The problem with repressing peaceful protests...

Trump has apparently adopted the policy of denying the constitutional right of people to peacefully protest. This became obvious when he abused his power for a photo-op in DC holding an upside-down Bible. Followed by his use of U.S. armed forces under his command to attack peaceful protesters. Now he is building a Gestapo-like force to repress peaceful protests.

I lived for several years in Latin American countries, at a time of the worst social unrest. And saw several things. One of them is that this doesn't work. Repressing peaceful protest does not dissuade people from protesting. It just gives them more reasons to protest. The other is that if people find that they have no way of making a difference using peaceful methods, the next step is to try violent methods. The majority of the people turn violent when they are desperate and are left with no other option but violence. It's unavoidable.

Trump's Gestapo is a bad idea at all levels. And this is shown in Portland, where protests were starting to wind down. Repression gave them new life and new reasons to continue.

Maybe (just a thought) the plan is to find some way to turn peaceful protests violent, so he can create a talking point. And it might work. Because if he keeps this up, that is exactly what's going to happen. But it's a move of desperation that is likely to cause all sorts of negative consequences.

 

I'm ok with peaceful protest and don't know anyone who isn't. When the 'protesters' start burning and looting is the issue.

 

One thing seems very clear...Trump is not concerned with the lives of Americans (or humans in general).
That is evident by his handling of a deadly pandemic and the rioting. The only thing that is important to him is loyalty....
but it is not loyalty to this country that concerns him.
Blind devotion to himself is what he seeks...and he will except nothing less.
That is what makes him so dangerous.

 

Problem is that you have peaceful protesters exercising their constitutional right and then some looters hanging on the fridges using them as cover - and Trump's Brown Shirts not making a distinction between the two.

 

Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland --- the left calls these peaceful. The left are stone fracking crazy.

 

Are you Ok with Trump repressing those peaceful protests? By which I mean using Navy helicopters against protesters, or creating an... almost "personal" police force (like the one many dictators like Hussein and Ghadafi had) to pick up people who are protesting peacefully, off the street without even charging them with anything?

 

60+ days of the left throwing a temper tantrum in their own territory and its supposedly Trump's fault for the feds having to send in DHS to protect federal assets.

You just can't make up a stupider assertion.

 

Water cannons, dogs, tear gas, rubber bullets and very big hard batons. An afternoon's healthy exercise. Clear the street trash and get back to civil living.

Godwin's Law references in three, two.....

 

And yet somehow... you managed to make it.

 

the protesters Trump had attacked for his photo op were peaceful, that is the problem

 

Really now... sorry not buying it.

 

Yeah! Look how clean it looked yesterday, a week after the Trump Gestapo started their "healthy exercise"....

 

Those police officers are NOTHING like Hussein's Fedayeen, his secret police. I've dealt with them personally in Najaf, 2003, and they were a special kind of evil. When the feds start raping daughters and wives and disecting son's out front of fathers to scare the rest of population into submission, then you let me know. Our federal police have been extremely well behaved, and reacting exactly as they should.

 

I wonder how all those stores got looted and damaged and how all those people got killed and injured in those peaceful protests?

 

Since when is burning and looting private and government property "peaceful protesting". Since when is throwing bricks and frozen water bottles, shooting fireworks at and trying to blind police with lasers "peaceful protesting"?

 

One, who said they aren't charged with anything?
Two, comparing federal officers like what Hussein and Ghadafi had, maybe you should talk to those picked up by those two and compare their testimonial to those pickup by federal officers...oh, you cant cause Hussein and Ghadafi killed those people and our officers processed people and let them go in hours.
Three, these are not 'peaceful' protestors.

 

Clear.
The.
Streets.

Very big water cannons. Wet ain't dead.

 

Hussein had years to train them. Trump just put this together, probably in the last few weeks.

Give Trump four more years and... we'll see... Right now, they are taking off. But if you believe that this is "restraint"....

 

The problem with repressing peaceful protests...

The problem is failing to see that the protests aren't peaceful.

 

Obama put in the law that allowed for it to be considered illegal to protest anywhere secret service is located. Sorry, but thank Obama for that particular power.

 

Yaaasssssss!!!!!!

 

If they get like the Fedayeen, I'll be out fighting them myself as well. It's not going to happen. And yes, I think they are showing quite a lot of restraint.

 

Unless you work for FOX....the stupider... the better the bonus.

 

derp derp fox news derp...

 

That’s part of the problem we know who some of the “protestors” burning, looting, and killing law enforcement but aren’t acting to curtail their activity. Cough-cough they’re definitely not all “protestors”.

We possess the intelligence and tools to act but choose not to act.

Rather we have an administration attempting create a brand to market politically misusing the tools of state in the process.

That is what is maddening.