and
~~ posted for dmorista ~~
Introduction by dmorista:As the challenges to the Capitalist ruling class of the U.S. continue to mount, both inside the country and in the balance of power in the Global Hierarchy, the elites have taken to increasing use of far-right vigilantes to enforce their unjust, dangerous, and exploitative regime. Authoritarian regimes always depend on “vigilante” operations to intimidate and defeat the working people in the societies they rule. This is not entirely new, there have been numerous far-right terror organizations in the U.S. over time, but it is reaching a new level of intensity. The incident where Heather Hyer was killed by a neo-Nazi type who drove his car at high speed into a group of counter protesters in Charlottesville Virginia in 2017 was an early example of the latest example of vigilantism in the U.S. The appearance of paramilitary thugs at State Legislatures and frequently standing around at George Floyd killing protests were somewhat later iterations of this phenomenon. Even the father of one of the 17 teenagers and teachers, who died in the mass shooting incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018, is now confronted with several assault rifle toting creeps whenever he presents one of his gun-control talks. The vicious reactionaries in the Texas Legislature passed an anti-abortion rights bill that empowers vigilantes to collect bounties by reporting women seeking abortions and anybody who helps them. And the ultra-reacationary controlled U.S. Supreme Court, now packed with 6 far-right Partisan Hacks, agreed to let that “informal” method of fascistic social control stand, bankrupting the abortion and reproductive health clinics as a desired and planned side effect.Two major elements of the “vigilante system of social control” are the presence of armed vigilantes who are relatively free to roam around leftist supported protests and randomnly kill whomever they want to. This dangerous scenario was cemented in place by the right-wing controlled trial and eventual acquital of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two and gravely injured one protester in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The right rallied to support Rittenhouse with $2 million for his $1 million dollar bail and for a top quality legal defense. The case was held in the court of a notorious reactionary judge who excluded the large amount of various types of evidence that refuted Rittenhouse's claim to self-defense. The streets of the U.S., already full of assault rifle toting paramilitary types and foaming at the mouth fascists became even more dangerous after this outrageous verdict. The first article "From the Tea Party to Kyle Rittenhouse: The Far Right’s Advances within the Republican Party", Dec 3, 2021, Ezra Brain, Left Voice, at < https://www.leftvoice.org/
from-the-tea-party-to-kyle- rittenhouse-the-far-rights- advances-within-the- republican-party/ > addresses some of the wide-ranging ramifications of the Rittenhouse case. Another on-the-ground method of violently repressing protesters is allowing right-wingers to run their vehicles into crowds of protesters killing and injuring them in the process. The first example, in this latest round of repression, of state legislatures actually passing laws to “legalize” such violent actions was taken by the South Dakota Legislature, in response to the major protest and struggle over the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in the 2015 – 2017 period. This process of passing state laws the allow reactionary drivers to kill and maim leftist protesters became much more pronounced after the upwelling of protest that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. As of April, 2021, 30 state laws have been passed that restrict the right to protest, some of them also include legal changes to encourage vigilantes to run protesters down with their cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Another 68 laws to restrict the right to protest are pending in various state legislatures, and overall 220 bills have been introduced into state legislatures to restrict the right to protest, many with very draconian measures against protest. Not all these bills include provisions to encourage violent vigilante actions, but a large number of them certainly do. These issues are taken up by "State-level Republicans are making it easier to run over protesters: GOP lawmakers are responding to Black Lives Matter protests with anti-protest bills", Apr 25, 2021, Cameron Peters, Vox, at < https://www.vox.com/2021/4/25/
22367019/gop-laws-oklahoma- iowa-florida-floyd-blm- protests-police > Below is a table that includes 97 incidents where motor vehicles were used or their use was attempted to run down protesters. It is the
List of 97 Incidents in Which Vehicles Intentionally Ran Into George Floyd Protesters.
