When did we become a country that allows this?

I don't think we are a country that allows this. But I'm not surprised that this is the result when democratic leaders won't do their job and protect their citizens.

It's acceptable because Republicans won't allow sensible gun laws. I think it is absolutely ridiculous that this is ok, but I guess people like pixiechick are ok with it. Has nothing to do with Democratic leaders not "protecting their people."

Ah, yes, their big guns, or so they think!

Well ‘we’ allowed an armed group to storm into a state house and threaten to hang elected officials and not a single thing was done to them.
Not arrested. Not fined.

So long as your white and right wing it’s ok to run around like terrorists

How much are people supposed to take? Peaceful and legal means have not resulted in justice. Perhaps those who don't want violence should join us in voting for people who DO want to bring justice.

You know what they say: no justice, no peace. Keep voting for the racist right and keep getting riots - particularly when, in many cases, the police charged with keeping the peace actually incited the violence.

It's amazing to me that the folks who claim to be all about our founding and this country's supposed exceptionalism completely ignore the fact that the US was founded in open, violent revolt against tyranny because legal and peaceful attempts to obtain justice failed.

It's amazing how they claim to be in favor of the rule of law, but are happy to throw out fundamental concepts like due process when it involves a group they don't like. It's amazing how little they care for the rule of law when those rules are being ignored in cases involving people whose lives they consider less worthy of protection than their own.

Yes, can someone address this for me? or show any statistics? I of course live in the underbelly of MN republican land, and there are a lot of people posting on fb about how they are voting for the person who doesn't allow burning and violence..I'm like??? blink? so it's all the democrats doing that?

I've been watching this unfold today as the verdict was announced. While the verdict outright SHOCKED me, the rest didn't. I feel so saddened that we can't figure out how to protest in a safe way and not end up being more fodder for the orange asshole in office. This all plays right into his grubby hands and into the cheers of his base. OF COURSE he'd think that the National Guard should be sent in. OF COURSE the unrest would be filmed. It was as though they were just waiting for it, then filmed it, and then it'll be another talking point against the BLM people.

Are we in a sick, twisted Mark Burnett show for the past 4 years? If so, I wish it would be cancelled so that we could move on!!!!!!!

I'll just take a moment to point out that here in the city that was George Floyd's home, there were several nights of protest with little/no violence or destruction of property. Not because people here aren't angry, but because our Democratic mayor, police chief and county executive made a point of validating that anger and expressing shared sorrow. The police chief walked with the protestors instead of turning his officers on them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

In cities where the police made the choice to use violent means to "quell" protests, violence escalated, protests lasted longer, and more property was destroyed.

So I disagree that violence happened because mayors didn't do enough to stop protests. Often it was that they and/or the police (local or federal mercenary troops) did too much to try to stop them.

We don't have a history of turning military weapons on our own citizens in the US a la Tiananmen square, but that sort of crushing power seems to be what Trumplicans would have preferred, rather than acknowledging the righteous fury of the people protesting.

(Oh, and when the "law and order" folks then turn around and want to boycott sports because players take a knee during the anthem, they show just how full of shit they are. It's not violent protest they're opposed to. It's ANY protest. Any indication that black people in this country don't want to just sit down and know their "place.")

Merge, are you talking MPLs? I don't think the chief actually walked with any protestors til about a wk after everything. It actually was strange that he was no where in the picture in the beginning? it was the mayor and Governor speaking. No site of him. I do think it was Walz's fault about the huge violence and damage. I think a lot of it could have been decreased. Again, I'm a democrat. I like walz. I think more could have been done. We don't know what could have happened, the what if. I don't think the protests would have cont'd to cont and cont it they had been more restrained. I'm not talking violence against the protestors. I'm talking just something else that could have been done. Though I suppose the Trumpsters would have preferred they were fired on...so..

No, I was talking about Houston. Floyd's hometown. He wasn't from Minneapolis.

I’m dead serious when I say, this needs to happen again and now.  I’m done with the kowtowing to the religious conservative right who regularly infringe on the rights of others.

And the gun toting right wing is so dumb that they believe they will be allowed to keep their guns if trump get the totalitarian dictatorship that he wants installed. Guns are the first thing dictators round up. Until they do, where are the Black Panthers when we need them? I'm old enough to remember when they armed themselves. It was legal and glorious.   

How did Trump encourage violence? Specifics