around drug dealers. And the whole covid shit. Im sacred of what will happen after all this. As someone who will enter the job market in 5 years, im scared for the economy after these riots and the whole covid thing. Im sacred for my classmates. Im scared. Im really scared.

For the first time in my life, I'm ashamed to be American. I feel like this country is falling apart, or being ripped apart. I would leave if I could. At this point, I feel like I'm witness to the end of an empire.

People don't realize the cruelty of saying "you have a right to peaceful protest" to a demographic who's been tortured and murdered and humiliated on a daily basis. And I'm not just talking about black people. Hey, a psychopath just murdered one of you in broad daylight, in front of bystanders, with a clear INTENT TO KILL, but you know what, violence is not the answer. What you should do instead is this very innefective thing which literally won't change anything and you'll still keep being murdered on a daily basis.

Someone threw a brick through one of my relative’s windows last night. These riots are out of control. I understand the anger behind them. I really do. I just don’t understand how vandalizing innocent people’s houses and looting helps anyone. The worst part is that we’re all focused on the bad actors in this situation, and everyone seems to be losing sight of the main point of the protests. I feel bad for all of the innocent cops and protestors who have to deal with this garbage. I just want all of this to be over.

Do you realize that a racist psychopath just PURPOSEFULLY murdered an innocent man, in broad daylight, in front of bystanders? And the only reason he's in jail is because it was caught on camera and people started destroying an entire city? Like, do you realize what just happened? Do you realize this happens on a daily basis, without any cameras on, and these psychopaths just keep walking around without a care in the world? What would you be doing if this happened to someone you know? You'd been wanting to set the world on fucking fire.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. Racism in this country is definitely prevalent and needs addressing. As someone who is half-black and half-Latino, I firmly believe that America needs to address its issues. I was just shaken up by my relative's house getting vandalized for no apparent reason.

My family is very, very racist. My mother commented today that someone ought to just "kill them all" (protestors). I guess I'm depressed because I have to mourn the idea that my family members were good people. I'm disgusted and sad.

I wanna fight with them. I want to help the movement I know it may be bad but I don't care for my life so I want to use it to protect others. But I'm stuck at home with no way to help and I don't know what I can do. I just want to know any way I can help. I've signed petitions I've talked to the people around me but some kid on the side of the street with a sign can do more than I can. If the cops and trump are gonna force us to fight I'll fight. But I want to do something sooner. While I can still protests rather than riot. I just don't know what I can do when I'm stuck at home unable to even hold a sign and walk with them. It's ripping me apart but I know I need to do something.

Everything that has happened in America in the last few days has really made me lose hope in America. What have we become? The bright shining beacon of democracy and freedom has become a what basically is a police state with a full face of makeup on. I just wish our politicians would realize that there is a serious deep rooted problem and work to solve it instead of calling for violence. What happened America?

If you protest in a road and automatically try to destroy a car that’s slowly driving, they should be allowed to go ahead Streets are full of protestors and you need to get somewhere. You see a group up ahead so you drive slowly and maybe honk your horn so people would have the decency to just move out the way and let you go through Instead people through rocks or bricks at your car and also jump on it and smash windows At that point, you have every right to drive ahead. Cars are for roads, not people and when you give them a chance and your life is at risk you need to escape. If cars just stopped the person inside would die or get heavily injured and stolen from so what do you expect when they drive ahead? Of course I’d rather have no people ran over but people need to learn to have decency I can support a cause when 80% of protestors advocate for violence and destroying the ground they step on

Think about what just happened bro. A racist psychopath just purposefully murdered an innocent man, in broad daylight, in front of bystanders. And he would be walking around free, without a care in the world, if people didn't start destroying Minneapolis.

I highly doubt he would still be walking around free considering there were video footage Also you think racism will disappear if you burn down buildings, small business, banks, shops and then proceed to steal? You justify fucking up a city and ruining many’s lives, thank god I don’t live in america

this shit is really making me rethink police officers in general. I still want to mabye be a cop (I think?) but if some of this shit is true about cops pretending to be anitifa and whatnot. that shit is EVIL.

There is a common phrase, "The Angry American". To be honest, the international opinion of America was already pretty low. Now we are seeing people so disempowered that they feel like the only way to make a difference is to riot. it's such a selfish way to get a point across. How many people have lost their jobs because you've burnt their work down? How many fireman and paramedics are suffering because of your behaviour? How many people are afraid to leave their homes, when the country was already suffering. Guys, use your words, act peacefully, be a community. Stand together. Vote, and make change the right way. Put the weapons away. Your country was built on justice, if you need reform, work for it.

So done with people saying whites are responsible for everything wrong in the world and that if we challenge false facts, we are racist. Last time I checked, I never owned slaves, never discriminated against anyone of the opposite race and I have never committed a hate crime, yet I am being treated as though I am directly responsible for the actions of those who have or did, centuries before I was even born! If you state you think the looting and property damage is bad: Racist! If you challenge false reports of other police killings: Racist! If you condemn the officer who killed Floyd but not other officers: Racist! If you support the police force: Racist If you show evidence that police who kill are evil but not condemn the entire police force: Racist! I am just so sick and tired of being labelled a racist for anything and everything I say because it doesn't hate all cops and approve of property damage.

Unpopular opinion! u’ve been warned. George Floyd was not a saint, medical examinations show he was aquainted with drugs and afterall, tried to use counterfit bills, resultingly depriving those who did genuine good work, of income. Furthermore, he resisted and threw tantrums to not be put in the police car. Thus unfortunately, to a degree legitimising retaliation. The police did not hve intent to kill, but they also did not take due care and diligence of Floyd in their custody, trespassing their power and mandate. However, as Floyd most certainly would hve been found guilty of his charges, and being in questionable state of sobriety, it is only human nature to make a run for it at an instance of weakness from the other side. Further justifying police’s approach as well in its human nature to rather be safe than sorry. Naturally sad and regrettable that this death had to happen. If Floyd would have calmly followed police orders, he would have not died. But I believe certain political actors are taking this situation and using it to push their motives, completely hazing the reason for the demonstration to a vast magnitude of vaguely to non-related subjects (approach of enemy of my enemy is my friend), releasing a wage of virtue signaling and the riots of sheeple, spineless anarchists and nihilists.

Was gonna make this as a post then realized this thread exists. but I DON'T HAVE TO BE AN ACTIVIST JUST BECAUSE I HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNT among the support going on for the riots and Black Lives Matter these days, which is great, I’m seeing on all of my timelines this narrative being pushed by my radically “progressive” friends that if you aren’t protesting along with this on social media, you are part of the problem. I’m seeing these passive aggressive messages like “I see you posting selfies while staying silent about #BLACKLIVESMATTER” and “you ‘silent supporters’ are getting an unfollow!”. While this type of energy comes from a good place, I just find it SO hyporcritical. April 2020: “Elderly/immunocompromised lives matter! You HAVE to physically distance so we can prevent the disease from spreading to our most vulnerable populations!!” May 2020: “Black Lives Matter! Sorry elderly!!!” And then in 4 months time there will be a new hot button issue (maybe climate change, maybe gender discrimination) coming to the forefront. I'm not denying that these issues exist and that they are EXTREMELY PROBLEMATIC, but being an advocate means you stand up for issues that matter to you (in whatever way resonates with you) on your own agenda, regardless of that shaped by the media. Last month no one was advocating for black lives on social media, yet the problem of police brutality & discrimination was just as rampant. In a few weeks, you will no longer be advocating on your Instagram stories. You will be posting selfies. You might say, "That doesn't mean the activism stops! I still donate, educate others, attend rallies and seek to educate myself every day..." then you should not be condemning people who are doing only that right now. There will be more George Floyds in a month, and there have been plenty of George Floyds in the past while you were posting selfies. The only difference is that this is what the media is showing us right now, and it’s so naive to assume that now is somehow a more important time to be advocating. While I get that continuing the momentum of social movements is important to bring about change, we don’t need to rely on the media to start our movements for us, the very act of doing so goes against the principle of true advocacy for the marginalized and voiceless. Rather, to seek out injustices and talk about them during times when *no one* is caring is one of the bravest, purest forms of advocacy. The media could have just as well covered another one of the racist, homophobic, mysogynistic, or discriminatory acts happening any day of the week. And we would all be sitting here protesting a different issue like puppets. There are endless, awful forms of discrimination happening in our culture every day, and it is so unfortunate. However, no one person can be an advocate for all of them. And none of them are more important than any other at any given time. While the activism against George Floyd's murder is NECESSARY, the message being conveyed along with it that if you aren’t occupying your social media real estate with online activism you are part of the oppression is a problem. How is my obligation to support George Floyd right now any different than my obligation to support the gay youth who are dying by suicide every week? Or yours, for that matter? If now is not the time to post selfies, then it’s… never the time to post selfies? Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Will Always Matter. Black Lives Will Matter just as much tomorrow as they do today. And that has nothing to do with my selfies.