No Date City or town State Details 1 05/27/20 Los Angeles California A California Highway Patrol car hit a man during a protest on the 101 Freeway.[2] 2 05/28/20 Denver Colorado Video showed a protester falling from the front of a car. The driver then appears to intentionally swerve to hit the man, injuring him.[3] 3 05/29/20 Bakersfield California A man was arrested for driving into a crowd in Bakersfield, injuring a 15-year-old girl.[4] 4 05/29/20 Bowling Green Kentucky A man was arrested for hitting protesters with his pick-up truck outside the Bowling Green Police Department building.[5] 5 05/29/20 Detroit Michigan A man was arrested for attempting to hit two Detroit bicycle officers.[6] 6 05/29/20 Jackson Mississippi A van was filmed driving into a demonstrator and forcing her to move.[7] 7 05/29/20 New York City New York An NYPD officer was placed on modified duty after video showed them opening the passenger door of a moving vehicle to hit a protester.[8] 8 05/29/20 San Jose California A woman was arrested for driving through a crowd of protesters. A deputy shot at her SUV during the incident. A separate incident also occurred in San Jose.[9] 9 05/30/20 Akron Ohio A protester was hospitalized after being struck by a pick-up truck.[10] 10 05/30/20 Anacortes Washington A woman was knocked over after a car drove into a group of protesters at the busiest intersection in Anacortes.[11] 11 05/30/20 Eureka California Two different cars struck protesters.[12] 12 05/30/20 Fullerton California A man in a gold SUV drove into a group of protesters.[13] 13 05/30/20 Gainesville Florida A man was arrested for driving a car into a crowd of protesters and pointing a gun at them.[14] 14 05/30/20 Kokomo Indiana A woman drove her truck into a group of protesters. According to police the driver is a correctional officer, who resigned after the incident.[15] 15 05/30/20 Lincoln Nebraska A man was arrested for hitting a demonstrator with his car on 25th and O Street.[16] 16 05/30/20 New York City New York Two New York City Police officers drove their police cars into protestors.[17] 17 05/30/20 Salt Lake City Utah A man who identified himself as Brandon McCormick drove his car into protesters before getting out and pointing a bow and arrow at them. Protesters then tackled McCormick and overturned his car.[18] 18 05/30/20 Tallahassee Florida A group of protesters were hit by a pickup truck on North Monroe Street. The driver was arrested by police.[19] 19 05/30/20 Visalia California A Jeep displaying a Keep America Great flag hit two protesters in downtown Visalia. The Jeep's occupants allegedly cupped their ears to pretend they couldn't hear the protesters, according to witnesses.[20] 20 05/30/20 West Fargo North Dakota A man drove his car into protesters in West Fargo. One protester clung onto his car for three blocks before falling off.[21] 21 05/31/20 Belfast Maine Protesters say a man attempted to hit a group of people occupying the road. No injuries were reported.[22] 22 05/31/20 Lawrence Kansas At least two individuals drove vehicles into protesters occupying an intersection. One person was treated for minor injuries.[23] 23 05/31/20 Bloomington Illinois A 21-year-old man was arrested for hitting protesters with a motorcycle, injuring two. He was charged with assault and committing a hate crime.[24] 24 05/31/20 Boston Massachusetts An SUV was driven into a group of protesters in downtown Boston. The incident was recorded by news agencies that were covering the protest.[25] 25 05/31/20 Daytona Beach Florida A woman intentionally drove her car over a protesters foot. She will be charged with aggravated battery.[26] 26 05/31/20 Lansing Michigan A woman drove her car through a protest, nearly hitting several people. State troopers pulled the woman from her vehicle, but they did not arrest her.[27] 27 05/31/20 Los Angeles California An LAPD cruiser struck two people after being surrounded by protesters.[28] 28 05/31/20 Minneapolis Minnesota A tanker truck was driven into protesters on the I-35 West bridge. The driver was arrested. State officials say that he may not have known the road was closed.[29] 29 05/31/20 Pasadena California At least two people drove their cars through protesters in Old Pasadena. In one incident a car drove away with a person clinging to the hood.[30] 30 05/31/20 Santa Rosa California A 17-year-old boy was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon a week after allegedly trying to run over protesters with a pickup truck near Old Courthouse Square, and accelerating towards Fourth Street. One site reported that multiple protesters were injured, but none were reported to be major or required medical attention.[31][32] 31 05/31/20 Tulsa Oklahoma A car was driven through protesters on a highway overpass. One protester, Ryan Knight, fell from the overpass and was paralyzed.[33] 32 06/01/20 Buffalo New York Three people were arrested after a car was driven into a line of police officers.