The anticipated aftermath of the Chauvin trial
Everybody knows that one of the clouds hanging over the Chauvin trial, tainting it even further, is the threat of violence if he isn’t convicted of some major crime.
As commenter “J.J.” points out, however:
If the mayor of Minneapolis and the governor of Minnesota would take charge, tell the citizens that no violence will be tolerated and then back those words up, justice could be carried out in an unbiased fashion. Why are these officials, who swore an oath to protect and defend the citizens of their city and state, not doing their jobs? Because they are part of the Woke Supremacy or cowed by it.
I would add that this is hardly limited to Minneapolis or Minnesota. I am virtually certain that the violent wing of BLM, and Antifa and other organizations who rioted for months in many cities of America after Floyd’s death, are primed and ready to riot when the verdict is announced if it isn’t exactly to their liking. Maybe even if it is.
I agree with J.J. that leaders in blue cities and states have for the most part abdicated two of their foremost duties as elected officials: to defend the rule of law, and to keep their citizens safe from mobs and other violence. More than anything else, their refusal allows mob violence of the left (not of the right; that sort of violence is treated quite differently) to flourish.
In turn, that abdication and the resultant threat has probably corrupted the legal process utterly, both in the case of Chauvin and in the cases of any similar accusations going forward. And that in turn leads to police officers either quitting the force or turning their backs on stopping crime, in order to protect themselves from such charges. The chaos that the mayors and governors have enabled therefore leads to more chaos in an escalating feedback loop.
The other day I read or heard – I don’t remember where – someone say that he thought that mayors and others on the left were allowing this sort of violence in order to argue for more gun control in its wake. That certainly could be one of the factors operating, as well.
In a normal, healthy, functioning society one might imagine that there would be electoral consequences for such abdication of duty on the part of the various officials in question. Maybe there still will be at some point in the future, but my guess is not before a great deal of damage has been done.
There will be riots regardless of the verdict. There will be riots because they can riot.
From what I’ve read so far, Chauvin should be found not guilty. But I suspect he will get manslaughter because the jury knows their own houses will be burned down if they don’t find him guilty of something.
The Left loves this kind of violence. The Floyd Summer of Riots served notice on the judiciary that even reviewing the stolen election could mean more riots. The Dems turned the riots into the enforcement arm of the Dems. Just like the KKK used to be for the Democrat party.
To expect sensible, rational behavior from the officials in charge of Minneapolis (a city which has twice chosen the egregious Ilhan Omar) is to anticipate not the unlikely, but the impossible. Whether his performance of weeping by the casket of the felonious Floyd was truly felt or feigned, Frey, the incompetent mayor of a city which just squandered twenty-seven million in a “settlement” over Floyd’s death, the ghastly spectacle (followed by the equally repugnant kneeling in the Capitol by Pelosi and her minions, although Nadler was too corpulent to comply) proved, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the mob held sway over our corrupt system of criminal (in)justice.
In the likely event of riots, it is extremely unlikely that they will occur in the more fashionable neighborhoods of Minneapolis, say Kenwood, Arden Hills, or Tangletown. The rich and powerful needn’t worry.
Will overwhelming evidence of innocence sufficiently persuade a jury composed of Minneapolis “defund the police” voters, some of whom may be so wokely intrenched as to be impervious to reason?
Good luck, Officer Chauvin.
In hope of a miracle verdict, we stock provisions.
In my opinion, the “violent wings of BLM and Antifa” are somewhat larger than the peaceful wings.
Been reading the excellent reporting at LI but suspect it’s a forgone conclusion, the threat of the rest of the city burning not to mention personal harm might be to much for blind justice
Like David Begley, I suspect the jury will compromise on the manslaughter conviction in order to placate the mob even though that charge is also ridiculous given today’s testimony. If I were Chauvin’s attorney, though, I would immediately start interviewing the jurors post decision (may take a court order) to determine if they only convicted because of the fear of retribution. Definitely plenty of grounds for overturning a verdict already.
The trial so far, and we are seeing the prosecution reaching the end of its case today, should be a slam dunk acquittal on all the homicide related charges. Nelson could ask for a directed verdict on all the homicide charges when the prosecution rests, but to do so might be riskier than presenting a defense first.