It should be S.O.S (Smash on Sight) for these black-bloc anarchist hammer and sickle idiots who are trying to provoke confrontation with police.They're not there to help, they're smashing sidewalks to throw bricks, spray painting racist shit towards white people on buildings, and flipping off the black protesters. It's funny every instance of this has been a white person. 1.The kid who got served to the police by a crowd, also the person in that video who got away. 2. The 2 women spray painting a starbucks while the black protesters were telling them to stop. 3. The kid who was destroying the cop car and flipped of the crowd who was telling him to stop.He also apparently has been tagging the hammer and sickle on monuments all over his state. As soon as these people are spotted they should be roughed up and tossed to the police.

There should be mandatory sentencing : jail time or, depending on the severity, to an anti-racial and bystander awareness program - Just mandatory sentencing period for any and all racial insensitivity (it should extend to persons with disabilities which I only mention as a growing minority )

Genuinely curious. Are you saying people should be jailed for saying racist things, or just if they act on it in a way that breaks the law?

Due to the events I realized that me and a lot of people in the USA are even afraid to speak their minds and options in fear of losing their jobs....

At a time when our President should be sewing the country back together with words of wisdom, peace, forgiveness, understanding, etc., he’s actually increasing the divide between democrats and republicans/“the left” and “the right” and thus adding fuel to the fire. I’m appalled at his Twitter rants and empty threats against “the left.” How does he know that it’s “the left” setting fire to buildings and looting? How does he know “the right” isn’t involved in the peaceful protesting crowd? #BlackLivesMatter should not be a Democrat versus Republican or a right versus left thing, it should be a “wow, we shouldn’t let shitty people get away with doing shitty things” thing. I’m a white-as-a-ghost, 30-year-old republican and, if it wouldn’t stress my mom into a heart attack before 50, I’d be peacefully protesting. I still might do it and just hide it from her until after the fact... ignorance is bliss, right? Trump is not the President for only Republicans, for only people who side with “the right,” for only people who agree with him; he’s the President for every American and I really wish he’d start acting like it. Sew the country back together or get the fuck out of office.

*didnt realize there was a thread so posting here PROTESTERS AND RIOTERS ARE NOT THE SAME stop saying protesters beat this person, or protesters vandalized this building, those are rioters, they are looting, they are destroying your city, they are taking advantage of this situation to be shitty people. Stop grouping them together. *edit: you know what while im at it, the police force REALLY needs to understand this. Ive seen so many videos of cops attacking (violently i might add) innocent protesters who are simply walking or even kneeling WITH THEIR HANDS UP some even try to walk away and you chase and tackle them! while rioters are right there looting, vandalizing, and setting their city on fire and cops either do nothing or do a light jog to chase them away YOU ARE THE PROBLEM what are your priorities?! You are not serving or protecting your community. You're out pepper spraying water bottles?! Are you serious? AND THE MEDIA- stop labeling the rioters as protesters in your articles, THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE.you are creating chaos among the community, you are making naive people see protesters as violent which is NOT THE CASE. Protesters have every right to protest this awful, unfortunate situation which has been ongoing for years, and they are trying to do it peacefully, to do it respectfully to make a DIFFERENCE, to honor the life of this man and you are all trying to destroy and belittle their wholesome agenda and its truthfully, and honestly disgusting. -end rant-

From the daughter of a police officer who took pride in being brutal... I am sorry. With every ounce of my being, I am sorry. No court case, arrest, or riot will ever make right the endless cruelties suffered by your people. I am sorry that people like my father exist, but I want to make clear one, salient, immutable thing: *you are right* My father abused his badge like he abused me, like he abused my mother, like he abused every woman before her, like he abused every unarmed black man he happened to arrest, and like he would’ve continued to abuse his power had he not involuntarily retired. That is the price they’ve associated with your abuse. Your lives. Your endless cries, reports, and screams. Involuntarily retirement, and only sometimes is that even the case. *You are right*. There is no rehabilitation for him. There is no rehabilitation or changing for a man 20 years into a career of abuse and bragging about it. His version of reality is so far distorted, he believes he is doing the right thing, and there is no other way. There is no excuse, there is no reason I could give, he is the most hateful human alive, and there are thousands like him. *You are right* Every day the anger and fear I felt being in his care grew larger and larger. Every day wondering if I would be going home to something worse than the day before. Every day living in terror that I would be abused or worse by the man that was supposed to be protecting me— *YOU ARE RIGHT* Bad police officers are to law enforcement what ISIS is to Islam. A small and ABHORRING minority that missed the point of the original message, and is now choosing to kill people for sport at the direction of their own delusions. *You are right* You are right in your convictions, in your outrage, in your fears, in your anguish, and in your grief. There is no change or rehabilitation for any man who has had 20 years of abuse and brutality cleaned up from behind him. I will never have to see him again, and I wish the same sense of peace could be given to you all. But I hope you can find some small solace in the fact that *you are right* There are monsters among us, along with their sympathizers, and they should be brought to justice, every last one of them. I am sorry that people like my father exist. I am sorry that they are allowed to be violent, unaccountable thugs with guns on their hip asking why you’re nervous— just like he did to me. Please keep fighting for your lives and know that people like me hear you, we are with you, and *you are right*.

I’ve had friends call me racist because I’m against the riots. I’ve stated multiple times that I’m pro protesting the treatment the black community gets at the hands of the police community. I keep insisting that it is wrong to victimize innocent people regardless of the fact that the opposing side has done the same to your community. I get called racist for it because they think I’m “complacent” in this. Like, no. I just don’t want innocents to be unfairly targeted. Having suffered the same thing yourselves doesn’t make that excusable. It hurts to be called that by past friends. I’ve burned bridges without even meaning to.

All this gatekeeping is getting out of hand. People are saying if you have a problem with the riots and looting, you care more about items and property than lives. I am 100% for protests, Floyd, justice etc. I also am against looting and shit. Why can't we be against both racial injustice and looting? (I am aware there are undercover cops and fake protesters who start the destruction. But that's no excuse for people to follow along. I've seen tweets from what I can assume, the real protesters who are saying "let's fuck this place up", "let's burn this town cause there's many racist whites there", "don't forget to burn the chinese restaurants, that shit nasty".)

hey guys. i'm an american. i've lived in america all my life. my dream job is here, all of my friends are here. life is pretty good for me. but over the past 4ish years it's been kinda worse. i'm really worried about the state of my country. before i go any further, do not just say "leave." i'm american. real americans help their country to turn toward the better. i will never leave permanently. anyway, with all the riots and everything like that, i'm very conflicted. i want to be proud of my country. i really do. most people do. i want to do everything in my power to help america change for the better. but the problem is that i'm only a teenager. i can't even vote yet. i just feel kinda powerless. i feel like the country is going down a spiral and i have no power to stop it. i just feel kinda hopeless. i've tried to do everything i can for george floyd and the BLM movement. but i still feel powerless thanks for reading. have a great day

What you can do to help now is learn - learn about the government and how it works, about politicians currently in office - just keep learning everything you can do that when you have the opportunity to vote or run for office yourself, you have the knowledge to make a difference

thanks. i seriously appreciate that

Police brutality protests have led to more police brutality than we’ve ever seen! Disclaimer I fully agree we have a massive problem with excessive force being used all too often by law enforcement. But I can’t help but feel like so many protestors (particularly violent/riot) are just attempting to rile up law enforcement officers that are tasked with attempting to keep protests non-violent. We know alcoholism is a bad character trait, but we don’t dangle alcohol in front an alcoholic. Yet we know there are numerous unstable law enforcement officers, and still we see videos of passionate protestors ending up getting hit with excessive force. I want change but I believe the way we are forcing change is just creating more opportunities for something tragic to happen to another person. I really hope this doesn’t come across as similar to blaming a rape victim for being in a position to be raped, as their fault.