[34] 33 06/01/20 Columbia Missouri Two people were injured in separate incidents in Columbia.[35] 34 06/01/20 Medford Oregon Protesters called for the mayor of neighboring Phoenix to resign after he allegedly hit a woman with a car during a protest in Medford.[36] 35 06/01/20 Portland Maine A Massachusetts trucker was arrested for driving a tractor-trailer into protesters.[37] 36 06/01/20 Troy Michigan Two people were hit by a car during a demonstration in Troy. No injuries were reported.[38] 37 06/01/20 West Babylon New York A man attempted to hit three teenage protesters after a verbal confrontation outside of a 7-Eleven. One of the teenagers says the man yelled "White Lives Matter".[39] 38 06/03/20 Bakersfield California Protester Robert Forbes was killed after being struck by a car in Bakersfield. The driver, Timothy Keith Moore, later died in Baja California in Mexico.[40] 39 06/03/20 Cincinnati Ohio A car hit a group of protesters outside city hall. The Cincinnati Police Department does not believe the incident was intentional, while city councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who was present at the scene, believes it was.[41] 40 06/03/20 Colorado Springs Colorado A Jeep struck a woman during a protest in Colorado Springs.[42] 41 06/03/20 Durham North Carolina A car drove past a roadblock towards protesters that were lying in downtown Durham. The car stopped when the protesters got up and off the road.[43] 42 06/03/20 Newport Beach California A car drove into a protest, nearly hitting a toddler. The driver was arrested by police.[44] 43 06/03/20 Seattle Washington A man was arrested for hitting protesting cyclists with a sedan.[45] 44 06/04/20 Alamosa Colorado An attorney was arrested for attempted murder for shooting a man driving through a protest in Alamosa.[46] 45 06/05/20 Chattanooga Tennessee Video shows a protester hit by a car near the Chattanooga Convention Center.[47] 46 06/05/20 Farrell Pennsylvania A woman struck a group of protesters in Farrell. She was placed in a police car but not charged.[48] 47 06/05/20 Memphis Tennessee An SUV driven by a teenager struck four protesters in Midtown. A second man is also accused of ramming protesters.[49] 48 06/05/20 West Haven Connecticut Two cars drove through a crowd in West Haven, hospitalizing two people.[50] 49 06/06/20 Elkin North Carolina Elkin Police say a man hit a protester with his car before getting out and threatening him with a gun.[51] 50 06/06/20 Jackson Michigan The mayor of Jackson confirmed that a car was driven into protesters. The driver was arrested by police.[52] 51 06/07/20 Lakeside Virginia Harry Rogers, a Ku Klux Klan leader, was arrested for driving a car into protesters.[53] 52 06/07/20 Manchester Vermont A truck drove through a roundabout where protesters were kneeling.[54] 53 06/07/20 Pensacola Florida A car drove through a picket line of protesters, carrying one of them. The protester was arrested for damaging the car's side mirror.[55] 54 06/07/20 Seattle Washington A man drove his car into a group of protesters, before getting out and shooting one of them.[56] 55 06/07/20 Ventura California A pick-up truck allegedly hit a pedestrian, then drove away. Ventura police deemed it an accident.[57] 56 06/08/20 Greenville South Carolina A car drove towards protesters outside of a restaurant in Greenville. Protesters had been gathered there after the restaurant's owner made racist comments on Facebook.[58] 57 06/08/20 Indianapolis Indiana A 68-year-old woman was arrested for driving her minivan into a group of protesters at Monument Circle.[59] 58 06/10/20 Seattle Washington A car drove into a group of cyclists gathered in front of the Seattle Police Department's west precinct. Some minor injuries were reported and one bike was destroyed.[60] 59 06/11/20 Bath Maine A pick-up truck drove through a crowd of 20 to 30 people. Protesters reported the incident as a hit-and-run.[61] 60 06/13/20 Richmond Virginia A police vehicle hit protesters near the Robert E. Lee statue on Monument Avenue.[62] 61 06/16/20 Dallas Texas A driver hit a protester with his car before exiting and pulling out a firearm.[63] 62 06/17/20 Louisville Kentucky Police say a car hit a protester after demonstrators engaged with the driver. The driver later had a gun pulled on them.[64] 63 06/17/20 Portland Oregon Three people were injured after a car was driven into protesters. The driver was arrested.[65] 64 06/20/20 Santa Rosa California A woman was hit by an unknown individual after driving into a protest. Police say that the woman did not intend to drive into the protest, while demonstrators dispute this.[66] 65 06/21/20 Tampa Florida A car drove through protesters at Hyde Park, hitting the organizer of the event.[67] 66 06/27/20 Austin Texas A car drove up to protesters outside of the Austin Police Department and waved a gun at them. He was taken into custody but later released[68] 67 06/27/20 Tampa Florida A protester was hit by a car at Hyde Park. The protester was later arrested, but had his charges dropped. The incident occurred days after a separate incident, also at Hyde Park.