Check in for Safety for Those of You in Cities Under Protest and Violence

Ruthanne

Ruthanne

Caregiver
Location
Midwest
Been watching the news and some of my family are living in cities where these protests are and I have been worried. I called one sibling and talked on the phone to see if the family is okay. They are okay and intently watching what's going on on the tv. My niece is feeling frightened and I tried to tell her it's going to be okay, that the police and national guard will keep everyone safe. I hate to see her frightened like this.

There has been protest and violence, setting fires to police cars, roaming aimlessly up to something in my next door city and very close to where I am. I am doing okay but I was getting very sad and in tears for awhile. I don't know if the lockdown contributed to people going off the deep end now or what. I know there are issues but turning to violence solves nothing and just adds more problems onto the problems already there.

So, how are You and Your Family doing with all of this going on?
 

There has been protesting in downtown Orlando but it looks like it's been pretty peaceful so far. One of the major arteries has been closed down. I just saw a report that there was looting at a mall, but it's not from a reliable source so that may not be true.

The last time we had any major mob action here in town was when a shoe store was going to sell some special athletic shoes at midnight and WWIII broke out. No, I'm not making this up.....that's Orlando for ya.
 
jujube said:
There has been protesting in downtown Orlando but it looks like it's been pretty peaceful so far. One of the major arteries has been closed down. I just saw a report that there was looting at a mall, but it's not from a reliable source so that may not be true.

The last time we had any major mob action here in town was when a shoe store was going to sell some special athletic shoes at midnight and WWIII broke out. No, I'm not making this up.....that's Orlando for ya.
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I'm glad it's been peaceful there. I know I will be up for awhile watching the news coverage tonight. I am all wound up! I just hope everyone is safe and that sensibleness will prevail!
 
We had protests and property damage to the justice center/police headquarters and several center city businesses last night that ended with ten arrests and a curfew order that is in effect until 7:00 am.

The good news is that there was no serious injury looting or fires. There were several broken windows but a strong police response helped to contain and limit the violence to a small area of the city.

The protesting is not new in our university town but the property damage is and should be taken seriously in our little city of approx. 140,000 people.

This is particularly sad because our city was granted permission to enter phase II reopening on Friday and many of these businesses were scheduled to reopen this coming week.
 
I see these protests as stemming mainly from the pent up energy of everyone who's been so isolated, for the past few months.

The rioters are those who quickly exploit any protest gatherings to further their cause of stealing from shops in the area, and those aberrant individuals who get off on rioting for rioting's sake.

The murdering cop has been arrested. The protesters need to grasp that reality, and be cool.

If he's ultimately found innocent, then all hell may break loose.
 
Psychologically, I've dealt with the pandemic just fine. However, I find myself 'losing it' now. The killing of Mr. Floyd set me off. I accepted the protests, because they were totally understandable. But riots and looting - too much. My stress level is now out of control. While I am 'safe' in my hole, others are not. Will sanity ever return to me, to our society? For now, a feeling of hopelessness has finally set in and I'm sorry to have lived to see this turmoil. While my days are limited by my age, I mourn for the children - What a world for them.
 
treeguy64 said:
I see these protests as stemming mainly from the pent up energy of everyone who's been so isolated, for the past few months.

The rioters are those who quickly exploit any protest gatherings to further their cause of stealing from shops in the area, and those aberrant individuals who get off on rioting for rioting's sake.

The murdering cop has been arrested. The protesters need to grasp that reality, and be cool.

If he's ultimately found innocent, then all hell may break loose.
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A lot of these rioters, not protestors, are professional anarchists and far left extremist groups like ANTIFA that are to blame for many of these riots. The majority of blacks only want to march and protest, but when these leftist groups join in, they know how to manipulate the others into doing as they are doing; rioting, looting, burning, etc.

During President Obama’s first term in office, we (the Pennsylvania State Police, or PSP) was alerted to be on the lookout for certain radical groups traveling from New York City to Washington. Their goal was to shoot at the President. It was their hope that it didn’t matter if they hit him or not. Just the fact that they were able to take a shot at him and escape would be enough to start a riot. That’s how insane these people are.

I will also tell you that a PSP sting team did make a stop on a car traveling from NYC on its way to Washington and they found a cache of weapons located inside the wheel well where the spare tire would normally sit. Inside the car was 1 black man, 2 white men and 1 white woman. Since the sting team could not prove their intent, they were only charged with weapons violations.
 