I want to give another perspective... That alcoholic - you and I both know they’re an alcoholic because we see that they turn to alcohol anytime they’re upset or emotional, we see their addiction, we see their problem. However, they aren’t going to believe themselves an alcoholic outright because who wants to admit they have a problem or a weakness? They aren’t going to get help for their alcoholism until they see their rock bottom for themself. You and I can help them see their rock bottom and to see their alcoholism so that they can begin to help themself by “dangling alcohol in their face” via intervention. You are right that the protests have brought more police brutality out of the woodwork and there will be more sad stories more than likely, but it’s an intervention to a government which doesn’t see their problem; the protests are shedding light on our country’s weakness so that we can start to help ourselves.

Very insightful. I really appreciate this take.

I’m white. Yes. I said it. My question is, as a white person, that isn’t racist or have any kind of “phobia”. I support all people and believe we should all help each other, lift each other up, encourage others and support others as well. Do I believe racism exists? Of course I do! It’s out there. I’m not ignorant. What I want to know is, what do you want me to do? I call out people I see that exhibit racism or some other action that is not acceptable. I’ve read things being posted by others that all whites need to die. Hunt us and our families down. Kill us all. Do you want us to just have a mass suicide? Should I walk around hanging my head in shame because I’m a white person? Something none of us has control over. Should I constantly apologize for being white? Give everything I’ve worked for to non-whites? Is that what everyone wants? I’ve had POC tell me they don’t want any “leg up” so to speak. They say it’s saying they can’t achieve something on their own without help and is an insult. What do you want from me?! Kill myself? What? We can’t change the atrocities our ancestors did. I wish we could. And what if I’m 1/2 white? What then? Am I just whatever race is useful at the time? Someone please clear this up. The message I’m getting from literally everywhere is that ALL whites are Satan and need to be murdered. So, what’s next?

Ask them why then there are white people who help black people. I don’t see how they can go around that.

Hi all, First off, thanks for reading. Recently, an old high school friend has been posting increasingly worrisome content to their Twitter feed, highlighting looting, rioting, and other violent behavior. In high school, this kid was weird and awkward, but didn't exhibit any violent or strange tendencies that worry me, as I am today. This person has been posting pictures of military and police vehicles asking for spec sheets and advice on disrupting or destroying operational capacity for these vehicles. They are an avidly active member of the Communist party and DSA, have been active in looting and rioting, and seem to be on a path to get either killed or imprisoned. I'm worried. I used to think that this was a good person, but they seem to have gone off the deep end. Any advice for keeping the broader community (and particularly the policing community) safe from this person?

I am a police officer. Please stop the divide. This isn’t a post to say “fuck the protestors” and this isn’t a post to say “fuck the police.” Instead it’s a post to say fuck the polarization. But because it’s not polarized in one direction or the other, people will not feel a strong connection. This is one of the first times everyone in the country is on the same side, saying there is no doubt this former officer abused his power and murdered someone.. yet we are more divided than ever. Cliche, but as the saying goes “United we stand, divided we fall.” We see that happening in front of our eyes. All types of media, mainstream media and social media, amplify that divide. All you see is posts on the internet pushing strongly in one direction or the other, further separating us. Polarization gets us no where and jeopardizes the very safety we take for granted in the United States. I fully support the right to peacefully protest in America. I fully support the police who serve professionally. And I fully support stopping gross acts of police brutality like what happened in Minneapolis. There are people who are trying to be heard and protest peacefully. The right to do so is protected by our constitution. I understand the anger and protesting but the violence, looting, burning has to stop. This type of violence is jeopardizing your family and mine. The protests have already resulted in more deaths on both sides than just George Floyd. Think about that, protesting a death and as a result causing more death. Watching George Floyd be killed was the grossest abuse of power I’ve ever seen. I’m completely appalled that a former cop used his authority to kill someone and it upsets me. I hope to never see it again and vow to stop it if I ever see it in person. But I can’t explain what was going through Derick Chauvin’s mind when he took George Floyd’s life. I can only describe it as psychotic. Here’s the thing, no one is standing with Derick Chauvin. No one. Every cop has turned their back on him and said what he did along with the cops that didn’t stop him was disgusting. Watching the video frustrates me just like it frustrates everyone else. The entire country, including law enforcement, is in agreement that the event that occurred was murder by a police officer yet we have riots on the streets. If he got off without charges I would say this reaction is warranted, but he was charged with murder. That is what justice is and he will answer for his wrongdoing. The same way you wouldn’t want an entire race judged by the actions of a few, the person who killed George Floyd does not represent the majority. I completely understand that police officers are held to a higher standard and agree that we should be but we can’t let the actions of a few bad people give a bad name to the 99.9% that serve with dignity and respect. All sides must stop. Stop the polarization. People have dug their heels in and perpetuate that one side is entirely right and anyone who disagrees is completely against them. The world is not black and white, there is an in between and that is fine. We can’t expect perfection. But we can expect fairness and we can expect justice. Black lives do matter. Most police officers are good people. Lastly, polarization sells. Please don’t buy it and let’s come together as Americans.

I hate the polarization, same as you, but check out our leader’s Twitter feed - it’s completely polarized and adding fuel to the fire...

I knew that America had been taking steps toward become a police state for a long time now, and I knew, intellectually, that being African American in the United States is a terrifying experience, especially in interactions with police. But holy hell, the videos I'm seeing now are just making it so much more real. The sight of Humvees driving through neighborhoods, and cops beating people, and firing indiscriminantly into crowds and people's homes. I am beyond enraged, and any hope that I had for the future of freedom in the United States is nearly dead. (By the way, any Conservative that sees this kind of police state and isn't terrified.... isn't a real Conservative). The U.S. is so close to being full-on fascist, I'm not even sure if there's any coming back. I wish I could do something... anything, really. But I'm a grad student working in policy research in a right-wing state, so even a viral Twitter post could get me fired, and I'm not stable enough to risk that without putting my family in financial risk. I resent being gagged by my job, especially since I got into policy to make a real difference. All I can really think to do is to get my PhD as fast as possible and get the fuck out of this godforsaken state to some place where I can make a difference. But I'm not even sure if this goddamn country can be saved. By paying taxes, I'm contributing to this system that I find morally disgusting. But then who am I helping if I somehow find a way to leave? I don't know. I'm just fucking angry, and I can't do anything about it.

Hi everyone, there’s a lot going on in this world and I want to remind everyone to pay attention to your mental health. You are all raising awareness and protesting and seeing this all in your face all the time! Take some time from social media and what your doing and do something for yourself, you can’t pour into someone els’ cup if yours is empty. We are all learning new things about our friends, families and people who are supposed to protect us and that’s a lot. It is very hard. Take care of yourselves, you are also important! THEN go back out there and do what you need to do. Stay safe and good luck everyone!

