this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2024
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Dear Americans,

I am not an American. Were the Floyd protests anywhere near as chaotic as they were portrayed in the press? I recall hearing that most protests were nonviolent, just slightly property-damaging. Thanks!

Sincerely, rambling_lunatic

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[–] dditty@lemm.ee 18 points 3 months ago

I was protesting in Minneapolis at the time. Protests occurred and were peaceful during the day, whereas opportunist rioters stayed out at night in spite of curfew and rioted. There was also the infamous "umbrella man" white supremacist who burned down an AutoZone during the day. Of the 17 people convicted of arson during the unrest, only 3 were from Minneapolis/St. Paul; the rest commuted in to raise hell.

I do not want to downplay the property destruction of the rioters; I cleaned up several torched buildings in the aftermath and it was sad and scary. But the people who rioted were not protesters in my experience.