May Day Seattle is going insane

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The discussion centers around the violent May Day protests in Seattle, with participants questioning whether similar unrest is occurring in other cities. Many express frustration over the actions of a group identified as "black bloc anarchists," who are accused of instigating violence and vandalism during the protests, which some believe undermines legitimate grievances. The conversation highlights a perceived disconnect between the anarchists and the broader progressive values associated with Seattle, with calls for police intervention against the violent individuals. Participants also speculate on the origins of these anarchists, suggesting they may not be local and questioning their motivations. Overall, the thread reflects a mix of concern for public safety and disdain for the destructive actions that overshadow the intended peaceful nature of May Day.
  • #31
Evo said:
It's just a handful of people that got together to destroy things. It is disapproved of by the public, so no, I wouldn't say violent unrest is growing, if anything it shows that American citizens will not condone violence.

I hope you're right. I worry that it's the seed of something more serious.
 
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  • #32
Ms Music said:
On the surface it could look like that, but here in Seattle it is a little more convoluted than that. Unfortunately I don't have time to explain at the moment, maybe I can type thoughts into a word doc through out the day and post later.

Well, that sure didn't happen! So I will just say this in a nutshell. I do think it is possible many of those kids were not from Seattle area, but as for imported for a purpose? Too tough to believe. Most conspiracy theories that might be believable in other cities would not hold water here in Seattle. The only theory that I couldn't poke holes in would be they were cops trying to get power back, but I still find that unlikely.

Still most likely a group of kids that want to break things for fun, and organized this whole event and just picked cities to target. I find it too bad that Seattle cops had their hands tied, and weren't able to show a tougher presence and nip... it... in... the... bud.:wink:
 
  • #33
phyzguy said:
1. It appears that violent unrest in the US is growing, does it not? I think that's what started the thread.

2. I'm not sure, but there is certainly more violent crime in the US than in Europe.

3. The Russian revolution was driven by economic inequality and was only 100 years ago. Isn't this modern?
I'm going to start a new thread about this...

New thread here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=3895067#post3895067
 
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  • #34
Ms Music said:
Well, that sure didn't happen! So I will just say this in a nutshell. I do think it is possible many of those kids were not from Seattle area, but as for imported for a purpose? Too tough to believe. Most conspiracy theories that might be believable in other cities would not hold water here in Seattle. The only theory that I couldn't poke holes in would be they were cops trying to get power back, but I still find that unlikely.

Still most likely a group of kids that want to break things for fun, and organized this whole event and just picked cities to target. I find it too bad that Seattle cops had their hands tied, and weren't able to show a tougher presence and nip... it... in... the... bud.:wink:
Back in the 60's, among other "dirty tricks", the FBI set up fake protest groups to discredit the real ones, so this came to mind when you said they weren't from Seattle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
 
  • #35
zoobyshoe said:
Back in the 60's, among other "dirty tricks", the FBI set up fake protest groups to discredit the real ones, so this came to mind when you said they weren't from Seattle.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO
Yes, they infiltrated and caused dissention among the groups, but there is no mention of them actually doing gang violence like this group. Let's not get into conspiracy theories.

The "occupy" group has many people that come in from out of town to join the demonstrations.