Laura Hollis: How Much Destruction Are Americans Willing to Take?

In Boston and Atlanta, riots broke out over the past week. Atlanta saw rioters allegedly get violent over Manuel Esteban Paez Teran’s death. He was an environmental activist and was shot in the stomach by a Georgia State Trooper. (The officer survived. Teran and others were protesting construction of a new training facility for police officers. According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations, the protests have been ongoing and violent since months. Property was destroyed, buildings were damaged by arson, windows were shattered and windows set on fire by police cars and officers. Some of the people arrested following last week’s riots were found to have explosives.

The shooting death last month of Sayed Faisal, 20, triggered the unrest in Boston. Faisal, who is said to have been suffering from mental illness, ran at police with a short sword and refused to stop even when police tried to use it. “sponge” Rounds to subdue him

Antifa is a factor in both the Boston and Atlanta riots. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia congressional representative) has introduced legislation declaring Antifa activists to be “domestic terrorists.” It is time for such a designation, to fight Antifa and other groups using riots to their advantage.

The American political history is filled with violence. However, this current wave began after Donald Trump was elected President in 2016. His Inauguration Day saw thousands of black-clad rioters wreck havoc in Washington, D.C., spraying graffiti all over buildings, smashing store windows, throwing projectiles at police officers, and setting fire to public trash cans and vehicles, including a limousine. At the time, the destruction and riots were described as follows: “coordinated” And “organized.” Similar anti-Trump demonstrations broke out across the country. Violence also occurred in many of these cities.

All Inauguration Day protesters were cleared of charges despite the destruction of the capital. According to NBC News, the government’s July 2018 decision was made because it was up against. “an intensely coordinated grassroots political opposition network that made Washington the focus of a nationwide support campaign — offering free lodging for defendants, legal coordination and other support.”

Dylan Petrohilos (one of the rioters) celebrated the victory by declaring: “The solidarity we showed … won out.” Sam Menefee Libey (another activist) agreed to the same, stating, “I hope that organizers and people on the left study it.”

That sure seems so.

Antifa activists are responsible for many violent protests since 2017. In 2018, Antifa actors showed up at “Unite the Right” Political rallies were held in Washington, D.C., Charlottesville, Virginia, and Toronto, Canada. They targeted journalists, police officers, and random bystanders.

2019 was even worse with Antifa violence spreading to more places. Andy Ngo, a journalist, was attacked by Antifa thugs in June while covering a demonstration in Portland, Oregon. Ngo wrote an opinion piece in December for Newsweek warning that Antifa thugs had beaten Andy Ngo. “the violence that swirls around antifa and those who fall victim to its ideology may only grow in 2020.”

He had no idea how prophetic those words were.

2020 was the Year of Riots. George Floyd, who was in Minneapolis police custody on May 25, died. This sparked protests across the country calling for changes in police policies. Jacob Blake, a non-lethal shooting in Kenosha (Wisconsin), further fueled public sentiment.

Nearly 9,000 protests broke out in more than 300 U.S. towns. Although most protests were peaceful and small, some turned violent. 22 states were affected by the National Guard being called in, including Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Louisville, Minneapolis, New York City, Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Francisco, Bakersfield, Chicago, Dallas, Des Moines, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Chicago, Bakersfield, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San José, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Phoenix, Portland, Phoenix, Portland, San Jose, Sacramento, San Jose, Portland, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, Washington, Bakersfield, Dallas, Dallas, Des Moines, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Jose, San Joa, one weekend, Broken windows, damaged vehicles, stolen property, buildings set ablaze, attacks on police officers, and gunfire.

Violence and lawlessness spread. Portland saw more than three months of violence. Nightly riots. Arson was a common occurrence in many cities, and looting resulted in millions of dollars. Businesses — including minority-owned businesses — were damaged and destroyed. New York City suffered 450 of these damages. Minneapolis/St. Paul — 360 of them completely destroyed.

Three days of rioting and arson in Kenosha, Wisconsin — a city of less than 100,000 people — damaged more than 100 buildings and destroyed 40 local businesses, including the entire Black business district.

In total, more than two dozen people were killed in the 2020 riots that cost $2 billion. Insured losses. There are no insurance policies that cover losses beyond what is covered.

These riots are accompanied by at least two points of view. First, it’s not really. “violence” It doesn’t have to be property destruction. If there is no entity or organization behind it, then the rioters will just appear organically and spontaneously. “do their own thing.”

Both claims are absurd.

Anyone who has lost the business that they worked so hard to build can attest to how devastating it was. It is Actual violence

Many of the people arrested in Atlanta’s recent riots are not from Georgia. Strangely, this has been the case for many of the riots that have occurred in the past few years, including Inauguration day 2017.

Who is rallying them? “troops”? Who is paying for their travel expenses and lodging when they travel to their willful destruction? Who pays for their bail and legal representation when they are detained?

A more important question is: What do the violent people in this country know? Riots get them what their want. Will Americans continue to tolerate it?

You can learn more about Laura Hollis or read cartoons by other Creators Syndicate writers at www.creators.com.

Credit: kirahoffmann Pixabay

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