I'm sure we've all seen images of the rioting and destruction in Minneapolis following the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of police there. I won't bother to reproduce any here.
I have no problem with protests against the actions of police in Mr. Floyd's death. If I were living in or near Minneapolis, I'd take part in them! On the basis of video evidence, I have no hesitation in labeling it police malfeasance, at the very least. There should be (and I hope there will be) legal consequences for all concerned. However, when the protestors start behaving like thugs and criminals, that crosses a line just as clearly as the one the police crossed in dealing with Mr. Floyd. The protestors make themselves criminals too.
I can't understand how the city authorities in Minneapolis are allowing this anarchy to continue. In northern Texas, I know for sure that every small business would have its owner(s) and/or employees deployed outside with firearms in the event of similar trouble here - and they wouldn't hesitate to use their guns if necessary in defense of their property. They're entirely within their rights to do so. Many of their customers would join them to help out. However, that doesn't appear to be the case in Minneapolis, where business owners are cowering at home, relying on the police to protect their property - and the police are conspicuous by their absence.
This abdication of authority and responsibility seems to be a pattern in that part of the world, judging by earlier reports. It's a license for anarchy. Unless it's stopped, and the authorities do their job, Minneapolis may become - perhaps already is - ungovernable. The current behavior of its police force, letting the riots continue without actively moving to stop them, appears to be nothing less than an acknowledgment of that reality. I can only assume their behavior is the result of orders from the city authorities, which means that the latter are equally culpable.
If that's the case, I think - I hope! - that an increasing number of Minneapolis residents will take matters into their own hands, and start striking back at the anarchists and criminals and thugs who currently appear to rule their streets and business districts. If I were living there, I'd be among them. If police fail to keep the peace, then it's up to us to do so in our own neighborhoods and towns. If police have no duty to protect individual citizens, as the Supreme Court has ruled, then citizens most certainly have the right to protect themselves and their property. That's one of the primary justifications for the Second Amendment to the United States constitution.
If the authorities can't be trusted to stop this sort of anarchy, why should they be trusted to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, or business and commerce, or anything else? Right now, Minneapolis doesn't appear to have a city government at all. Will its residents do something about that at the next elections? I hope so . . . but as Joseph de Maistre famously said, every nation gets the government it deserves. I guess that applies to every city, too. I just can't figure out how Minneapolis became such a nasty place as to deserve the government it's got!
Peter
