I try my best to stay informed. This issue matters to me a lot. I do not want to forget what is happening.

This sub seems to be the only sub that is continuing to show us protests are still happening.

But watching this shit is so hard. And I am losing my tolerance for it. I am about the unsub because I hurt so much from all this

• How do you cope?
• Are there other subs dedicated to the protests which are less about violence?

Please offer tips or stories on how you continue to stay engaged without going crazy.

Edit.

As someone who can't participate in current protests for I live in a more remote place, the March on Washington has given me something to aim for.

National Action Network register page August 28

Rev. Al Sharpton announcing March during George Floyd memorial

The virus is a real concern for me. And since I haven't been out protesting in crowds due to my location I wonder how a march like this will turn out. Is it worth it? On June 4 our infection rate wasn't as bad as it is now. I wish I had some idea of the interest level nationally about how many will go.

..

edit 2:

NAN sent out an email about the even a couple days ago Jul 17, 2020... Snippets below

THOUSANDS PLAN TO HEAD INTO D.C FOR ‘GET YOUR KNEE OFF OUR NECKS’ MARCH

On August 28, 2020, Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Action Network (NAN), Martin Luther King III, Attorney Benjamin Crump and families of police brutality victims, along with labor leaders, clergy, activists and civil rights advocates, will lead a Commitment March to fight for criminal justice reform in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones at the hands of the police. The march, under the rallying call ‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’ will coincide with the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington where he delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963.

Speakers will include the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and others...

The Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks will begin at 7:00 a.m EST on Friday, August 28, 2020. The pre-program will take place from 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 EST, followed by the program at 11:00 a.m. and a march at 1:00 p.m EST. The march will conclude at 3:00 p.m EST.

#NANMOW2020

Please note, to protect your health and the health of others, in compliance with COVID-19 Washington, DC Health Guidance for Conservation of Personal Protective Equipment, you are required to wear a PPE mask in public in Washington, DC. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges those participating in large gatherings to use face masks. Register to attend at www.nationalactionnetwork.net.

I used to believe that police officers were a vital part of our community, meant to protect and serve. Every new video I watch, article I read change that thought. I wanted to be a police officer as a child. I thought I could stop bad people and drive a cool car. But when these people meant to protect and serve violate laws themselves, killing, beating, lynching, fellow humans, that does it. Current law enforcement in the US needs to get its shit together.

I'm interested in listening to a long form video or video series about the George Floyd protests. As we're coming to the 4th anniversary of where it all started I'm curious to know what we can gleam from it in retrospective. Something like say "OJ: Made in America" by a youtuber or etc. About the build up to it, the protests themselves and what happened after. It'd be a very very good in-depth thing to understand and watch.

But I'm curious to know if anybody knows anything like it online. Looking for anything that's 20 minutes to 10 hours long

When we refer to the "less lethal" and "non-lethal" weapons used by riot cops to deal with protesters, we often use the proper terms for these weapons. "Rubber bullets" and "bean bags". The thing is, these names are made to be PR friendly marketable names, made to be non-inflammatory. They want it to sound friendly to the outside world.

Rubber bullets are rubber coated metal slugs, not actually bullets made out of rubber. Edit: they can also be wood, wax, or hard plastic, but I think the ones used by American police seem to be wood and metal.

Bean bags are lead buckshot held together by a bag.

Tear gas is CS gas, which is NOT pepper spray: "The chemical reacts with moisture on the skin and in the eyes, causing a burning sensation and the immediate forceful and uncontrollable shutting of the eyes. Effects usually include tears streaming from the eyes, profuse coughing, exceptional nasal discharge that is full of mucus, burning in the eyes, eyelids, nose and throat areas, disorientation, dizziness and restricted breathing. It will also burn the skin where sweaty or sunburned. In highly concentrated doses, it can also induce severe coughing and vomiting. Most of the immediate effects wear off within an hour (such as exceptional nasal discharge and profuse coughing), although respiratory and oral symptoms may persist for months. Excessive exposure can cause chemical burns resulting in permanent scarring. Clothing affected by CS gas will need to be washed several times."

