One afternoon, one of the "Protectors" decided to verbally abuse laborers working along the harbor. Not only would they routinely use profane language, they would use the butt of their rifles to violently "convince" anyone looking at them "sideways" who the "real" authority was. Except that day was different. Those laborers being harassed by "police"? Americans working for none other than John Hancock along Boston's harbor. What was the reaction by the Americans to the incessant demeaning and violent actions of the occupying military police? A confrontation - a protest - an action by Americans to demand their rights as equal citizens be upheld. The date? March 5, 1770. A group of Americans, led by none other than Samuel Adams (Founder of the "Sons of Liberty"), protested in front of the English barracks demanding justice. The outcome, 5 people dead, 6 wounded. The first to die in the conflict with England? Crispus Attucks, a Black man. He is considered the first casualty of the American Revolution. In a purely non-scientific guess, I'm willing to bet that 99% of the American public couldn't begin to tell you anything about the Boston Massacre, let alone who Crispus Attucks was. And that's the problem.
America was founded on social unrest. After having been under the tyrannical rule of King George III, the Framers determined that a new form of government was necessary - one that always put the people in charge of the government, and not the other way around. And today, after "softening up the public" for over three years of Donald Trump's bullshit (telling us that the media is the "Enemy of the People" and that we ought to "go back to the old days when dealing with protesters...") evokes images of the violent era of Jim Crow instead of the era of our Founding Patriots seeking freedom under an uniquely designed American form of governance.
When the President of the United States, with the assistance of his personal Attorney General and the Courts which he has stacked with sycophants (who have no real courtroom experience as jurists), we have a similar situation today that we had in 1770. When the police become the aggressors, when they can no longer be discerned from the military, when the police indiscriminately fire into protesting crowds, when they reflect views tied to White Supremacy, when the police knowingly openly attack the media, and when the President threatens to invoke violence solely to protect his failed presidency, then we have a real problem in America - one our Founding Fathers clearly understood. The authorities vested with the power to protect society, are now using that authority to view anyone protesting to be "Un-American" and therefore, subject to police brutality and arrest - all under the guise to protect property while in reality engaging solely to promote "superiority" and racist ideologies over the people. We have lost our way. America without real leadership is heading towards an abyss filled with trouble that may negatively impact our society for generations.
As of this writing, the President still has done nothing to calm the nation. In fact, he has done the exact opposite. Sensing he will not be re-elected this November, Trump is playing a violent game. One where his supporters willingly take up arms to support his authoritative regime.
If I had my way - police would never be allowed to shoot randomly into a crowd of protesters. Cops would never be allowed to gild themselves with full military garb and equipment. Cops would be terminated if they flash White Power signs or act in an manner that would be considered criminal by anyone not wearing a badge. Citizen review boards must be established and police liability protections should be abolished. "To Protect and Serve" should apply to ALL Americans, not just the ones that look like the cops or believe that only certain elements of society need to be incarcerated. And the cherry on top - all Americans are subject to the law - even those occupying the Oval Office.
On a side note, despite Trump saying "America is open for business" - he really mean those in the Undertaking (ie., burial) kind of business. With over 105,000 Americans dead and 40 million unemployed, Trump has doubled-down on his efforts to tear America apart and force citizens to fight each other. When Trump said he wanted to be viewed like a "War Time President", I didn't know he meant Jefferson Davis. Try to have a safe week. Be well.