Prof. Jonathan Turley is also scheduled to testify today in that hearing.
Turley Testifies In Senate On Antifa and The Anti-Free-Speech Movement in the United States
From his website;
Quote:Today I am testifying in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution on the anti-free-speech movement in the United States. The hearing is entitled “The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble: Protecting Speech by Stopping Anarchist Violence.” The hearing will be held at 2:30 in the Dirksen Senate Office Building and will be broadcast on C-Span and available on the Internet through the Committee. My testimony is below.
My testimony begins with this overview:
The protests in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd have served to focus the nation on the transcendent issues of racial discrimination and police misconduct. It is an important moment, as we deal with the continuing scourge of racism, to achieve the promise of equal opportunity and equal treatment in our country. We cannot let this moment pass for a national dialogue on racial justice.
That dialogue, however, is increasingly turning into a diatribe on our campuses, on our streets, and in our media. We are losing this opportunity to reach a consensus because of rising violence and intolerance for opposing views. If we are to come together as a nation, we have to be able to speak to one another freely and without fear. That is not occurring due to the campaigns of intimidation and retaliation against those with dissenting views.
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Recently, the federal government arrested George Washington University student Jason Charter as the alleged “ringleader” who led efforts to topple statues in Washington, D.C., including the nearly successful effort to destroy the historic Andrew Jackson statue near the White House. Charter has been an active Antifa member on our campus for years, and, after his arrest, reportedly proclaimed “The Movement is winning.”
He is right. A visit to virtually any college or university will expose that success. In my three decades of teaching, I have never seen the level of fear and intimidation that we have today on our campuses. Many professors are afraid to voice dissenting views of the current protests or other issues out of fear that they could be accused of racism or even physically attacked. Some professors have indeed been assaulted or required police protection after voicing opposing views. To put it simply, Antifa and these other extremist groups are winning, and few people seem to be taking notice.
They are winning because universities are now effectively blocking conservative or opposing speakers to avoid violent clashes.
They are winning because the media and politicians downplay such violence to avoid criticism.
They are winning because local officials are ordering police to stand down or prosecutors to drop charges to avoid further conflict.
They are winning because free speech itself is being viewed as a destabilizing factor in our schools and society.
Antifa has achieved its anti-free speech agenda to a degree that even longtime critics never imagined possible. It only took inaction from our government and silence from our citizens.
I would like to briefly describe the agenda of Antifa and its history of violence in our country, including how recent violence fits into its militant philosophy. I would then like to suggest ways for the federal government to fill a vacuum left from the inaction of local and academic leaders in dealing with attacks on the rights of free speech and peaceful assembly. It is by no means an easy task since government enforcement itself can also chill free speech and free association rights. However, threats against free speech have reached a critical mass, from our schools to our streets. We can either act or remain passive pedestrians to what inevitably comes next.
I said it before and I will say it again..... there will be a moment (like the Floyd thing) that will set off a violent push back against these people.
As bad as these riots and "peaceful protests" are, they are actually still in relatively small congested pockets where they can get away with this behavior. Once they spread out and away from these city areas they will not be met with the same patience and tolerance they are becoming accustomed to right now.
The fly in the ointment right now is the election.... god have mercy on them if Trump wins again... he won't have a 3rd term to worry about holding on to, and if the R's can somehow get congress control again, there will be Antifa blood all over the streets.... The Democratic leadership better pray that whatever this f-ing strategy is they are employing works, because unlike McConnell and the like who have never pushed back for real, DJT is going to lay waste to the Dems in historic fashion.....
(08-04-2020 02:44 PM)Eldonabe Wrote: [ -> ]I said it before and I will say it again..... there will be a moment (like the Floyd thing) that will set off a violent push back against these people.
As bad as these riots and "peaceful protests" are, they are actually still in relatively small congested pockets where they can get away with this behavior. Once they spread out and away from these city areas they will not be met with the same patience and tolerance they are becoming accustomed to right now.
The fly in the ointment right now is the election.... god have mercy on them if Trump wins again... he won't have a 3rd term to worry about holding on to, and if the R's can somehow get congress control again, there will be Antifa blood all over the streets.... The Democratic leadership better pray that whatever this f-ing strategy is they are employing works, because unlike McConnell and the like who have never pushed back for real, DJT is going to lay waste to the Dems in historic fashion.....
In reference to the bolded. There aren't enough of them for that to happen. They show up in groups and then when one of them gets knocked out by one guy they scatter like oil when Dawn gets dropped on it.
I agree that there will be a flashpoint that proves to be a catalyst for a violent reaction to this crap. People are tired of staying quiet and this **** won't fly outside of the cities.
The paradox of tolerance is finally making itself more than apparent to anyone with a desire to see.
People here in the middle of the country are arming themselves in response to groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter arming and training militias. The fear of what is coming is real. Guns and ammo are impossible to buy here.
I am worried we are quickly approaching the point of no return
Quote:The New York Times published an op-ed Monday afternoon in which Portland Police Department Chief Chuck Lovell describes the violent tactics used by “Black Lives Matter” protests that have raged in the city since the end of May.
The op-ed is titled “I’m the Police Chief in Portland. Violence Isn’t the Answer,” and the sub-headline is: “As a Black man and a public servant, I see that spectacle is drowning out the voices that need to be heard to make positive change.”
While describing non-violent protests in the city as an “awesome expression of First Amendment rights,” Lovell notes that there was also constant rioting and violent protest — long before federal law enforcement officers arrived. (Lovell says federal involvement merely drew media attention to the situation, which had already been violent.)
He writes:
On one night, for example, individuals screwed the doors of our North Precinct station shut, barricaded other entrances and lit the station on fire with people inside. Nearby businesses, owned by people of color, were damaged and looted. On other nights, there were multiple attempts to breach the Justice Center. Other law enforcement facilities were targeted, including the union building, which was broken into and had fires set within.
Violence and destruction have also been directed at the federal courthouse, which sits next to the Justice Center. The president sent additional federal agents to Portland, and our city became national news.
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During these events, our agency has responded to assaults, stabbing, shootings, people with guns and the stockpiling of explosives. Shooting off commercial-grade fireworks and mortars is not peaceful protest. We are fortunate that no one has been killed.
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The voices of victims are not heard as well. Because of the protests, officers have not been able to respond to 911 calls or have been delayed for hours. Investigators’ cases lie on their desks as they work nights to process arrests. We have seen an alarming increase in shootings and homicides. We need to redirect our focus to preventing and solving these crimes that are taking a hugely disproportionate number of minority lives.
Read the full op-ed here.
Democrats have attempted to deny the violence in Portland, or to blame it on President Donald Trump for sending additional federal law enforcement personnel to protect the courthouse from vandalism, arson, and attacks on officers.
Former Vice President Joe Biden accused federal officers of “brutally attacking peaceful protesters.” Former President Barack Obama used his eulogy at the funeral of John Lewis last week to accuse the Trump administration of “sending agents to use tear gas and batons against peaceful demonstrators.”
Chief Lovell’s op-ed makes clear that the agents were sent in response to violent riots — and that the police support the cause of reform, if pursued through non-violent means.
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