I think we’ve found the problem

.@naomiandu: Austin city leaders and residents criticize police officers' use of force during demonstrations against brutality https://t.co/oLzRxivJLY #txlege

— Evan Smith (@evanasmith) June 5, 2020

...and it ain’t Antifa.

This is happening in multiple cities across the country - police striking protesters with batons without an apparent provocation, or in the case of the man in Buffalo, shoving them. https://t.co/gjZqS7Tt7y

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) June 5, 2020

To simplify following the criminal justice news of the last 36 hours, I posted a set of 10 links to police brutality videos on Facebook

Can't do that here, obvs

So I'm putting them into a thread

— T. Greg Doucette (@greg_doucette) May 30, 2020

in one fell swoop, this appears to violate all 1st Amendmt protections
*prohibits free exercise of religion;
*abridges freedom of speech or press (bishop had criticized photo-op in media);
*prevents people from peaceably assembling, or petitioning govt for redress of grievances https://t.co/VmJ3Z6YvUi

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) June 4, 2020

For those of you (like myself) unfamiliar with the layout of Washington, D.C., here is a map identifying the "perimeter" being established around the White House:

White House officials stressed that Trump was not involved in the decision to beef up security or to increase the fencing around the compound’s perimeter, with one senior administration official saying that the precautions are not unique to the Trump administration.

Right; and Trump only went into the bunker for an "inspection."  Sure, I believe it.

During the protest in Houston yesterday one of the police officers noticed my daughter crying. She asked him “Are you gonna shoot us” he got down on one knee wrapped his arm around her and responded: pic.twitter.com/gQWF7HMf3l

— SimeonB 🦉 (@iamsimeonb) June 3, 2020

Equally sadly, this is the exception that proves the rule.

We have, in general, a police force that thinks it is the "thin, blue line" standing between chaos and order, and anybody on the streets is part of the "chaos."  This idea didn't originate with Trump; it goes back to the '60's, at least.  We still haven't rooted it out because we still haven't reconciled our rowdy democracy with the ideal of "order," where that ideal usually means "shut up and dribble" if you're a black basketball player, and "he has a right to an opinion" if you're a white quarterback.  Free speech, in other words, is still a privilege; a white privilege, for the most part, but a privilege to be exercised almost anywhere but on the streets.

Ironically, the most serious injury to any law enforcement/military member on the streets of D.C. came last night, when two National Guard members were struck by lightning.  I assume it's because they were carrying a great deal of metal.  Why they needed all that weaponry and protection, indeed, why they were even there at all, remains an open question.  If they were only meant to protect themselves, or buildings, from we the people, then we the people need to seriously re-examine who we put in charge.

I heard 20 year olds on NPR this morning talking against Trump, but not enthused by Biden.  My guess is most of them were too young, or too disinterested, to vote 4 years ago, and now they want to repeat the mistake of 2016 again, because Biden doesn't "enthuse" them.  I don't put much weight on the "youth" vote anyway, but I really do mind if you pay attention to what's going on, but sit this one out because Biden isn't your favorite choice.  This isn't a consumer product competition.  We the people really can't afford to make this same mistake twice in a row; but if we do, we'll deserve what we get.