Just another typical night in Seattle... Antifa rioters storm through Seattle in night of mayhem while police do nothing https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/antifa-rioters-storm-through-seattle-while-police-remain-inactive/ https://nypost.com/2020/08/15/antifa-rioters-storm-through-seattle-while-police-remain-inactive/ Roving gangs of Antifa rioters spent Friday evening rampaging through the streets of Seattle — with police often nowhere to be found, video and eyewitness accounts show. Video shared by journalist Andy Ngo shows mobs of individuals clad in black destroying property, smashing windows and spray painting anything in sight, all with impunity. “Marauding Antifa black bloc in Seattle smash up property as they march around the city. People watch in disbelief. No police,” Ngo reported while sharing video. Some protesters carried shields emblazoned with the slogan “f–k the police.” Ordinary Seattleites witnessing the chaos mostly stood in silent disbelief. “Look at all these white people. They are scared as f–k right now,” said one unnamed protester filming residents eating outdoors at some of the city’s restaurants. Other video from the scene shows a cavalcade of 20 police vehicles approaching the scene before protesters blocked their advance with dumpsters. It’s unclear what happened next or whether any arrests were made. Reps for the Seattle PD did not immediately respond to request for comment. The mayhem comes while various Black Lives Matter groups have continued to insist on ever greater concessions from lawmakers. Two local activist organizations have now demanded that Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan set aside $100 million for minority communities to explore alternative police models, according to local Komo News. “We are demanding that the mayor commit to the distribution of $100 million through the participatory budget process,” said Shaun Glaze of King County Equity Now Komo News reported. “We are the experts on what will keep us safe and what will make us whole. We live this, we breathe this and unfortunately we have died because of this.” The figure is 25% of the Seattle police department’s yearly budget, something Glaze said he also committed to slashing. “Defunding the Seattle Police Department by 50 percent remains our goal” he said. “We expect the city council and the mayor to meet that goal.” Other Black Lives Matter activists in recent days have demanded that white people surrender their homes in a historically Black neighborhood and “open up your wallets” to fund protester demands. While Seattle officials have mostly rushed to kowtow to protest wishes, implementation has come with speed bumps. Earlier this week, police boss Carmen Best, the city’s first black police chief, announced her resignation after the city council voted to cut as many as 100 officers from her department. Durkan herself is facing a recall effort from her own constituents for surrendering a large swath of the city to the lawless Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone earlier this summer The zone — which Durkan described as a “block party” — saw several fatal shootings before it was finally disbanded in July.
Let's see how things are going in Chicago... Threat Of More Looting Leads To Concerns Of Downtown Chicago Exodus https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2020/0...leads-to-concerns-of-downtown-chicago-exodus/ With the last effects of Chicago’s looting sprees, it’s a tense time near the Loop and the Magnificent Mile, not only for the businesses that were hit but also for everyone who lives and works in the city. Now more problems could leave people to leave these neighborhoods. The city’s second ward alderman said he knows many people are on the edge and poised to leave, but it wouldn’t mean just empty units or storefronts. A mass exodus could gut Chicago’s tax base, causing a citywide ripple effect. Drive onto the Mag Mile and at first all seems normal. Keep driving, and you’ll notice it’s anything but. Chicago police cars are parked everywhere — blue lights flashing. Stores are still boarded up. It’s all a response to two rounds of looting in the last two and a half months. “If it happens a third time, people who are just hanging onto a belief that downtown is still a place to live and shop are going to give up,” said Ald. Brian Hopkins (2nd). “We’re going to lose people. They’re going to move. We’re already seeing that start to happen.” The city’s Second Ward includes the northern part of the Mag Mile, but it’s not just residents bailing that concerns him. It’s the potential for businesses to bail, too. He points out his ward and one other bring in about 40% of the city’s property tax revenue every year. “If that dries up we really have no way to replace it,” he said. “There’s no casino or there’s no other magic source, no capital assets that we could sell that’s going to replace the loss of our property tax base, and that’s how a city begins to hollow out at its core.” “I think a lot of businesses are in a wait and see mode,” said the Magnificent Mile Association’s Adam Skaf about when it comes to reopening or closing for good. He said many of the association’s 650 members are weary and frustrated. “I spoke to a store manager who told me it was easier for her to do an inventory of what was left rather than what was taken,” he said. But Skaf said many retailers want to stay in business, and not all residents are on edge. Miriam Bhimani lives in Streeterville and has no plans to leave. She believes looting is just symptomatic of a larger problem that needs addressing. “When we talk about looting we need to zoom out and look at the full picture of what that really means, what the policies are that are in place,” she said. But Hopkins said the mayor and police need a tactical, surgical approach to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “We have two strikes against us,” he said. “A third strike, and we’re out.” Hopkins did say he believes both the Chicago Police Department and the city as a whole are now taking specific steps when it comes to planning to keep any future unrest under control when it comes to property damage. Skaf said lost merchandise can be replaced and insurance is still intact, but the future of insurance in terms of the cost of the policies and what may not be covered are concerns that could also impact whether merchants decide to stay on the Mag Mile or in the Loop.
Honestly, I am all for the exodus. Let the cities that have chosen to become cesspools live with their decisions. Citizens and business will relocate, remember what drove them to do so and change their desire to vote in the same in the new place (much like Cubans who fled Cuba remember communism quite well) and give their tax revenues to friendly places. Reap what you sow.
There will be more to unpack there over time. Instead of fixing the root problem there will be more and more federal programs and mandates to private carriers to cover looting and insurrections. Just as with FEMA flood insurance, some of it will be well-intentioned, but some of it perpetuates the problem. On one hand it flood insurance provides valuable coverage for people who have lived in long established housing or communities that are flooded. On the other hand, it allows people to move into areas that are high risk because they know they can get cheap flood insurance. The normal mind would not rebuild their house on stilts out into the Atlantic once it has been destroyed by a hurricance, but thanks to FEMA it is very doable. You already hear the looters promoting the theme that it is okay to loot because the man be having insurance.
Since the local police will not take action... federal officers are arresting violent ANTIFA members. Feds arrest man accused of striking deputy US marshal in back, shoulder with wooden bat https://www.foxnews.com/us/feds-arr...-u-s-marshal-in-back-shoulder-with-wooden-bat
A not-so-minor factoid buried in the article: "Officers found a 9mm handgun he was wearing in a waist holster, according to court documents."
Great characterisation there. You are reaching and straining in your titles, do you think a US Marshall was going to call a local cop?
In most our arrests by federal US Marshals in North Carolina -- you see the local police/sheriffs working directly with the U.S. Marshals. This makes sense since the local police know "the lay of the land", etc. Sadly in Portland the local police do not cooperate and help the federal U.S. Marshals --- which is absurd.