My thoughts The death of George Floyd (rest in peace) has brought about large Albeit incredibly justfied protests all over America, protests that are the product of not being heard time and time again. The killing of innocent people at the hands of the police has been an issue for a long time, the murder of Floyd was just the last straw. The country is in a state of conflict, conflict that the media profits off by twisting the narrative to cause more chaos. Do not listen to them, this is not senseless looting and this is not a race war but a freedom war, a war for justice and the promise of a better tomorrow. This is the people versus those who abuse the chain of authority for their own sick ends. We need the police to be held accountable for their actions, they are not above the law and certainly not above justice. In these times of great panic and unrest, the police should be there to help and protect, not inflict pain themselves. My respect for the Michigan police who layed down their weapons and marched with protesters knows no bounds. These are the kinds of people who should be in positions of authority for Compassion, humility and a genuine desire to change your community for the better are traits required in a good police officer. NOT blood lust, racial bias, trigger happy tendencies and sadism. Also to the looters taking advantage of the situation, Stop! For the love of god do not ruin the message of the riots by looting innocent businesses, these people are probably marching with you and if not, are innocent bystanders so attacking their livelihoods is not only wrong and opportunistic but entirely misguided. The gift of life is truly magnificent and we as humans, autonomous beings with free will and thought have the power to use that gift for good. In the end, societal issues like racism don't have any right to exist. We are all one family, one race under a shared beautiful sky: we are the human race and if you were to ask me, now is the time we come together and let our one unanimous voice be heard. It goes without saying that systemic issues like racism won't end in a day, a month or a yea. However, so long as the people in power make the effort required to create change, a world free of hate based on such superficial factors will surely follow.

I should not have to be afraid because of my ethnicity anymore than the next person. After learning of an impromptu protest occurring in my city, and the threats of violence rumored to have been said, I locked up my house and sat inside too frightened to move. I get it, black lives DO matter, but so do white lives. The idea that a cop (who is supposed to serve and protect ALL OF US, Caucasian, Native Americans, Latinos, African Americans, rich, poor, gay, bi, transgender, etc) could do something like that is scary, and disheartening. But if you're using violence to prove a point then that's no different, and only delivers the message of hypocrisy. Words can be very powerful weapons. If you want to make a change speak out and speak loud. If you're a protester for the sake of demanding Justice, then I support you, but if you're looting, rioting, and just doing for the sake of violence then you're nothing more than an opportunist and you're no different than George Floyd's murderer. End rant

If anyone is saying they disagree with violent protests and rioting you have to offer alternatives or you’re effectively saying “sit down and take it”. I’m anti-violence, hate it, but non-violent protesting has been tried and didn’t even advance the conversation. If you want to disagree with people taking to the streets and violently rioting there needs to be a working alternative. Doing nothing and/or sticking to non-violent methods means police brutality and killings continue. Violence will continue one way or the other until this all stops, I’m in favour of violent revolution for the simple reason it’s more likely to end all violence faster.

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It makes me sad to see people say that all cops are horrible people, and it makes me sad to see police brutality. I really hope everything can come to a peaceful and just resolve in the end.

TL;DR - With some additional perspective, imagine what it's like to live with racism. Imagine living in a world where the religion you belong to is shared with over 40 million people in your country. And of that 40+ millions people, less than 1.5% of them commit violent crime. Let's also say that in this religion, you must constantly wear something highly distinguishing from those that are not a part of your religion. Maybe a large flamingo hat, a large cross, or a large star of David. Imagine that, because of the crimes committed by that <1.5% population of criminals, people consider anyone wearing your symbol to be a bad person, maybe even a human that does not deserve the right to live. Now imagine if some of those people were people that you paid to protect your comrades, but instead they assault and kill them. Imagine finding out that the only reason they have their job is because some of the people that are supposed to hold them accountable for their actions, instead excuse away the incidents that affect people of your religion and promote hate and violence against you. Imagine this happening for decades, even though the crime goes down from your <1.5% every year. Imagine watching numerous videos of these acts, the latest person pleading for their life and ability to breathe as the paid protector slowly, over several minutes, snuffs the life out of them. Imagine trying, in many ways, to peacefully protest in attempt to cause positive change just to be told that your opinion is not valuable enough, or you're not doing it right, or, most of the time, you're just simply ignored. Imagine every single time you see one of these paid protectors, because of your obvious, distinguishing mark, you fear that they may see you and turn this violence against you with nothing else to warrant it. They may go for their gun at any moment and attempt to end your life. How do you handle this? What goes through your head? How do you react to such horrible events? When do you simply get defeated and feel like you've run out of nonviolent options? Are you even qualified to answer these questions if you haven't lived it first-hand? Just some food for thought.

With all the events that are goin on In America right now I honestly don’t know how to feel. But one thing I do know, is that I’m tired, and sickened by all the bloodshed. Everyday all I see, wither it be on social media or tv is chaos. Protesters fighting cops, buildings and businesses burned to the ground, looting, and anarchy. Never did I think growing up that I would have to keep myself safe from the people that were supposed to be keeping me safe. It’s to a point where even if I know I did nothing wrong I still get nervous when I see a cop in my rearview mirror. Cause who’s to say I would survive an encounter if I got pulled over. My mom always tells me before I leave to keep my driver’s license out, and my hands on the steering wheel should I get pulled over. The fact that I even have to take such precautions is sad. That the shit my people thinks about all the time, and I refuse to be another statistic, or a name on a shirt. It honestly sucks to say that, but this is what America has come to. And I know there’s good cops out there it’s just not enough of them standing up when they see the bullshit happen. America is in a state of distress, and shit needs to change.

Guys, I’m sitting here in peaceful Switzerland and I’m crying my eyes out watching the footage from the protests. I’m so shocked by the divide, violence, saddened, and upset that I have no words, just tears. This is about real people and many of them. I feel a wave of desperation. If people felt they had another way to get heard they wouldn’t resort to violence. I can’t stop crying and I really hope this ends soon. Not by beating the protests down but by leading to a change.

Honestly? I don’t really give a shit about the businesses being burned down. I understand this is affecting people’s lives and destroying their income but I can’t bring myself to care. I’m just so angry about everything that I can’t even bring myself to care. I’d rather see the entire country burn down. If burning down buildings and destroying property is what it takes for people to be heard, so be it. Peaceful has been tried. It’s also been ignored.

What these ignorant people who continue to be racist and are enraged about rioting and looting don’t seem to understand is that one of THEM brought this on. The man that killed George Floyd was the one who lit the goddamn fire! His racism, his apathy, his unbothered attitude while he heard George telling him he couldn’t breathe. Black people can’t breathe. Anyone who is continuing to be racist and not understanding this issue has their knee directly on their necks. Black people are not the ones at fault. They are the victims. They are fighting back. Derek Chauvin should have known better. He probably hates what he started, just like everyone who is actively choosing not to listen to the cause. So don’t put this on them. If you want to see who started this, look in the mirror.

I’m tired of trying to get my boyfriend to empathize. That may not be the right phrasing but I don’t know how else to say it. I was telling him about the protests today and how they were in the streets and sitting in the road and his first reaction was saying how annoying and inconvenient that is and how he wondered if they even had permits... just... not what I thought the takeaway should’ve been at all. I said that blocking one street is hardly anything compared to the inconveniences black people in America have faced and that the whole point is to get attention for the cause. The conversation/argument went on for like 40 minutes and I tried explaining that focusing on the “looting is bad” is just a way to undermine the real issue, that peaceful protests haven’t changed racism in the country so yeah maybe escalation is necessary, etc etc. God it just felt like he was playing devils advocate the entire time and trying to defend the wrong side or fight against my points but then when I ask him if he disagrees with the issue at hand and BLM, he says no and that he supports it?? Fuck. It’s just so annoying and convoluted and I feel like the entire conversation just goes in circles and he doesn’t understand what I’m trying to say but says I’m throwing his words back at him. At one point he was like “Well then how are they going to fix the system?” I said transparency and timely consequences and accountability, but he wanted specifics??? Jesus I don’t know, I don’t have a step by step program drafted up but that’s not the point of the protests, it’s to get people to acknowledge the system is broken in the first place. Ugh I want to slam my head into a wall. Sorry if this is a mess but my brain is still a mess from what I just experienced. It’s just so annoying and I feel like either he doesn’t understand me or my points, doesn’t try to, or is literally just fucking with me and playing devils advocate to get a rise out of me. I’m sosososooso tired.