In any case, the judge is going to be the ultimate guarantor of justice here. I don’t doubt that he probably knows the state really hasn’t made a case beyond reasonable doubt. Indeed, I think the prosecutors know it, too, because of the way they have conducted the case. As I wrote on Althouse’s blog a week or so ago- this case for me will tell us a lot about the quality of the judiciary and the citizenry of the US in the present day. If Chauvin is convicted on this evidence, and the judge and the appeals courts let it stand, then we are finished as a republic. That kind of corruption on such a big stage would be damning.
LTEC:
The way I wrote that sentence and placed the comma, the part about a violent wing was meant to only refer to BLM. Antifa is more uniformly violent.
There is absolutely no reason to believe if Chauvin is found not guilty the riots will start and spread across the nation.
If Chauvin is found guilty the riots will begin to “celebrate” the verdict.
No matter what there will be riots. Only question will be how bad and widespread they will be.
“someone say that he thought that mayors and others on the left were allowing this sort of violence in order to argue for more gun control in its wake.”
It’s hard to underestimate human stupidity but responding to widespread violence and the failure of political leaders and law enforcement to control it by saying “Yes! Please disarm me!” is I think a little too stupid even for present day America. And that’s even before adding the whole “Cops are fascists and white supremacists…so only THEY should have guns” into the equation.
Mike
Nonapod: “In a normal, healthy, functioning society one might imagine that there would be electoral consequences for such abdication of duty on the part of the various officials in question.”
Just so.
Last November I believed that the riots in Seattle and the surrounding areas was going to produce an uptick in votes for Republican candidates. Night after night the I-5 freeway was blocked by BLM protestors. Plenty of people inconvenienced, lots of property damage, as well as the infamous CHAZ. All because the Democrat mayors and governor would do little to stop it. The GOP candidates ran lots of ads showing the violence and arson, promising to get tough on anarchy and law breaking. The Dems swept the statewide vote and even won in some local races where the GOP is normally strong. Unbelievable! But then our vote is all by mail. Our Secretary of State, is a Republican, and she assures us the vote is honest and tamper proof, but the results were so tilted to the Democrats, it is hard to believe it was all on the up and up. Unless the citizens of Washington state didn’t notice the riots. It is perplexing.
A few snipers can quickly shut down a riot.
Vigilante violence far too much?
neo correctly states “The chaos that the mayors and governors have enabled therefore leads to more chaos in an escalating feedback loop.”
But leaves unsaid the predictable outcome; the formerly law abiding take the law into their own hands. Because its better to be tried by twelve fellow citizens than to watch your home burn down with your wife and children in it.
The ‘activist’ left is courting a terrible reckoning.
tcrosse,
The rich and powerful needn’t worry… yet. Counting on the crocodile to be satiated by the time it gets to you is a prayer not a viable strategy.
skip,
Indeed. Yet appeasement merely feeds the crocodile’s hunger.
Yancey Ward,
The republic is already finished because as Pres. John Adams pointed out, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Half of Americans have abandoned religious principles and replaced them with a personal subjective ‘morality’ that cravenly submits to the current whim of the ‘woke’ mob.
“Son, you have to believe in something or you’ll fall for anything…” a bit of wisdom from a country song.
MBunge,
Your optimistic assessment of liberal America is, at best questionable. I do hope you’re right however.
J.J.,
Corruption? Blind indoctrination? Both? At this point does it matter? Hope you live in a rural area. If not, move to one while you can…
The rich and powerful were fine with burning and looting the less fashionable neighborhoods of Minneapolis and St Paul. When the mob hit Nicollet Mall is when the governor called out the National Guard.
sort of off-topic, but regarding the riots and the “conservative” approach to them:
I’ve been listening to a Great Courses series on the “conservative tradition”. He’s quite happy to describe England’s passage of the Great Reform Act as an example of England’s ability to change peacefully. He cites the Adams-Jefferson transfer of power in 1800 as a similar example from the US.
He mentioned, but seemed to skip over quickly the riot (riots?) that occurred in 1831 IIRC and applauded Peel’s (the PM at the time) ability to compromise rather than suffer violence.
