The riots and violence in response to the killing of George Floyd have reached almost unheard-of proportions. President Trump is set to activate the National Guard in an effort to halt the widespread destruction and is in the process of forming a central command center that would help beleaguered states regain control of the lawless cities.
Amid the noise and forced narrative of the Fourth Estate that appears to be using this crisis as a cudgel against the administration, it is more difficult than ever to find actual facts. As such, Liberty Nation presents an overview of the happenings in these unprecedented times.
Last Night in America
The last 24 hours have witnessed arson, looting, and more than a little violence. From New York to California, protests have become riots. Here is just a handful of last night’s incidents.
In St. Louis, MO, four police officers were shot during the rioting. The officers were standing behind a police line at the time. Reports also suggest that officers have been shot in Richmond, VA, and Las Vegas.
According to police reports, up to 200 people looted and vandalized Hilltop Mall in Richmond, CA. False reports were given that there had been a shooting. Around 15 individuals were arrested.
Eugene, OR, will be enacting a curfew starting at 10 p.m. Tuesday night in the downtown area. As will other cities around the country. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio will Tuesday bring his city's existing curfew forward from 11 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Los Angeles city and county have enacted a curfew from 6 p.m. onward.
In Tulsa, OK, police used tear gas and pepper balls to disperse crowds after reports of protestors smashing windows. Governor Kevin Stitt approved the use of the National Guard to assist the police.
The United Daughters of the Confederacy headquarters in Richmond, VA, was set on fire and graffitied. Nearby apartment buildings were also burned with firefighters only allowed to access the area after police had dispersed the blocking protestors with tear gas.
All About the Culture Vultures
Not to be left out, entertainment companies have decided that the best thing they can do in troubled times is to express solidarity with those who see violence as a justifiable opportunity to virtue signal. Numerous corporations, talent managers, and entertainment industry law firms have decided to participate in Blackout Tuesday. Work will stop, staff will be encouraged to reflect on current events, and the sharing of hashtags will be de rigueur.
#TheShowMustBePaused is their watchword, and wokeness appears to be their aim.
United Talent Agency, ICM Partners, Creative Artists Agency, Gersh, Verve, Pantheon, APA Agency, and TalentWorks have all signed up to make Tuesday “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community” as “an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change.”
One wonders how the millions of people struggling to get a paycheck or bunkering in their homes as mobs burn their cities will ever cope with talent agencies taking a day off.
Professional Agitators?
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) perhaps best described the growing disconnect between what is being portrayed in the press and what people actually see. He said that the all-too-eager media has fallen “for the calculated & deliberate tactics of professional agitators … [who] deliberately stayed to trigger police action & get the story they wanted, that ‘police attacked peaceful protesters.’”
Describing the key group of rioters as “young white men, dressed in all black, with helmets, gas masks, knee pads, shields & hammers,” Rubio asked rhetorically if that “isn’t enough to be at least a little suspicious.”
Rubio has been making the case since this crisis began that the cause of those demanding justice for the family of George Floyd has been hijacked by agitators who “hate the police, they hate the government, and they want this country to fall apart … some of them want a Second Civil War.”
Looking at the devastation, looking at the tactics, and finally, looking at the blood that has been spilled and the blood that will almost certainly follow, it is difficult to disagree with the senator.
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Read more from Mark Angelides.
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