As they should.
March, protest, and if you have to, full on fucking riot.
Don't let these fuckers get away with further destroying our country
It is prudent for police to be prepared for riots. Such an event would draw massive protest and counter-protest, and it is not improbable that riots would break out.
It is not prudent for us to riot if/when Trump fires Mueller. That is not itself the end of democracy - the proper action is to protest. Heavy protests - the protests and the cause for them must be the ONLY news story, 24/7, until Trump is removed from power - but not violent ones.
The point to put down the protest signs and pick up the torches and rope is if Congress refuses to impeach after what is a blatant seizure of power by a dictator. And at that point, the prudent action for the police is to join the revolution that then has to happen, because they "serve and protect" the people, not the powerful.
all you accomplish by rioting is steeling the GOP's cause and giving them justification for their treason. Well, that, and trashing your own hometown.
Only a fucktard riots. Smart people who actually want change will remain peaceful in their protest.
Tbqh, the GOP has constantly been trying to pass laws that discourage peaceful protesting and have found ways to demonize even the most peaceful of protestors. Peaceful protest, yes, that should be the way to fix a government. But when the government makes it nigh impossible for progress to be made from peacefully protesting.
Grab your pitch forks and go fucking riot.
a protest with approval from the state being protested is a parade
They also control the most powerful military force in the Western world and one of the most powerful propaganda movements on the entire fucking planet.
You want to doom your cause and get shot? Be my guest, go riot, in fact you can have my place in the picket line. At best the results of the riots are the GOP's propaganda arm twisting and spinning it into painting everyone protesting as violent extremists that should be wholly ignored and further cementing their positions. But in all likelihood, if riots break out, quite a few people are getting shot.
If Trump fires™ Mueller then I think the only sensible response would be to fire back - more specifically my smoothbore cannon through the windows of a nearby library.
Don't react violently, that's the most idiotic thing to do.
I'm not sure if "protesting = good, rioting =/= not good" point is foolproof. If the threat of an insane amount of noise being kicked up gives trump and co. pause, maybe it's a good thing.
Peaceful protest only works if your enemy has a conscience.
And if they don't have an entire military and police institution, national guard, coast guard, and so on that can and would be used by Donald Trump, or at least tried, to end any protests, revolution, or rioting in the streets.
Welp, Pittsburgh's where I'll be protesting myself if the order comes down. Police definitely have reason to be prepared for rioting, but hopefully things remain peaceful, and VERY hopefully the police won't try to teargas peaceful protesters or give them a real reason to riot.
I almost feel like there will be a convenient pocket of violence in the higher profile protest areas that'll allow the protests to be vilified / shut down at this point.
If Trump orders the military in to quash peaceful protests, there would be immediate mutiny and defection. I'm pretty sure SecDef Mattis would personally lead a squad of marines to storm the White House and throw Trump in the brig, not to mention all the soldiers who would refuse such a blatantly unlawful order.
Even in less democratic countries, whenever the military is ordered to fight a civilian resistance, there's an immediate round of defection to the opposition. I fully expect at least 20% of our military to outright revolt, and more to refuse to fight, if it ever comes to deploying troops against our own people.
Donny may be President but he's not yet dictator. The military, paramilitary and police are loyal to the Constitution, not the President himself. At least for now. Maybe that will change - but such a change will cost more than anyone in their right minds would pay.
There will be a sizeable enough chunk of the armed forces that remain loyal to the White House that it would be utter chaos on the streets. I have no doubts that we would have a sizeable revolt in the ranks, and that Mattis would lead the charge(He's been snarkily slipping hints through his statements the whole time he's been in office that the military should be loyal to the constitution not the president), but there will be a sizeable and significant portion of the military that does not defect that anyone rioting will find themselves staring down the barrels of a few tanks.
This is a naively optimistic opinion.
Oh yeah. If it comes to that, it's quite literally a revolution. Civil War 2: Nuclear Boogaloo. Even if the "good guys" win, it's going to be long and bloody and destructive. It's the end of the US as a superpower for sure, definitely going to leave tens, if not hundreds of millions dead, and possibly will involve foreign powers (I don't doubt for a second that Russia wouldn't at least send aid, if not actual troops, simply to prolong the civil war).
I highly doubt it will come to that, though. Quite simply, it's unprofitable. The rich and powerful, save a few nutjobs, would never stand for a revolution because there's too much risk they'll end up walked to a guillotine or lined up against a wall. You don't get to be rich and powerful by taking risks with such bad odds, high penalty for failure and relatively low reward.
The protests, in a sense, are not directly for Congress's benefit. It's for the 1% - to make them afraid the angry mob with signs and slogans will turn into an angry mob with torches and rope, so *they* call up their senator and say "if you don't impeach that crazy tangerine, you can kiss my campaign donations goodbye!"
Kent State Shootings 2: Electric Boogaloo
Except using that kind of force to shut down revolts will embroil the revolt even more. Especially when the issue at hand is the president being a fascist and using the military to keep his control in the first place.
The military does do riot control though, calling the military doesn't mean M4 Carbines and Stryker IFV's. It would be troops, but armed with shields and batons.
It's pretty stupid to violently riot in your town. You're basically destroying local businesses and harming people far removed from the problem that might be on your side.
By destroying private property and blocking transportation you harm people's livelihoods, people who have to make a living, need to get to work, etc. rather than the politicians at fault.
Just spitballing here, but peaceful protesting by blocking / protesting at key political institutions, town halls, politicians' neighborhoods / local streets, the headquarters/office buildings of corporations / firms / lobbyists that pay politicians to push terrible policy, etc. and sending a message by effectively striking seems more prudent than destroying the local 7/11 and blocking streets for people who are paid by the hour or can't be late without losing their job, or preventing ambulances/fire trucks from saving lives.
Then again the issue with leaderless movements is that a small group of shitlords can take advantage of protests and go hog wild while making a bad name for the movement so I'm not sure how to effectively prevent the news from picking bad apples and claiming everyone is rioting.
Don't riot, please don't, but if you do at least don't attack small businesses or government property (as appealing as that last one sounds that's taxpayers dollars being destroyed).
Dear American friends,
Don't riot until you have only the options of rioting or starting a violent rebellion. Don't riot until it is the least-extreme choice available to you. Please stick to peaceful demonstration until peaceful demonstration is no longer possible or feasible.
The future of your nation as you understand it depends on all of you not giving the other side an excuse to declare you seditionists who must be crushed with prejudice.
Agreed 100%, but there are a lot of people who just will not see the forest for the trees, and will play right into their hands.
Quite a few people think we're already at the stage where peaceful protesting is meaningless. It sure feels that way.
What's with people thinking this huge war would break out.
Either the military would just say "No" and then nothing happens or Trump is tried or they say "Okay" and they go there.
It's not going to suddenly be a Dwarf Fortress style mood collapse with the military deploying, getting there, then turning their guns on each other and opening up.
You've never seen an actual coup happen before, have you?
How many of those have happened in the United States?
How many presidents have ordered the military to just march into a city and open fire on protesters?
Why does everyone create this scenario where things go from 1 to 11 to 100 without any in between and without anyone stopping it before they get that far?
What's so special about America that it Can't Happen There?
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