People are being stoked and encouraged into violence to make a political statement FOR THEM.
What's disappointing is how this may be spreading...like a virus even (how ironic!). Louisville, KY apparently is now seeing some of this unhealthy protesting.
Okay, back to your point, Sam. Well said. What did Jakob Frey think was going to happen when he came right out and said the police officers need to be charged with murder. Talk about an accelerant!
Frey probably thought he was showing solidarity with the protesters, but it was mayoral malpractice. If I were a local business owner whose business was impacted by this mess I would be looking for lawyers to sue him and the city of Minneapolis.
Speaking of lawyers, Frey may have given the POs' defense lawyers (when they are charged) a solid motion (or motions), re: a fair trial. Further, I have no doubt the defense lawyers will also cite the ridiculous lock-down imposed by MN's - yup - Dem governor as an additional reason why the POs acted as they did: they are just as tired as the front-line health care workers are in places like NY (I mention NY because there are virtually no COVID deaths outside of nursing homes in MN). No doubt, the lawyers will claim, the police have been fried trying to enforce the gov's draconian and ill-advised lock-down. In other words, tempers and patience were already at the fraying point (to be clear, I'm NOT saying this is what I believe).
One last point, re: those (mostly on the Left) who are giving the looters a free pass because of "historical oppression." I get it; they are trying to make the case that these are crimes of passion. But that logic just doesn't hold up (from multiple angles and on multiple levels). And I laugh (cynically) when I see these folks who very vocally criticized peaceful protest by (mostly) the Right for not wearing masks and not social distancing saying zilch about the same lack of anti-COVID practice during this protest/looting/violence. Apparently, historical oppression beats COVID-19 more than sunlight! Whodathunkit?
We made it through the second half of the 1960s/first few years of the 1970s.... I hope we can make it through this.
--- End of line (MCP)