Topic: Local News

[6pairsofshoes]

I feel for all those graduating seniors who are missing so many of the happy experiences with friends that normally mark this rite of passage.  It sounds like you are doing all you can to help in a frustrating time for him.

[smokester]

I wondered as so much of the U.S is all over the global news with the reaction to George Floyd's death, if everyone over that side of the pond is affected by these troubles?

It reminds me too much of our Summer Riots back in 2011 which just went from bad to bloody awful. It was almost as if the rule of law just didn't exist temporarily.

[goldshirt*9]

Watched the people in Trafalgar and no trouble.
USA is a play station game ATM. Horrific in some places. More looters and rioters around putting what the protesters are trying to achieve no where 
 

[6pairsofshoes]

All the Target stores in the Bay area are closed because one was violently looted.  It's sad because this was a relatively new store in an underserved neighborhood and it's possible they'll yank the store due to the related risk.

There are groups that are peacefully protesting and then there are random groups that are roving around being violent.  People and businesses are getting hurt.  Many businesses are simply paying to have their doors and windows boarded up with protective plywood as it's cheaper than replacing the glass.  We got a call from the county emergency alert services tonight warning us of roving bands of violent actors.  There's a curfew imposed. 

The whole business is surreal.  There have been some tragic incidents of African Americans being arrested or killed by local police and this latest incident has pulled the scabs off the wounds.  Feelings are pretty raw.  And having an insensitive racist in the White House ain't helping matters, Quote:  "When the looting starts, the shooting starts."  Great leadership skills, right?

[smokester]

Ironically, and in line with this thread topic, I had protests just down the road from me as the American Embassy is near Battersea Power Station. All peaceful but there is always the risk that the professional looters will turn up and turn the event into something violent and chaotic.

[6pairsofshoes]

I hope you escape any violence.  We just got a phone call announcing that there's a curfew imposed through 6/5.  No going outside after 8 pm through 5 am.  That's pretty weird.  Not that I normally do go out that much these days with the pandemic still looming, but if you wanted to pop to the store for a pint of ice cream or some beer, etc., after 8, forget it. 

[dweez]

My sister's town, Kenosha, WI, also had a curfew implemented. She said there was multiple rioting areas going on and was pretty scared. Here in SW VA, it hasn't seemed "too bad" (coming from someone who rarely goes out and pays little attention to mainstream news). We did have a peaceful protest on our campus. SWAT was there in riot gear away from the event, near and "being visible" but was unnecessary. It's amazing the "mob mentality" can be as infectious, and as deadly, as COVID.

[goldshirt*9]

We mainly see the bad news form USA and it looks terrible, vary rare the good where the police in smaller towns have also pretested, taking a knee with peaceful protesters 

[8ullfrog]

Not my town, but La Mesa had two banks burned down "in protest".  We'll see what tonight brings.

I don't know if my town has curfews, and I'm not remotely sure how I would check.

[smokester]

I just happened to be watching CNN last night when Trump did his walkabout thing with the bible after the police had forcefully moved on the protesters. Pretty surreal stuff and very scary. I thought I'd wake today to America under fire.

[8ullfrog]

The thing I don't get is at the political protests in past, they've engaged in a practice known as "kettling" to arrest 30 people at a time.

... Pick a Target. Throw the book at the kettle when they emerge from their loot "shopping".

eh, that would probably get thrown out as "entrapment".

[6pairsofshoes]

I live near a pleasant shopping street with a Safeway, banks and several other independently owned shops and restaurants.  This morning, when I went for a walk, there were crews boarding up the windows and doors with fresh plywood.  It's pretty weird when the grocery store is boarded up.  There has been looting, but more like 5 miles away.  It's disturbing to see businesses demonstrate this kind of fear. 

[smokester]

I hope that it gets better and not worse.

The summer riots here continued unabated as the government was busy redeploying the police to areas (especially Stratford) that they could not afford the world media to report on and damage the prospects of the 2012 Olympics. While that might have helped areas of East London, it left the rest of the capital at the mercy of opportunist thugs. I remember clearly all the oiks waiting down the road at Clapham Junction with their Blackberries in hand, getting directions from organisers on where to loot. Of course, this then played out nation wide on a similar scale.

I fear the coronavirus offers the same blanket of cover for the thugs over there.

[8ullfrog]

I heard they bent the golden gate bridge up so bad you can hear it screaming in berkley.

I mean, first I had to read some cowpoo on fox about the bridge singing, and I was like "This is not an 80's cartoon, bridges do not sing"

Turns out they hired a real bless'ed brain trust to fix the bridge, and they're dumb as a box of turds. They rigged it up like a harmonica. I'm not bullshitting you, they took the regular bridge handrail, and replaced it with a grid, like a bless'ed harmonica.

And when I said heard, I don't mean like I read about it, I watched the youtube video from CBS, because FOX left me dry, the gits.

So here you go:

The shitfucks who got the contract KNEW THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN.

THIS FUTURE SUCKS ASS!

[6pairsofshoes]

They've been trying to work on a design to discourage suicide attempts from the bridge for years.  Now it's singing.  Crikey.  I hadn't been close enough to hear that lately, but it's been really windy around here for about a week.  I have to keep picking up branches in the yard that have fallen off the trees.

I guess it could have been worse...