Thread by @Neoavatara

A little perspective on the protests this summer:

1. All started with George Floyd's killing. A day later, protests peacefully start in Minnesota.

2. Protests (still mostly peaceful!) continue the next day, though there is some looting and destruction in Minnesota.

3. By May 28th, things are out of control in Minneapolis. Destruction is rampant. One person dies (though we only find the body later). State of Emergency is declared, but National Guard is only sparingly used.

4. Protests spread across the country, but Minneapolis is burning...Gov Tim Walz is slow to respond. Mayors impose curfews, which are not enforced and do nothing.

5. Just as protests slow in MN, Atlanta erupts. on May 29 as buildings are burned and damaged, including CNN HQ.

6. By June 6, mass protests with hundreds of thousands; mostly peaceful during the day, but not at night.

7. The protests slowly fade in most places after that...but protests and chaos persist for months in Portland and Seattle.

8. In Seattle, protesters set up an 'autonomous zone'/country. Several people die in that zone from various causes, including targeted violence.

9. In Portland, the Federal bldg and others are damaged nightly.

10. Only on June 30, more than a month after start, that Federal officers are deployed to protect Federal building in Portland.

11. Federal officers basically leave by Aug 6, accomplishing almost nothing, as violence increased during their time there.

12. Dems claim victory.

13. For a few days, Portland is calmer...but violence picks up in the city in less than a week, and attacks against local police start again. Continues for most of the month.

14. On Aug 23, police in Kenosha responded to a domestic incident, and Jacob Blake was shot in the back. Violent protests start almost immediately. Numerous buildings are burned. Local police are outmatched.

15. By Aug 24, things completely out of control. Gov calls out National Guard, but doesn't deploy them widely.

usatoday.com/in-depth/graph…

16. On Aug 26 as militias move in to "protect" local property, 17 year old IL boy shoots two protesters. Details are sketchy. He is arrested for intentional homicide.

17. Nationwide protests, including from NBA and other outlets, begin in earnest.

18. Protests in DC, Portland, etc erupt.

19. On Aug 29, a pro-Trump, Blue line rally with trucks starts in suburban Portland and drives into town. They clash with BLM and Antifa protests. Potential violence all around. Finally, one Right wing protester is shot; details sketchy.

Now, why did I bother with this?

Because show me at what points politicians had direct power to curb this cycle of stupidity and violence...because this is essential:

- Minnesota leaders could have sent in NG and others on night 2-3 and probably stopped all the violent protests immediately. They did not.

- As violence spread, most Mayors could do very little, unless you called out NG all over the country...not practical.

- In Seattle, CHOP/CHAZ goes up...and city leaders are literally ok with it. The mayor actually comes out in support of it!

- In Portland, the Gov and Mayor refuse to arrest people, and the DA refuses to prosecute people, even when caught red handed causing violence.

- Trump is making speeches and comments all through this, but it isn't until June 30th he really does something...send officers to Portland. And when he does that, there is universal condemnation of him from Dems, and they say he SHOULD NOT GET INVOLVED.

- The Trump experiment in Portland was a complete failure. Not only did it not diminish the violence, it worsened it. Fed officers leave after a few weeks.

- And then what? Portland erupts...again. Ted Wheeler and Kate Brown fail in their promises to keep violence controlled.

- Finally, Kenosha. Evers actually hasn't even been close to the worst person here. He was somewhat quick to send in the NG...he should have done it faster. But Kenosha's African American community is devastated.

I am fine blaming everyone and anyone that failed to control this. But lets go point by point and note who actually had the power to do something, and then succeeded or failed at that moment.