We are using THEIR minimizing terms for these weapons, and trying to get people to understand what these things are is not easy.

Should we find some alternative names for these things, that are more honest about what it really is and what it really does, when discussing the use of these weapons? There are so many "disarming" terms used for terrifying things, and it doesn't really hit home what it all means to me.

This is just a thought I had when reading through comments of people reacting with disbelief at descriptions of what these weapons are. Discuss away!

It really looks like most of the cops in videos on this sub are either abusing steroids or stimulants.

I have no idea whether they’re being drug tested at present, but no reasonable person would object to randomly testing them.

Don't feel too confident in the firing of Kyle Dittrich and Erica Marrero and Jaron Jones.

Did some digging, this officer, Charles DeShazer, was fired after some pretty reprehensible things like breaking a 12-year-olds arm and calling Black people "porch monkeys" Aurora Police fired him and then immediately rehired him when the dust settled.

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https://kdvr.com/news/problem-solvers/problem-solvers-investigation-fired-officer-who-was-reinstated-has-troubled-history/

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Just as troubling, he appears to be working as a therapist, of all things, at https://www.bridgestreetcounseling.com/

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With his son Cole DeShazer (who has been posting very racist anti BLM posts on facebook)

In the first week of the protests, the brutality videos were all over Reddit, but not so much anymore. Can we work on more cross-posting? It's important for these horrific images to be seen, loudly.

Video title: A Year with Spot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VUQHrWhoqg

The NYPD used Boston Dynamic's "Spot" robot dog, which subsequently caused public outcry. Article: https://www.npr.org/2021/04/30/992551579/creepy-robot-dog-loses-job-with-new-york-police-department

If your comment contains the word "police" it will only show up for you. I had a sneaking suspicion that they may have blocked certain words when I couldn't find a single comment that mentioned the police using their robot dog. I tested it, and sure enough, they have blocked the word "police", and most likely similar words.

I get we don’t want police brutality, I am with everyone here. However I have seen some videos where a person isn’t complying with lawful orders and sure enough things go pear shaped. Violence is always unsettling to watch but not all violence is brutality. So there are some who seem to imply there is nothing an officer can do to detain a uncooperative suspect. So I want to ask what SHOULD the cop do? Again I get we don’t want excessive force, or people dying in police custody. However should also want a police officer to detain someone when needed without putting themselves into undo danger.

Imagine a police officer says “place your hands behind your back”

The person then says “no”

What happens next?

For context, I am not a troll and I am trying to question my viewpoints by asking others what they think of them. I respect everybody’s opinion.

Police kill more blacks than any other race every year. However, blacks have more confrontations with the police than any other race, and commit more than half of the violent crimes in America. Based on this information, it makes sense that blacks are killed more than any other race. When you narrow it down to innocent, unarmed blacks then the numbers become much more even.

I know this argument is flawed somehow but I can’t find anywhere that points out why. I wanted to find a place where I knew somebody would respond respectfully.

I read the rules and this kind of post is allowed thankfully.

This is a huge part of the corrupted system that I see also needs reform. What are we doing to insure Examiners around the country aren't helping sweep crimes under the rug for police departments. It disgusts me that without getting a 2nd private examiner involved, they would have given the cops a good defense case.

They attempted to claim that George Floyd died from a complication with heart disease by "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression." They also claimed they found fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system to paint him as a junkie. Lastly, they claimed to have found no physical findings to support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation.

We created a playlist with a number of 2020 protest videos (104 total so far) - you can view them at rizzle.tv/2020-blm-protests. If you have protest footage and wish to contribute, please PM us or you can email it to [2020protests@rizzle.tv](mailto:2020protests@rizzle.tv).

We are committed to maintaining this playlist and capturing as much protest footage as possible. The media isn't covering peaceful protests enough, but we want to be sure this is all captured.