The Republican Party may be doing all they can to win the State of Wisconsin in November, but they’re also doing all they can to ignore the Wisconsin civil unrest that has been taking place since Sunday.
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During the RNC 2020 Day 3 on Wednesday, Republicans took the podium to create a make-believe utopia they only wish existed. One by one, Trump senior advisor Kellyanne Conway, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany, Lara Trump (Eric’s wife), VP Mike Pence and Karen “Mother” Pence told the story of how Donald Trump is the epitome of perfection, how he loves and respects women, how great he has handled (past tense) the novel coronavirus, how he’s not at all a racist, and how he’s THE law and order president who will protect White America from those nasty liberal (read: Mostly Black) protestors.
For all their “creative license” (read: Lying) and orgy-style Trump boot-licking, not a single speaker uttered a single syllable of concern regarding the Wisconsin civil unrest that has occurred over the past several days.
In fact, the only mentions came when a Republican Rabbi oddly condemned social justice advocates during his opening prayer (YES! that was his prayer), and when Mike Pence boldly exclaimed during his Wednesday night acceptance speech “The violence must stop… We will have law and order.”
No mention of the 7 gunshots a White police officer fired into the back of unarmed Jacob Blake, a Black man, while his young children watched in horror. No mention of the shooting death of 2 peaceful protesters in Kenosha by a 17-year-old White Trump supporter who was part of a vigilante hate group self-patrolling the scene. Only a mention of people marching in protest (who were freely exercising their constitutional right to assembly).
Well, since the Republican Party proved it is more than willing to ignore us, it’s time for us to ignore them. So, no more talk today about the Republican convention. Let’s talk about Wisconsin.
When Jacob Blake stopped to break up a fight between 2 women on Sunday, he had no idea Kenosha Police would treat him as a criminal and shoot him in the back as his three sons, ages 3, 5 and 8 watched in horror. Now, Mr. Blake is in serious condition inside a Wisconsin hospital paralyzed from the waist down.
When protestors took to the streets in Kenosha on Tuesday night, 2 of them had no idea they would be murdered by 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, who took it upon himself to travel to Wisconsin from Illinois with a militia group just to help police “keep order” (read: Stop those Black protestors).
Except, that’s exactly what happened — and now, everybody is talking about it and America is once again turned upside down.
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A 17yo with easy access to an AR-15 drove to Kenosha protests and murdered two people last night. Contrary to RNC propaganda, this is in fact Donald Trump’s America.
— Paul Cogan (@PaulCogan) August 26, 2020
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On Wednesday night just prior to tipoff of an NBA playoff game inside the Orlando “bubble,” the Milwaukee Bucks decided there were more important things going on in this country besides basketball. So, they decided en masse to strike and not take the court for the game. They were quickly joined by the Los Angeles Lakers, The Los Angeles Clippers, the Portland Trailblazers, and myriad other NBA teams, effectively forcing an abrupt halt to all NBA play.
Multiple sports outlets have since reported that an emotional conversation was held late Wednesday among players who are collectively prepared to cancel the entire season and walk away from the game and the job they love until Black lives are valued and justice is served. The thinking is that if owners don’t use their multi-billionaire power to get involved politically and socially and to come up with something that makes them believe playing basketball during this time will help move these important issues forward, the NBA season is done.
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Next, former NBA player Kenny Smith, who co-hosts “Inside The NBA” on the TNT Network, walked off set during a live broadcast in solidarity with the NBA players.
Soon thereafter, baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds also canceled their games for the night in response to the Wisconsin civil unrest. The Seattle Mariners, who have the most Black players of any team in MLB, are expected to follow suit later today.
If that wasn’t enough, tennis star Naomi Osaka took to Instagram to announce that she will forfeit her semifinals match today at the Western Southern Open in protest.
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Naomi Osaka indicates on Instagram she will forfeit in protest her semifinals match tomorrow at the Western Southern Open that’s been moved to Flushing Meadows. Says she’s a black person first.
— Marc Berman (@NYPost_Berman) August 27, 2020
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Former President Barack Obama also issued a statement of support to the sports world for taking a stance regarding the Wisconsin civil unrest.
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I commend the players on the @Bucks for standing up for what they believe in, coaches like @DocRivers, and the @NBA and @WNBA for setting an example. It’s going to take all our institutions to stand up for our values. pic.twitter.com/rUGETgAt7P
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 27, 2020
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The shooting of Jacob Blake by police is already enough. However, multiple reports suggest the Kenosha police egged Kyle Rittenhouse on and told him to “handle” the protestors before he shot and killed 2 of them. Another report claims Rittenhouse never fled the scene but was allowed by police to simply walk away because he is White and they “liked him too much to arrest or even question him.”
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Kyle Rittenhouse didn’t flee the scene of the crime after shooting two people in the head with an assault rifle. He literally flagged the Kenosha, Wisconsin police down and they let him walk away because he is white and they liked him too much to arrest or even question him.
— Eugene Gu, MD (@eugenegu) August 26, 2020
“The killing of two protestors in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Tuesday night may have emerged in response to a Facebook event posted by a self-described militia, which referred to the event as a “call to arms.'” @TheVerge
This is Trump’s America.
— Chip Franklin (@chipfranklin) August 26, 2020
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On Wednesday night, Mike Pence attempted to scare White suburbanites by suggesting that if Joe Biden becomes president, there will be rioting and looting in the streets. However, there is rioting in the streets RIGHT NOW on the watch of Trump and Pence, yet they refused to even acknowledge via a single word during their political party.
EVERYBODY is talking about the Wisconsin civil unrest. Everybody except Donald Trump, Mike Pence, and the Republican Party. They’re too busy pretending that all is well in their 1950s version of the good ol’ U S of A while once again turning a blind eye to yet another Black man being shot by police, accompanied by White Trump supporters taking it upon themselves to shoot and kill peaceful protestors “Wild Wild West” style.
Welcome to Donald Trump’s America!
This is an important story that needed to be told. I have much respect for the NBA players and other sports players who took a stand at their own expense. I’m not even interested in this convention any longer. I appreciate you writing this post.