I’m starting to think that this discrepancy cuts to the heart of the article in the post. Assuming that Walz’s figure wasn’t 100% fabricated, where would he get a figure like that? I would assume that many, if not most, residents of Minneapolis are walking, biking, taking transit and carpooling to these protests. That would mean that the vast bulk of traffic they are monitoring would be coming from outside the city. Which is exactly the issue at hand here; mass surveillance of the legal and Constitutionally-protected movement of citizens to protest government-sponsored murder and systemic injustice.
I’m obviously speculating here, but it leaves two options if I’m wrong; the government is fabricating data to fit a narrative (and/)or deploying a massive surveillance apparatus to infringe on their citizens’ rights.
Now, since we’re well down this rabbit hole, let’s see how many of those vehicles are registered to people affiliated with right-wing groups and off-duty cops with hammers behind the front seat…
Cops Kill Because We Gave Them The Legal Framework to Do It
Rather than burning and looting, protesters should turn their ire on lawmakers and judges who facilitate police immunity.
The “We” in that headline being American conservatives, I assume. The problem isn’t “big out-of-control government”, but government very much in thrall to corporations and to the wealthy (who are overwhelmingly white). The protesters know that, which is why they’re out in the streets instead of believing this BS narrative that conservatives and AynCaps who’ve spent decades blocking police reform (like abolishing QI) were in favour of it all along. The reality of American “free”-market conservatism since the 1980s is reflected in this Kim Stanley Robinson quote:
That’s libertarians for you – anarchists who want police protection from their slaves.
The American Conservative can shove its disingenuous spin up its arse.
Focusing on racial bias also risks obscuring the fundamental problem:
Seriously?!? No
Fuck off with that bullshit.
Yes, QI is a problem. But white supremacy is a bigger problem. This isn’t about one death. This is about an entire system that disproportionately punishes black people. Racial bias is the problem. It is the root cause. Saying to ignore it as a distraction is some of the most white bullshit I have seen all week, and I say this as a white person surrounded by white people.
As per federal law, it is illegal to fire on an unmanned aircraft. Of course that is separate from any morale or patriotic duty.
Disclaimer: it’s not safe to shoot guns in the air or intentionally crash aircraft. But I can’t find any fault in making sure it never takes off in the first place.