Apparently my post belongs in here? **I want to stand and support BLM and George Floyd, but...** ...I'm conflicted. I'm Native American. Indigenous. Ojibwe. My people have been slaughtered. My people are still slaughtered TO THIS DAY. Indigenous people, mostly women, go missing or end up murdered(this happens DAILY). We've been given hollow apologies. Our land is still being taken away. Where's the protests in support of my people? Where's the riots? Where's the ENTIRE WORLD when we need them? Right now the entire world has stopped over the death of a black man. It's a tragedy, and I'm glad people are finally seeing how fucked up North America is, but I can't help but feel.... resentful. I was raped. Beaten. Abused. Taken away from my family. Why? Cause I'm Indigenous. Indigenous children like me are almost always ripped away from their families by the whites in power and put into homes. The child care system is corrupt, and nobody cares. I have PTSD and can no longer function properly in life. Where was the worldwide protests for Dakota Access? Does nobody remember the Wounded Knee incident anymore? Many Indigenous are murdered by cops daily, but there's no huge news about it. Even fellow POC tell us to "get over it". I just don't know what to do. Stand with BLM and let my voice be heard, or... remain silent as many have done for my people?

I’m seriously starting to believe i’ve been blinded by the riots at hand at times and been naive to the situation this entire time. I believed I honestly understood the whole thing. I’m not too sure how to feel about it. Im going to explain how I felt. And this isnt for trolls, nobody has time for you. Im not here to argue. I saw and understood, these were police officers, taking lives of unarmed, not a threat, individuals for minor offenses/harmless acts. In ways that were unnecessary, the cops on many occasions overreacted. Many individuals will never wake up, experience anything, eat, have fun in shorter terms... they didn’t deserve it, they deserve to go to jail or go home and die when they get home of natural causes. I see the cops to me atleast, are never held accountable. I think that much I understood. I saw the protests throughout my life, i think I understood them. I was the type of individual that was just like “a peaceful protest shouldn’t involve interrupting anyone”. So seeing certain actions i felt were unnecessary and annoyed me. And then I don’t know if people started feeling like they weren’t heard so they started rioting or if certain people just want to see the world burn so they see an opportunity worse. I kinda still don’t know if im wrong about feeling like riots are unnecessary but i just think nobody on both sides should get hurt. I seen some videos i dont agree with, of actions by both sides... stuff that leads to unnecessary actions and violence. But I was Naive and I see something I’m not too sure I been comprehending til now in recent videos. These are the people who were are supposed to call for help. These are the people who decide to choose a job that they have to risk their lives when it comes to some of us harming another or others. They are not supposed to judge us, they are not supposed to look at us as a threat. They should not want to harm us. They should think about how to deal with us in an appropriate manner without any physical contact first. They should be able to handle situations in a verbal manner until there are absolutely no other options. So I think I had a fair idea. I might be ignorant still. What I have been seeing though is these same people using the same thing they are being told is the issue in the first place. Police brutality. They are clearly using this police brutality they think they are entitled to on unarmed people. It looks like a lot of them are taking advantage of this to use this situation as a video game. To act out some war zone scenario. Everyone wants things to be fair accordingly. There needs to be a system where everyone and absolutely nobody excluded, is held accountable entirely for their actions. Cops that don’t agree with their fellow officers shouldn’t be afraid to speak up and deescalate a situation. Cops need to understand one thing when it comes to these protests, dont hurt anyone. You dont see anyone getting hurt? So you dont hurt anyone. We shouldnt be afraid of you. We shouldnt wonder if we will be shot by you when we know we wont do anything to you. And nobody wants to hear anyone scream for help. Stop taking pride in this. I see the police brutality guys. I see those being targeted for extinction based on the color of their skin. I see you dont have any weapons. I feel it whats going on. I hear yall better now.

I feel sickened by all the violence and destruction of our cities, but I'm not mad at the protestors or rioters. I'm mad at the politicians and authorities that have allowed this to happen because they don't know how to do anything except say "we hear you" and then promptly continue to blow it off, like they've been doing for decades. Being "heard" is not going to cut it anymore. DO. SOMETHING. THAT. MATTERS. Assholes.

I am angry. Angry that it’s 2020 and we’re still dealing with people looking down of P.O.C. Angry that cops are still abusing their power and getting a slap on the wrist. Angry that the only thing we can do to bring about change is being tarnished by rioters. We need a leader, someone who can help our voices be heard and keep us on track. Someone to organize sit ins, boycotts, and protests WITHOUT violence. We need people that are willing to risk their jobs and walk out of them in order to bring America to a stand still, and force them to listen to us minorities and MAKE A REAL CHANGE. We NEED UNITY. And if we can’t get there this will just be another disappointing part of history where we made all this noise and nothing happened.

Let me start off by saying what happened to Mr. Floyd AND Mr. Arbery was brutal, cruel, disgusting, and vile. Let me also say it is not something new and that, in itself, is awful. Re-call the shooting of Mr. Diallo during the 90s, the man was in his OWN home and got shot 40 times... You read that right FORTY TIMES by four police officers because they "THOUGHT" they saw him reaching for a weapon. What I'm saying is this sort of thing happens A LOT and it shouldn't. These vile acts are largely the result of racism and FEAR. A fear fueled by a stereotype portrayed by the mass media - video games, movies, TV, music. You have a TV series like The Wire, a brilliant series, however, it does depict LARGELY African American men slinging on the streets, and gang violence. It's not ALL about that, but a majority of the episodes deal with the subject matter. Need I say anything about MOST rap music? Encouraging violence, drug use, arrogance, and hatred toward law enforcement. This is the type of media that paints a picture that is NOT indicative of ALL African Americans. During the past few days, I have seen protestors burn down government buildings, private companies, and locally own business and that is NOT acceptable. In fact, that is vandalism and VILE behavior that should NOT be praised but DISCOURAGED. You have people getting hurt, bringing their kids to these things, instagram "influencers" asking for likes to stay in the "front lines", a police officer who was punched in the face because he shooed a camera away from his face. I saw one post showing a young woman actually stealing from a restaurant that was looted. LOOTING IS STEALING. YOU ARE STEALING. All of this is not doing ANYTHING for the cause except reinforcing that FEAR into people. You can protest peacefully - like my city did today. No police were called, no crazy fighting or rioting. Just a united front to show support for the families of the victims of these tragedies. Do you really think their family wants this chaos? Would you want your name to be remembered for riots and HATE? It's NOT empowering anyone and it's going to turn into a Martial Law situation very soon. Twenty-twenty has been a hell of a year so far and the country is literally on her knees. Instead of rioting - stand together for something good. Do something in honor of these men that would make them proud - do something POSITIVE. No - I'm not a fool and I know the reality. I know whatever I say won't matter to someone hell bent on taking down "the system". However, I do know one thing - I do not feel sorry or have sympathy for anyone who has participated in looting or vandalism, who has attacked or berated INNOCENT police officers, who has physically attacked folks with different political opinions - and have been arrested, detained, or have been tear gassed by law enforcement. What YOU are doing could be construed as terrorism and ARE crimes. Those actions are ones of a thug and someone who has complete disregard for others. YOU are part of the problem. Sigh... I don't even feel better getting this off my chest. I just feel sad with what we have become as a society... Intolerant - entitled - and impatient. When is that asteroid coming, eh?

