Riot Season 2021

[TeePee]

Last season got pretty spicy.

Lots of people protesting lots of things, from lockdown restrictions to Amazon. The biggest match that lit off protests was relating to the death of George Floyd, which led to the 'Summer of Love' in the US with nightly rioting, violence and looting, and weeks of protests and riots in the UK and worldwide.

The murder trial of one of the officers involved with Floyds death has just begun. This is a problem. While the 60 second clip of George Floyd shouting that he couldn't breathe is dramatic and disturbing, so much so that some of the response is unsurprising. Like many such events, there is a full story, and bodycam video, that paint a very different picture.

If the officer receives a fair trial, there is a strong possibility that the officer will not be convicted, or will be convicted of a lesser charge. With public discontent at an all time high, thanks to months of lockdowns, Minneapolis is braced for war. They might get it. People have lost so much in the last year, that throwing more gas on the fire could lead to it burning down the house.

The 1992 L.A. Riots killed sixty. The 2011 England Riots killed five, four of whom were trying to protect their neighbours and community.

This is something worth paying attention to, especially if you are released to go outdoors this year.

[kalniel]

I don't know, I think the year has already started out pretty bad in Myanmar and Hong Kong for eg. let alone other countries that we don't get to hear about.

[TeePee]

I don't know, I think the year has already started out pretty bad in Myanmar and Hong Kong for eg. let alone other countries that we don't get to hear about.

It's going to be a rough year in many parts of the world with violence and civil unrest. The Floyd trial is likely to lead to violence in the UK, but I suspect it will be just the start.

[ik9000]

At least in the US you have the right to defend your property - and to own and carry arms. Over here we don't have that right (not robustly enough it seems based on court cases and legal precedent) and no right to bare arms, even to defend family/property, with most useful items to do so with outlawed. The problem is if everyone has those arms then does it benefit you? I would still argue yes when it comes to your property, but not once you set foot over the threshold into the public realm. The problem is that distinction is almost impossible to enforce. Criminals won't respect such a law and once you give them access to firearms the genie is out the bottle.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I thought this was going to be about League of Legends 2021 ranked games.

[Ttaskmaster]

Over here we don't have that right (not robustly enough it seems based on court cases and legal precedent) and no right to bare arms, even to defend family/property, with most useful items to do so with outlawed.

But you do still have the right to defend yourself and even kill in that defence, if such is demonstrably necessary... and most items are outlawed, but not all. It's a bit of a grey area though, as most such items require training, discipline and responsibility in order to use correctly (from a legal perspective) and in many cases they will not only make the situation much much worse, but they can turn you into the criminal while at the same time being used against you - so that's a Triple Whammy reason not to carry anything.

Criminals won't respect such a law and once you give them access to firearms the genie is out the bottle.

They don't respect them anyway and many already have access to firearms. The post-Dunblane law changes did nothing to shut down those routes to illegal guns.
Currently they often don't carry firearms because the Police don't, because the public don't and because they're expensive, as well as having them means they'll more likely use them when things go pear shaped, resulting in even worse outcomes for all concerned.

[TeePee]

The problem we have, even in the US, is that there's political support for the rioters. Roof Koreans wouldn't fare so well in 2021. If you actually defend yourself, even when it's clear cut, on video and unambiguous, you're still likely to face murder charges. Ultimately, the answer is avoidance if you can. Wetsuit optional.