Embed Notice

@GhostOnTheHalfShell @MisuseCase @StillIRise1963

All of the above.

People forget now, but after the cops murdered George Floyd, the first days of protests were almost completely peaceful. It was only when they brought charges against the officers who murdered Floyd that the police decided they had to make an example of the people of Minneapolis by turning the protests violent. It was the police who made the situation violent, and it was purposeful. And the first step of that was the police making it really clear to all the middle-aged / senior white people — exactly the people who were out in force for Hands Off — that they needed to go home because it was about to become unsafe.

I don’t know exactly how we white people effectively counter that police strategy at scale. When so many white people were afraid to show up even for the oatmeal-level danger of yesterday’s Hands Off rallies (and yes, a •lot• of people were), how do we hold the numbers and maintain white participation when police start threatening? I don’t know. But I do think that “solidarity” and “shield” are both important thoughts here.