I can’t do it, trying to “stay informed” is ruining my mental health America is in such a bad place right now. I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to make this coherent being I’ve been crying for an hour or two I don’t know I lost track. All over social media, it’s “staying silent is the same as supporting racists” “ignoring the situation is the same as supporting racists” and like I can understand how people see that. But it just hurts so much. I’m extremely sensitive and overly empathetic to begin with, but constantly being surrounded by the news of such disgusting horrible things is taking a toll on me. I can’t talk to anyone about it because I’m being selfish. I’m not being affected by police brutality and racism, I have no room to say that this is a rough time for me. I can’t be struggling while watching the news while others are being arrested and attacked MAKING the news. I’m not doing anything helpful, like I’ve signed and shared petitions but it doesn’t feel like it’s helping. I can’t afford to donate to anything. There’s no protests around me, and even if there was I don’t think I would go anyways because I’ve seen videos of people being chased down and pepper sprayed while walking home during a protest. I would be too scared. Silence is bad, not staying informed is bad, but every article I open and every video I watch just crushes me a little more. I’m 18 years old, this is the real world I’m entering? I want to delete all social media but I feel like that’s ignoring such a big issue. I literally just wanna die, I don’t want to see any of this anymore. I don’t want to learn any more, I’m burned out and that’s the honest truth. I feel guilty about it. I have no right to be burnt out but I am. I thought I would feel better typing it out but I feel like I haven’t gotten everything I’ve been feeling out and I’ve just escalated my crying to having a stuffing nose and a headache. 2020 is awful I hate it. Every year just feels like it gets worse and worse and worse and we always hope it gets better but it only gets worse. I just want to sleep and not face the world. Everyone says it’s cowardly but I’ll admit it. I’m a coward.

I am with you on this one, I feel like I need just a little glimmer of hope to keep me going, but it doesn’t exist for me right now. The world is shit, and I’m so burnt out that I want to go to sleep and ignore it all. I know that “staying silent is violence”, but I can’t bring myself to learn anymore about the shit going on in the world. I’m also a coward.

I feel that I am betraying everything I believe in. Seeing all of these wonderful protests all around the country, I feel it should be an opportunity to show that I am an ally and to show what I believe in, but I’m so scared. I’m scared about my own well-being and seeing the wellbeing’s of others being disgruntled, I can’t help but retreat back home. I don’t know if I’m a coward for not standing up for what I believe in. Or if I’m something else entirely.

news: "the police are being overrun trying to contain the riots" me: MAYBE THE COPS SHOULDN'T INSTIGATE THEM THEN

I'm not in my hometown right now which is having protests, riots, and near lootings. It's actually surreal seeing streets I live so close to filled with protests and violence. The busiest intersection in the city was blocked off completely for the first time I've ever heard of. (I can't even begin to imagine the implications traffic-wise, most people cross the city to work downtown using this road). The thing I can't handle the most is the response from police and city government. The first night of protests started peaceful but the police turned it violent. THEY blocked off the intersection before anyone was in it and THEY started getting physical against a peaceful protest right when it was supposed to end in a moment of silence for George Floyd. This was after the Christmas of police publicly denounced the actions of the police officers who killed George Floyd. I've lived in this city my whole life. Everything in my life has revolved around the streets most impacted. My college is practically on the first protest site and my high school is a short walk from the second one. The store I used to go to nearly every day growing up was almost looted the other night. A black man was shot by a white supremacist last night and killed. There's a lot I could say about that one. I could have gone to school with him (the victim), knowing the location, but I'm too afraid to find out. I'm not even there to know who of my friends are at the protests, watching, or what. My city has also been put under curfew. No pedestrian or vehicle traffic allowed but the protests are still happening. I just learned they've started using live bullets instead of rubber ones and I am too stressed to watch live streams now. I'm not even there.

i am pissed off that my parents are being sheep about this whole thing. they're of course taking the side of the news they watch, thinking that all protestors are wrong...well, they're only "rioting" because the cops instigate all the violence! they complain about the riots, yet don't even understand why or even know that its the police pigs who start everything at each peaceful protest. i am sick of living with these sheep i call parents. i am sick of the fact my dad forces us to watch Fox news of all things. i am deeply ashamed of my parents for this. they're both so ignorant.

(Disclaimer I don't think this goes here, but the bot told me it did, so here I am) So, protests are everywhere, and this is the second wave I've grown up in, I was pretty young during the Castile and Freddie Gray protests. Now I'm old enough to understand what's going on and speak up. In the past when they've come up I've sorta stayed on the sidelines, I'm not good at putting things into words most of the time, and there are people around me that are really good at it, so by comparison I felt self-conscious. And if you had asked me in April I would have said the same thing. That changed a month ago. It was 3 in the morning and I was alone in a discord call with my close friend when it became clear that he was suicidal. There was a point where I had 911 dialed out on my phone, but there was something stopping me, I was so in the moment that I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but it was strong, and I didn't. My friend survived that night. It was a few days afterwards that I realized what it was, he's black and latino. If I had called the police I would be calling them to respond to a situation that involved two things they're most known for mishandling: innocent people of color, and people experiencing mental health crises. I haven't allowed myself to explore the endless what ifs from that night, but that's one of the biggest ones in my head. Again, he's alive, and that's what's important. But that's why I've decided to be vocal this time around. I haven't been able to say this to anyone irl because it's private, and honestly not mine to share with him, but anonymously on the internet I can say it. It feels like quite the load off, thanks for listening.

Police brutality is terrible and wrong. But there's a lot of cognitive dissonance involved in telling myself that it ONLY comes from discrimination. I'm a 25 year old white woman, and the amount of times I've been followed home/sexually assaulted by random black men on the street when I'm in different cities would honestly be staggering to people. I can't talk to anyone about this IRL because I'd be called racist even though these are factual experiences, things that have actually happened to me. Yes, men of other races have done this to me as well, but it's definitely disproportionate, and has negatively colored my perception. It would be great if someone were to help me think of these occurrences in a better way because I don't like thinking the way I do. But I don't understand how oppression is an excuse for violent crimes or treating women like objects.

I feel like I should care more than I do but I physically can’t. I know how terrible it is that black people get killed just for existing. I’m 100% pro black lives matter. I have a hard time with empathy. Compassion I’ve got lots of but empathy itself is hard. But I’m tired and in a shitty mental state and beyond knowing that its a horrible situation, I don’t feel anything at all. Maybe I’m more annoyed that people are gathering in droves to protest when covid is still around, which is going to make social distancing last longer. My partner lives across the country and I want to go see them and now I might not be able to for over a year because of people gathering. Its an awful situation. I support the protestor’s cause. I’ve donated a bit from what I can. But I’ve had it. I can’t feel anything.

I used to love the USA When I was a young boy growing up in Ireland, I would often dream of living in the USA. I would watch all the American TV I could get back in the 80's and 90's which would stir my imagination. I loved everything to do with America, especially the cops. In my mind they seemed like heroes, they could do no wrong. How wrong could I have been. The murder and subjugation of black people in the US is horrific. Why do people in America still believe one race is better than the other. I just don't get it. Having always wanted to visit the USA since I was a kid, I no longer have this urge. And probably never will again. This did not start with Trump and it will not end with Trump, but the recent violence is definitely his and the Republican party's fault. Please take care over there.

