Minnesota Meltdown
In reference to the event that took place in Minnesota, USA:
Kick the dog until it bites, then shoot it.
Up front I want to make it clear that I am not trying to 'pick sides' here. The details are still coming out. The footage is up, but an investigation will take days. And in the end, it doesn't make a difference. Whether justified or not, that woman has been killed, her family devastated, the officer's life undoubtedly altered. And unfortunately, this likely only marks an escalation of tensions, meaning more tragedy will possibly follow. The purpose of this post is more to call out the polarising tactics at play.
Which tactics are those? Screaming 'I'm not touching you' as they get in your face, in a fighting stance. If you put up your hands to defend yourself, push them back, then 'you threw the first punch' and all bets are off. Now you're the 'aggressor'.
It's easy to spot once you know to look for it. 'Peaceful' protests that happen to involve direct confrontation with armed federal law enforcement. Whether inadvertently or not, blocking traffic and then driving your car toward law enforcement officers holding guns WILL escalate things.
Should you be shot for your actions? Maybe, maybe not. It's easy to go frame by frame and analyse 'was he going to be hit? Could he avoid it?' but the people in the scenario didn't have that luxury in the moment. When you're suddenly in a fight for your life... sometimes the choice is to fight, sometimes it's flight, and you have to pick in a matter of milliseconds which universe you're gonna end up in.
Regardless of the gritty and tragic details, the tactic remains the same.
Harass and provoke the dog (law enforcement) until it bites (shoots someone 'in defense') and then shoot the dog (post the videos online, conveniently re-framing the build up and calling the officers Nazis [which implies they should be shot]).
Harass and provoke the dog (protesters) until it bites (blocks the road and drives toward officers) and then shoot the dog (self explanatory).
A similar incident happened in October⤻ where a protester rammed a police blockade with a rented moving truck. The similarity is in the tactics: plausible deniability is the name of the game with many of these events. In this case, the driver can say 'your honour, I was just backing up my vehicle to turn around and leave the area, and they started shooting at me'. They harass and provoke, then once they get the response they want, they plead innocent.
Here's the final word from me though. This has been a tragedy through and through. Rest in peace to the woman who was killed. Anyone gloating or extolling the violence is sick. Despicable. As for the people who insist that any enforcement of federal law is 'literally fascism', and that 'the Nazis brutally murdered a woman in cold blood just for a laugh', then I can only ask that you 1) take a deep breath and 2) avoid falling for the trap that has been laid for you. Remember that this tactic works both ways. Your calls for violence and dehumanising of law enforcement officers will be seen as provocation as well. And Lord knows, we don't need more tragedy.
Yours Truly,
[Redacted]