It occurred to me that what now seems to happen too often is the left tends to threaten violence and the right compromises to maintain “peace”. So, the threat of violence becomes a means of extortion.
When the verdict comes down, stay safe, protect yourself and love ones.
@jack: “. . . there will be riots. Only question will be how bad and widespread they will be.”
Cynical of me, but I wonder whether the mayhem will be attenuated somewhat by the Biden/Harris Regime’s occupation of the executive branch. Race riots were strategic and expedient during an election year in Trump’s Amerikkka, but the occupying Regime may have an interest in keeping the stank off itself.
MollyG …
What riots? The official statement will be “mostly peace full” protest by WH and MSM.
Joe and the gang is covered!
Geoffrey Britain:
Your comment on a handful of snipers has occurred to me too. Are there not just a few people who are losing their property to these rioters, and who would like to take out one or two? I think that would really dampen the rioters’ willingness to expose themselves. Right now, they know they will suffer absolutely no consequences, either from the law or from some hidden vigilante. Change that equation on either side, and rioters would have to think again about what could happen to them.
Kenosha and Kyle Ritenhouse comes to mind. Saint Skateboard and Pope Pedo can’t be reached for comments.
Paper of Record
https://babylonbee.com/news/nation-braces-for-most-peaceful-protests-yet
Are there not just a few people who are losing their property to these rioters, and who would like to take out one or two? I think that would really dampen the rioters’ willingness to expose themselves.
I am currently in the middle of a 7 day suspension by Facebook for suggesting that shooting looters might be an option. I am easing off FB to MeWe but still have family on FB.
Agree a ” victory ” by the social justice crowd will begat riots, how many championships have been won yet the city burns?
Mike+K: I also still have family (and friends) on Facebook, but I walked away from it a year ago and haven’t missed a beat … and I live in Asia, quite a few thousand miles from all of them in the US. There are so many other ways to keep in touch. Leaving that world was easy, and has been completely unmissed.
And it’s humorous how colleagues at the Embassy react when they find out I’m no longer on facebook. It makes no sense to them, but then they are about 95% left/liberal, and facebook never threatens them.
Telemachus:
If you work in an American Embassy and are not a liberal, my hat is off to you. And I am amazed.
I retired nearly a quarter century ago, but I worked in the FS for 28 years, assigned to nine different embassies on three continents. Starting in 1968, one could find a few conservatives, but my first post was Laos, Jane Fonda was beating up our POWs, and returning veterans were being spat upon. It was easy to be a conservative then.
But by the end of my career, in 1997, I don’t think I knew more than two other conservatives in AmEmbassy Lima. Even when MRTA terrorists took over the Japanese Embassy with hundreds of diplomats in attendance, conservative tendencies were not common.
Congratulations on leaving FaceBook.
I am currently in the middle of a 7 day suspension by Facebook for suggesting that shooting looters might be an option.
Either they have creepy people monitoring you or one of your relatives filed a complaint.
“I am currently in the middle of a 7 day suspension by Facebook for suggesting that shooting looters might be an option.”
Trump was roundly condemned by the Usual Suspects for saying early in the Riot Season that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
Wikipedia actually has a relatively neutral write-up on the phrase’s history.
That could change at any time, of course.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_looting_starts,_the_shooting_starts
This page was last edited on 27 March 2021, at 17:25 (UTC).
I note that all of the people who used that phrase, or advocated a policy something like it, specified or implied that it applied to looters in general, not any particular race. That the directive was misused by individuals is sadly true.
Make Information Great Again.
someone say that he thought that mayors and others on the left were allowing this sort of violence in order to argue for more gun control in its wake.
If so, the odds are strongly in favor of that ‘gun control’ focusing on such muskets and fowling pieces that evil ‘white supremacists’ prefer, and not a bit focused on the massive amounts of handguns which annually cull a large fraction from the populations who those mayors rely on for overwhelming vote supremacy.
@nonapod – one might imagine that there would be electoral consequences for such abdication of duty on the part of the various officials in question.
All it would take to provide those consequences would be for the single-minded media to switch its focus to headlining every urban riot as barbaric, and delving into the logistical support of the rioters, with closeup photos and paragraphs of statements from the suddenly-unemployed, and a tsunami of editorials holding said officials responsible for the mayhem.