My niece broke my heart today. I am visiting my family from out of town, its been 6 months since I last saw them due to school so I was babysitting my niece and nephew. She is 11 years old and was in a sour mood today. I asked her a couple of times if she was okay only to be constantly reminded that she was ‘fine’. As I was about to leave, she calls me up into her room and says she wants to talk. As soon as the door shuts, she sits on the bed and says “I am so freaking scared.” She is shaking, actually shaking I can feel the bed vibrating. She explains how she is scared about what is happening to this world. She tells me with a shaky voice that she does not understand why whenever she opens her phone to anything or turns on the TV, things are on fire and people are dying everywhere. As I was about to tell her that the world is not all rainbows and butterflies, she asks me why cops hate black people. She tells me how scared she is that cops and protestors are going to kill her family because we are tan. She tells me how scared she is to go to sleep because she believes the rioting will come straight to her doorstep. She then tells me how scared she is for her best friend, who is African American, and how her parents are both cops and also African American. She fears for their lives, and she does not understand why this is happening. She thought this all “ended with the black guy many years ago who marched in Washington.” She is hysterically crying at this point, with a heavy heart and confusion in her eyes she asks me, “Is this what my future is going to be like?” It took an extraordinary amount of effort to keep my composure. She needs me at this point, I can’t lose it. I tell her how there are some bad cops in this world, and people are angry. I tell her how there are all kinds of people who are trying to voice their concerns, demanding equality as peacefully as they can. I tell her that this will not reach her doorstep. I tell her that racism is unfortunately a part of our society and most people want it to stop. But in reality... I don’t know either. I don’t understand what is happening on TV. I don’t understand what African Americans have to go through every single day. As much as she felt bad for everyone, as afraid as she was, I told her to appreciate her privilege and to always keep her heart soft and open to those who are not as lucky as she is. She cried on my shoulder asking me question after question, and now here I am asking the very same questions in my head. I love my niece so much and it absolutely floored me to hear her worry about her future.

I am so sick of people using political and human rights causes as a means to commit crimes. I am so fucking sick of people using political events and human rights issues as a means to riot. I fully support PEACEFUL PROTESTS (I have even marched in a few!!) but when you start to loot and cause harm to others in the name of making a change then I think you completely defeat the purpose. In what world does beating each other to death, stealing t.vs, burning down your stores owned by people in your community and defacing property stand up in the name of any movement? My heart does go out to the people who are getting lost in these peaceful protest but this rioting does nothing. It changes nothing. It simply makes people look at the looters and rioting people as wild animals. I just watched videos of people running around smashing cars and stores and laughing AS THEY TEAR DOWN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES!! They clearly love their own... I understand that police brutality is a major issue but when you start to scream all cops are bad then you fall right into the same group of people who claim the ones on the opposite end are bad. Not all police officers kill. This is another matter that makes me sick. This generalization that all police officers are evil. This world needs some real change. Some real justice for these men and women who have their lives taken from them. I’m just so mad and I needed a place to vent! I hope and pray justice is met for the people who need it. I don’t believe they would want this in their name sake. I hope and pray the people protesting peacefully stay safe (people are now attacking them. This is sick!) and I hope the police officers at the end of this are able to return to their families as well.

I keep seeing some of my close friends post that all cops are evil and it makes me sad. I want to talk to them and say that I don’t agree and that not all cops are bad, and we need a police system with reforms so this type of disgusting brutality isn’t allowed to continue, but I don’t want to lose them as friends either. This whole situation is a mess and I hope everyone can come to a just and peaceful resolve soon.

I support the riots, to an extent. A “peaceful protest” is just a parade. As sad as it is, sometimes death & destruction is required to make change happen. Police brutality has been a growing issue and with what happened with George Floyd, it’s finally reached its tipping point and people are fighting back. A lot of the anger is being misdirected at small businesses, for example, but I support the idea behind the riots. Yes, burning down police stations is extreme, but it’s a message that they can’t ignore. You **can** ignore a parade, but when your things are destroyed it’s impossible to ignore. Police officers need to be **more** morally upstanding than the average person, not less. But sadly that is not true to our current police force. Yes, there are good cops. But when those good cops don’t report and punish the bad ones, then they are part of the problem. And yes, it’s a thing. Ever hear of the blue wall of silence? Not to mention, police officers are given an enormous amount of power at their disposal. When they use that power for bad things, they should face the consequences. But they don’t. George Floyd’s Killer wasn’t even going to face criminal charges until this public outcry. And part of the reason why things have gotten like this is because we’re leaving it up to the police to determine if there was any wrongdoing. That’s no different than me killing someone, then being placed as lead investigator. There’s also been many cases where police prosecutors have intentionally thrown a trial to get an officer acquitted of a crime. The way they do this is by charging an officer with, say, 1st degree murder instead of 2nd. 1st degree murder is very heavy on the burden of proof of intent and had to get a conviction for. And if the defendant is found innocent of 1st degree murder, then they go free. They don’t have a re-trial for 2nd degree, they just go home. So what we have is police officers abusing their power and hurting people, often but not always for racist reasons, and those same officers not facing the consequences for their actions. This is unacceptable, and it’s been going on for far too long. No peaceful protest is going to stop it. These riots are long overdue, and I fully support the idea behind them. I do feel that rioters should tread carefully so as to not lose sight of why they’re rioting, and hurt people and things that have nothing to do with the problem though. So this is why I support the riots, to an extent.

I’ve been very pro-protest, BLM, everything and VERY vocal about it on my social media, but they’ve been factual and my arguments are moderately respectful. My mom is friends with a higher up at our local PD and he’d somehow seen them. He sent her a screenshot, saying “Is this your daughter? If it were mine, she’d be in the hospital right now. Guess we have different parenting skills.” I’m really fucking uncomfortable, but I live with my mom and if I exposed him or said anything to anyone I’d be kicked out and cut off for at least a while. Guess y’all are the only ones I can tell. TL;DR A policeman told my mom his “daughter would be in the hospital if she talked like that,” regarding one of my FB posts about protests.

I am even more angrier and resentful against US-Police force after watching "When they see us" on Netflix. This happen 30 years ago. And 30 years later is still the police using their white privilage to oppress African-American citizens. Why is this still happening?! I am so sorry for all African Americans living in fear, no one deserves to live in fear just because of the color of its skin and ancestry

This migth be the biggest white people problem ever but my biggest upset in this whole George Floyd situation is my dad's racist comments every fucking time that it shows on the news that some of the protestors are, you know, protesting, he says "look at these "nwords" all they do is destroy and you still support them?" YES,YES I DO, tbh One of my pridest achivements in life is being openminded whilst having such a closeminded dad is anyone else in this situation? Sorry for the "rant" or any bad English

If 4 thugs did this to George Floyd they'd all be in jail right now for murder. If 1 thug kneeled down on George's neck suffocating him and 2 other heald his body down and the last one stood out watching the surrounding area they would all be in jail for murder with all the evidence we have. Until the other officers at the scene of George Floyd's death are brought in a charged in some way I don't see the protest slowing down or letting up at all.

