I thought it was very embarrassing that people who support a lot of the same political views as me lowered themselves to be common thugs. But that's just my opinion and like I said, maybe we just disagree on this.
I'm with you - mostly. I do tend to believe that once you resort to violence on an issue - just as, in an argument, resorting to insults - you are conceding defeat. Rioting and resorting to violence PROVES the point that you should NOT be taken seriously.
While I get that when you're a cop, and a 300 lb man charging at you presents a threat - armed or unarmed - it is hard to see how fearsome an unarmed 5'2", 115 lb woman is that dangerous, especially to trained law enforcement. Pure speculation, he simply picked a target.
Once those other videos came out - it became increasingly muddy on what took place. There's a video of an elderly protester - an old woman - climbing the steps outside - and cops pushing her backwards - falling - down the steps - twice. She got up and they shoved her again, down the steps, twice. As peaceful as I am, I'd have a hard time not wanting to hit any cop that did that.
But what gets me the most about J6 is, even though we have all seen the confrontational moments between entering protesters inside the building - the bulk of the videos show almost exactly the opposite. While there were people climbing and smashing - enormous numbers didn't do any climbing at all, but were simply let in, with cops holding the doors. Video of people just walking in, with cops standing nearby.
And so there's been persons charged with trespass, even if they were inside less than a minute. People charged with crimes who actually never entered. People charged who didn't even show up that day. And it seems like once again, the bulk of the footage is still off limits.
Don't get me wrong - I do not justify going in. I do think it's hard to resist going in - when you see others going in while police just stand and watch. I've only ever been to a protest once, and it wasn't political, and we did it with our presence, and with singing. Had police been there and waved us inside, I don't think I would have second guessed them and feared being charged with trespass.
But heretofore, the public was given this image of bloodthirsty, marauding troops of barbarians smashing and attacking - while the footage tends to support that the overwhelming majority was just people walking around, snapping selfies and in many cases, just - leaving. The QAnon Shaman - Jacob Chansley - we've seen being quietly led through the building with police on either side, checking doors and him THANKING them as he stood in chambers.
There's a lot that went on that day that we're not supposed to see - but it wasn't the storming of the Bastille.
______________________________________________________________________________________
To my OP - Ray Epps has been the subject of conjecture for years now. The question, who is Ray Epps has joined Who is John Galt and Ray Epstein didn't kill himself in the public culture. He IS seen on camera inciting the crowd - repeatedly - and fighting the police - yet until very recently, wasn't charged with anything, leading speculation that he was a plant.