I live close to Minneapolis and I am shocked at the violence because I have visited there quite often. People from my city visit St. Paul and Minneapolis to watch NHL hockey.

I'm not a gun advocate. But if I lived in the U.S. I would have a gun for protection in cases like this.

By the way I love your baseball avatar. I used to pitch in my younger days and it makes me want to grab it.
 
Probably everybody living in the cities is OK as long as they stay away from the areas where the protests are going on. If they happen to live in those areas, they should stay home, and not venture outside out of curiosity. Owners of the shops being vandalized or looted should stay away from the shops, as well. Just common sense: a person's own safety is much more important than any amount of "stuff."
 
Sunny said:
Probably everybody living in the cities is OK as long as they stay away from the areas where the protests are going on. If they happen to live in those areas, they should stay home, and not venture outside out of curiosity. Owners of the shops being vandalized or looted should stay away from the shops, as well. Just common sense: a person's own safety is much more important than any amount of "stuff."
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Wouldn't you feel helpless at home? That must be an awful feeling when the police can't protect you. Who are you going to call?
 
treeguy64 said:
I see these protests as stemming mainly from the pent up energy of everyone who's been so isolated, for the past few months.

The rioters are those who quickly exploit any protest gatherings to further their cause of stealing from shops in the area, and those aberrant individuals who get off on rioting for rioting's sake.

The murdering cop has been arrested. The protesters need to grasp that reality, and be cool.

If he's ultimately found innocent, then all hell may break loose.
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It's summertime ... the natives are restless after being cooped up .... and they want an excuse to do bad things. Period.
 
My hometown, Binghamton, NY, (about 40 miles from me) is presently having their turn at a protest. I think it is finished now. They said it started with 200 people and ended up with 1000. From the pictures I saw on Facebook, people were wearing their masks, though they were closer than 6 ft. Business owners were standing in front of their businesses protecting them. Unless something happens later on, it appears to have been nonviolent.
 
A white cop kneeling on a black guy, choking him into unconsciousness , and the Black community is rioting. Of course, it's just summer angst. Or people are just frisky after being cooped up with the virus. Or it's radical groups stirring up the good folk. It has nothing to do with the symbolism of a white cop kneeling on a black guy. And it has nothing to do with the falling into place of the same old tried and true police defense that the act was justified. And it had nothing to do with the perception that the police will be acquitted way before any trial. Whether or not these things are true, this act does focus on racial justice, and equality, real and perceived. That's what the riots are about.
 
Sunny said:
Probably everybody living in the cities is OK as long as they stay away from the areas where the protests are going on. If they happen to live in those areas, they should stay home, and not venture outside out of curiosity. Owners of the shops being vandalized or looted should stay away from the shops, as well. Just common sense: a person's own safety is much more important than any amount of "stuff."
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In the city where a relative lives they came from the inner city into a suburb and up the streets creating havoc and it was very scary for them worrying if these hoodlums would come to their house and do damage to property or them.
 
I live 2 1/2 blocks away from the street the protesters in San Jose walked up and down during their protest. We first noticed that something was up when one, then two news helicopters started flying around our house. We turned on the stations and watched the protesters walk past the streets on either side of us that go to the main street they were on. More than half of the protesters clearly had masks on and were marching respectfully and peacefully down towards the freeway. If we had signs that were relevant to the protest we would have joined them if it weren't for Covid-19.

When they got to the freeway they shut down the freeway and damaged some cars. The police and highway patrol eventually cleared them from the freeway and they started to once again march back passed our area towards city hall. We started to hear sirens and then more and more sirens and turned on the new channels again. A small number of the crowd were not as peaceful as they had been going to the freeway. Some of them damaged property (including a police car) and others started throwing things at the police. One person punched a police officer, knocked him down and was quickly arrested. They vandalized city hall by spray painting on it.

I am fully supportive of the peaceful protesters. I am fully supportive of our mayor and police department who did not intervene until there was property damage and/or violence. I do not support the people who blocked the freeway. I do not support anyone who harassed other people. I do not support the people who were violent towards other people. I do not support the people who damaged property.

The helicopters were around the area for a few hours and the sirens were on and off into the evening and the night.

I never felt scared and threatened. I did feel cautious and made sure our doors were locked. We had been thinking of going on a bicycle ride before the protest started and decided not to do it. We usually cross that street to get to a nice place to bicycle and didn't want to risk having difficulty getting through the protesters or back.

I think the worst of it for us was the droning of the helicopters that lasted as long as it did.
 

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