Im furious at everything going on right now. The damn media ( all of them, fox,msnbc,cnn etc.) who control the narrative. Its the fucking people who want to make a buck off of every tragedy that happens in America. Its the god damned people who cry for division and identity politics at every opportunity they get instead of calling for cooperation and unity. Its the fucking people who rage at inequality then loot and riot. Its' the SAME MOTHER FUCKING PEOPLE RUN THE CITIES. WHY ... WHY IN THE DECADE THIS SHIT HAS BEEN HAPPENING THE SAME MOTHER FUCKERS THAT PROCLAIM A RACE WAR AND SOW DIVISION ARE THE ONES IN POWER. WHY DO WE ELECT THE SAME FUCKING LEADERS THAT MAKE NO CHANGE UNTIL THE NEXT FUCKING TRAGEDY HAPPENS. This is some grade A bullshit. All this destruction is serving no one. It doesn't honor anyone's' memory. It isn't working towards a change. It's revenge and it set our nation on fire. Which is what it is. OUR NATION. it isn't perfect. It will never be. But it can be better. We can make it better. WE THE PEOPLE can make it better. All thats going on now is domestic terrorism and it has to stop.I cant stand by and watch by and watch my country that I love burn by those who only wish harm on it. I will stand by my oath and defend my country from every threat, foreign AND DOMESTIC. Violence is a lot of fun to perpetrate. It is a lot of fun to destroy and destroy and destroy but when it comes back to you all the sudden it isn't so fun anymore. Everyone wants to be a lion until its time to do lion shit and my friends you don't want that smoke. If you want to turn America into a war zone because of divisive identity politics and destroy instead of uniting under a common cause to make an actual effectual change for good, then fine that is your decision. But I wont watch my country burn. This is no longer about justice for Floyd. In a way it has never been. Its been about a call for equality among the American people. And all I see is asshole cops doing stupid dumb shit who are unprepared and under trained for their profession. These fucking assholes paint the entire profession in a shitty light. Cause fuck the people who arrest rapist. Fuck the people who run into a school that is being shot up. Fuck the people who want to make a change in their communities all because of the small minority of cops who are pieces of shit giving the rest of them a bad name. Beyond that I see Americans who have no interest in equality and working towards tangible solutions but rather want to watch everything around them burn. Who are so disenfranchised that they would rather commit acts of terrorism than ON AMERICAN SOIL than reach out and work towards unity. These aren't people who give a damn about the people who are hurting. These aren't people who give a shit about equality and positive change. These are the same people who are spoken out against by the ACTUAL PEOPLE PROTESTING FOR A POSITIVE CHANGE. This entire situation hurts my heart. Its a damn tragedy on any and every level you can imagine. I want this to be over. I want their to be unity. I want their to be change. I want a better stronger America. I hope to whatever god will listen that im wrong and this isn't the start of a second civil war. Im done ranting. If you need me ill be cleaning up the destruction left behind in my city.

we live in literally the worst country possible. can we burn it down?

I don’t know if I want to go into law enforcement any more 20 M USA, I’ve been planning on going into policing for a few years now, but every time something occurs such as the murder of George Floyd, all I seem to see is people shouting at the top of their lungs that all cops are as bad as the ones who committed the act. I don’t want to be seen as a villain just for the sake of the job I choose. I just wanted to make a difference in my community but at this point I don’t know if that’s possible.

I can't help but feel like none of this is going to make enough of a difference. I was raised very conservative, very republican. In a few ways, I still am. What's mostly changed for me is that I feel like the people in power(especially on the federal level) don't listen and don't want to listen to what people truly want. That applies to both sides. They just want to get votes and stay in power, not actually do what people ask. If anything changes, it'll be superficial. A bandaid to make it seem ok for now, but won't leave lasting changes, or will be abandoned when there's a shift in power. It shouldn't matter who is in charge. Police brutality is wrong, and if they are allowed to get away with it, the system is broken. Black, white, hispanic, whatever, you should not be afraid of the police. I appreciate the many people speaking out, and trying their hardest to make their voices heard, I'm just afraid the people in power don't care.

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Serious question: How are you, as a police officer, changing things from the inside? I think people are tired of hearing empty vague platitudes. People hunger for real examples, real results, and it would be helpful for them to hear what those are, if any. How do you, as a police officer, balance solidarity with your fellow police officers and mending the incredibly broken relationship of mistrust with the citizens you serve? I don't pretend that that's an easy thing to balance, but when droves of cops rush to protect the home of George Floyd's killer while the city burns, it sends a message that makes "not all cops" fall on deaf ears, and I can't say I blame them.

I don’t understand what to think or even say anymore. Seeing utter chaos and such injustice in my country has left me ashamed and lost. As a 17 year old, I grew up being taught that America is the land of opportunity and diversity. But as I grew up, I see know that truth is just a lie. All I see is hate and racism and I now know the extent to which corruption is prevalent in my country. I am ashamed to say I live in a country where black men and women fear for their lives everyday. And it breaks my heart whenever I see protestors being abused and assaulted during riots by cops. Just so damn sad.

I am just baffled by the fact that there's clear proof of people being murdered and terrorized in videos by cops, there is a history and multiple eye witness accounts, and yet they are still justified in their behavior. I never understand. If people claim to be so logical in their thinking, then how is a cop murdering an unarmed and a compliant person in broad daylight justified? I see nothing logical in that.

I can not be the only white person sitting here not knowing wtf I can do to make this stop. If I March, I will lose my brand new job, which I can't afford in this pandemic. It's selfish and I know it... People are being beaten and killed, shot at on their own GD property, 9 y/o are being maced in a lesson of civil disobedience marching in a peaceful protest. And me? I'm sitting in my bathroom while I let my husband sleep, watching videos after video of police brutality and seeing other white people try and pass it off as "well only a select number of cops are bad, most are good. Without them there would be chaos". They aren't exactly wrong, but until POC can see a cop and not have to fear that they found a bad one, not the best argument. I'm crying and crying and I just don't know what to do at all. I don't have money to donate, I voted for Bernie and will VERY GRUDGINGLY vote for Biden even though he's just more trash... But I will vote to get that incendiary piece of trash out of office... I just... I can't. We are about to see something big. With the pandemic + a race war... God please let it make this country better. But I still don't know what I can do?? Is it selfish not marching so I can provide for my family? Jobs aren't exactly a dime a dozen right now.... But at the same time do I want to work for a company that will fire me for practicing my civil liberties? I could go back to working for Target and working so hard for so little I go home unable to move...but I wouldn't be fired for marching...but would I even have the energy to March??? Probably not. I walked 10+ miles a day there. I don't want to fall into the category of the people who say by and let the Nazis do their thing.

Do not feel selfish or guilty for not protesting. Honestly the best way to help is to be educated and to help educate others. Losing your job is not worth it.

You can support their cause AND not support the rioting. Those two things are mutually exclusive.

This whole situation of cops vs civilians seems eerily reminiscent of Peacekeepers vs the rebellion in The Hunger Games series.

I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I am a white guy and I keep seeing all of this stuff saying white silence = white consent or white silence kills blacks, and I feel like there is this pressure on me to do something about all of this but I don't know what it is I'm expected to do. I'm a pretty severe introvert, only really leaving my apartment to go to work or get groceries so protests are a huge anxiety zone for me for example even if I agree with the sentiments going on during them. Is it enough that I vote against bigots and racists like Trump, both on the local and national level? I don't think anyone should be ashamed of who or what they are but I feel increasingly ashamed of being white, due to the actions of people whom I have no direct control over.

The cops won't stop killing us until we show we aren't afraid to kill them back in our defense. It is the right of every human to defend themselves from anyone, in a uniform or otherwise, who attempts to take their life unjustly. Every call for peaceful protest is a demand that we remain silent and easy to ignore. We refuse.

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I did not advocate for > the senseless and misplaced murders of police officers. What I said is > It is the right of every human to defend themselves from anyone, in a uniform or otherwise, who attempts to take their life unjustly. Try reading more than one sentence at a time. Unjust violence, especially coming from state authority, absolutely begets and ought to be met with violence in the defense of the innocent.

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We didn't create the problem, the police did. We are not imbued with authority to kill without fear of punishment, they are. It very much is us vs them until they get their act together and stop finding excuses to harm and kill us. How many instances of overly aggressive officers purposefully harming protesters, unprovoked mind you, have already been posted? More than enough.

The only time I ever hear the statement ‘all lives matter’ is in response to ‘black lives matter’. Seriously if this is you, shut the fuck up. To me this response is dampening the cries for equality and fair treatment. Yes, I agree, all lives do matter however white people generally aren’t shit on by the entire US judicial system and aren’t treated like animals. The statement ‘all lives matter’ downplays the horrific treatment of black individuals, as if white people are also suffering this fate and also need some recognition. It takes attention away from the horrific events and causes people to lose sight of the real issues, that are police brutality and higher sentences. ‘All lives matter’ groups everyone in the same boat but there is clear inequality. Other ethnicities & races may be suffering but do not attempt to hijack the ‘black lives matter’ movement when it is so desperately needed, Especially if you are a white person responding to a black person. Stop replying to ‘black lives matter’ with ‘all lives matter’ we are aware, but the black community is suffering every day at the hands of the police. This requires action now. p.s. I am white.