[69] 68 06/28/20 Detroit Michigan Protester Jae Bass was struck by a police car. Video shows Bass jumping onto the hood to avoid being run over.[70] 69 06/29/20 Lawrence Kansas Two separate incidents of cars driving into protests occurred on Massachusetts Street.[71] 70 06/29/20 Provo Utah The driver of an SUV was shot while driving through a protest. Three people were arrested in connection with the incident.[72] 71 06/30/20 Ackley Iowa A man was hit but not injured by a vehicle transporting Iowa governor Kim Reynolds.[73] 72 07/04/20 Mishawaka Indiana A car drove through protesters on the Main Street bridge. One man was dragged about 50 feet.[74] 73 07/04/20 Seattle Washington A car drove into protesters on Interstate 5. One person, Summer Taylor, was killed, and another was seriously injured. The driver, Dawit Kalete, was later arrested.[75] 74 07/04/20 Seattle Washington An off-duty officer drove her vehicle through a crowd of protesters. The Seattle Police Department later stated that the officer was no longer employed by the department.[76] 75 07/06/20 Bloomington Indiana A 66-year-old woman was arrested for driving her car into protesters, causing two injuries.[77] 76 07/06/20 Huntington Station New York A man was arrested for striking two protesters with his car.[78] 77 07/07/20 Newton Massachusetts Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller says that a man drove "aggressively" towards a group of peaceful protesters outside of Newton's City Hall.[79] 78 07/15/20 Penn Hills Pennsylvania A 63-year-old man was arrested for driving through protesters at an intersection.[80] 79 07/25/20 Aurora Colorado A Jeep was driven through a crowd of people protesting the death of Elijah McClain on a highway, hitting a pickup truck. One protester shot at the Jeep, instead hitting two other protesters. He was arrested in connection with the incident.[81] 80 07/25/20 Austin Texas A motorist who had previously expressed disdain for protesters and has a history of racism and violence turned aggressively through an intersection filled with protesters, shooting and killing one of them when confronted; The armed victim was the sole caretaker of his quadruple amputee fiance of ten years and had expressed anti-racist, libertarian, and anti-police views in his Facebook posts.[82] 81 08/21/20 Iowa City Iowa Two cars hit protesters in separate incidents, injuring one.[83] 82 08/21/20 Troy New York Two people were hit by a car during a March in Troy. The driver was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment.[84] 83 08/23/20 Bloomington Indiana A car turning onto Walnut Street did not stop or slow down despite protesters occupying the road.[85] 84 09/03/20 New York City New York A car hit protesters in Times Square that were protesting the death of Daniel Prude.[86] 85 09/03/20 Richmond Indiana A car drove into a protest, hitting two people.[87] 86 09/12/20 Johnson City Tennessee A white car hit a group of protesters in Downtown Johnson City.[88] 87 09/14/20 Sacramento California A California Highway Patrol cruiser hit protesters outside McClellan Airport. Another incident occurred with a civilian vehicle.[89] 88 09/23/20 Buffalo New York A pick-up truck drove through a crowd of people that were gathered to protest no charges being filed for the shooting of Breonna Taylor. One person was injured.[90] 89 09/23/20 Denver Colorado A protester was hit by a car during a demonstration for Breonna Taylor.[91] 90 09/23/20 Laramie Wyoming A police sergeant hit a protester with her police vehicle. The man hit was uninjured.[92] 91 09/24/20 Los Angeles California A pick-up truck struck a protester in Hollywood. The driver was detained by police.[93] 92 09/25/20 Albuquerque New Mexico A car drove through a crowd in Albuquerque. No injuries were reported.[94] 93 09/26/20 Yorba Linda California A car drove through a crowd of counter-protesters who were opposing Black Lives Matter protestors, injuring two people. The driver was arrested and charged with attempted murder.[95] 94 10/27/20 Philadelphia Pennsylvania A police officer was struck by a pick-up truck during unrest in Philadelphia over the killing of Walter Wallace. The truck was later found nearby, unoccupied.[96] 95 10/27/20 Seattle Washington A person was hit by a car during a protest outside the West Precinct. No injuries were reported.[97] 96 06/13/21 Minneapolis Minnesota Killing of Deona Knajdek: A vehicle drove into a crowd of demonstrators protesting the killing of Winston Boogie Smith, killing a woman, Deona Knajdek, and injuring three. The driver was charged with second-degree intentional murder and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon in relation to the incident.[98] 97 11/30/21 Minneapolis Minnesota A car drove into a crowd rallying for Daunte Wright. No one on scene was seriously hurt.[99]
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