Riots in America,again.

[Walter]

The only evidence I have is the video. As I said I have no idea what happened before but he was on the ground, not struggling that I could see and repeatedly complaining that he couldn't breathe. Of course he must have been able to to some extent or he wouldn't have been able to speak.

There is a very long history of US police killing blacks during their arrest. I have no numbers for how many whites are similarly killed so can't really say they don't value black lives but certainly the black Americans feel that way.

That is all of us that were not there have to go on, we don't know what happened before only what was filmed even if the Officer had been black which in parts of America many are , I still think the rioting and looting would have happened

[klondike]

I would perhaps attempt to link it with Coronavirus which culminates in respiratory failure is more deadly to blacks than whites, could there be a link? 

I wouldn't rule it out but equally I wouldn't advise you to hold your breath waiting on a Nobel prize even if you are white.

[Audrine]

I felt very sorry for the black man involved with the police last night in Minneapolis.

I watched the burning in horror  last night & thought yes the people have a right to be angry but why this unruly behavior.      They would surely get more support & sympathy if they acted like decent human beings. I mean burning down a police station & destroying cars is beyond my comprehension. Such violence will get them nowhere.

Minneapolis also has a very high number of corona virus cases so the state has a lot to put up with at this time. Glad I don't live there. Audrine

[Diasi]

That is all of us that were not there have to go on, we don't know what happened before only what was filmed even if the Officer had been black which in parts of America many are , I still think the rioting and looting would have happened

You obviously haven't seen the clips where he had to be dragged from his car & being aggressive.

[Audrine]

You are right Diasi. I didn't see that part of the video. Still such a big problem over here. but better than what it was.Cheers to you & family. Stay safe Audrine

[zoony]

You obviously haven't seen the clips where he had to be dragged from his car & being aggressive.

Subduing an agitated or aggressive person is one thing and something police are well trained for..The kneeling on the jugular is a taught technique..Fine, but the dangers of that manoevre are taught at the same time as the technique..To casually use that while posing for the cameras and ignoring the cries of the subject is surely manslaughter. The culprit should be detained and tried.

[xetog]

In the paper this morning, therefore not necessarily Kosher any more, the autopsy revealed no signs of suffocation, but he had a heart condition and had signs of drugs in his system, but of course that will make no difference to those who are looking to cause disruption, certainly two wrongs do not make it right. 

Mike.X

[Audrine]

Television ,every channel.is full of the rioting & destruction of property. It has taken priority over the lockdown & virus problems. All those rioters crowded together. many without masks, one wonders. Audrine

[Walter]

You obviously haven't seen the clips where he had to be dragged from his car & being aggressive.

No not seen them, am I surprised if he was aggressive ? No, as I was driving home I heard on the radio I heard the Officer has now been charged with murder

[GrannyMac]

No not seen them, am I surprised if he was aggressive ? No, as I was driving home I heard on the radio I heard the Officer has now been charged with murder

He has, much more quickly than the ex policeman and his son who shot the black jogger a couple of months ago.  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-52585505

[zoony]

American police, in one form and another, have been a law unto themselves since the 19th Century and one must be very careful in dealing with them. Never argue, never question and never look 'em in the eye. Never smile, never frown and never look 'em in the eye. Never ever protest your innocence, never ever struggle and never look 'em in the eye..Thank goodness my encounters with the American police were when I was a young man. Not sure I'd survive one now.

[Glen]

Bonnie Greer, OBE is an American-British playwright, novelist, critic and broadcaster, who has lived in the UK since 1986. She was on the radio yesterday and took part in the American  riots of the 70s. She said learn from our  mistakes. It does no good to burn these places down. We had to live in the rubble for 20 years. That's how long it took. We were made  to pay for  the destruction. Protest but do it peacefully.  Good point

[Walter]

I agree if one really does want to take part in a protest march much better to do it in a dignified manner, I have only taken part in one protest which was the stop the war with Iraq, it did no good Blair and the Labour Government ignored us

[Michael Rolls]

I honestly believe that the USA is intrinsically a more violent society then the UK. As I wrote early on in the virus crisis, faced with the imminent collapse of civilisation as we know it, Brits buy toilet rolls, Americans buy guns.
Every time there is a shooting outrage in the USA, those crying out for gun control are outweighed by those buying guns with which to protect themselves. Ordinary American citizens are fully aware than the forces of law and order can't protect them from a determined armed assailant and that protecting themselves is in their own hands. It is also interesting that the states with the strictest gun control laws are the ones with the highest firearm homicide rates and that those with the most relaxed laws have the lowest - but it is important to realise that those with the lowest rates are the ones with the wide open spaces - Wyoming and the like, and those with the highest rates are those with the big cities with mixed populations. Washington DC, when I last looked, had the most restrictive laws governing the ownership of handguns and the highest rate of handgun homicides
Mike

[ronyork]

 The police must be obeyed, their work is hard enough, without druggies and scumbags looking for and causing trouble, it appears this chap  in America used drugs etc,  how much abuse did this policeman have from this man from, no doubt a foul mouth, he used his discretion for the action he took ,and I hope Donald Trump backs him. Do we want law and order or not,