My very sympathetic friend (my chiropractor, in fact) said: “burning cars? Yeah, sadly, many of those people are just stupid.” He’s a Democrat and he’s not alone.
It’s all about OPTICS.
No matter how justified the anti-ICE theme; photos of one or two burning cars or images of vandalism or “violence” by protesters gives Trump just what he wants. Our target audience of middle America sees the image and forgets all nuances; it’s just: “once again, those radical violent libs are burning and looting the whole city....” And the 99% of peaceful messengers are ignored.
Even dumberer: (more stupid): the odd protester bringing a Palestinian flag along to an anti-ICE protest. Talk about hijacking your side’s cause….
This is hard. Taking time to let a protest build sympathy when you want attention NOW. I think of the anti-Netanyahu protests a few years ago (against him about the anti-judiciary moves before October 7). They took days to build but because they were peaceful, orderly they garnered the better impression.
There has got to be a way that organizers can better drive this home, and yeah, even condemn any acts of violence or looting. Even with the military sent there to provoke (which Trump wants.)
Please don’t tell me we need to be extra disobedient to get attention. The worst thing is the wrong attention. Yes, this is a case of the few ruining it for the many.
Post Script: It is clear that protesters AND law enforcement need better training. (are Marines schooled in domestic crowd control?) Trump loves that they do not, because it creates the very flashpoints that he wants.
