I want to be very clear about this, I am involved in the political process. I believe I have a duty, as someone involved in the political process, to ensure a peaceful resolution of grievances through the ballot box and the courts. I suspect, almost everyone on this site holds similar beliefs.
Tonight saw an apparent politically motivated murder in Portland after a fight between demonstrators and Trump supporters. This follows a shooting in Wisconsin early in the week as well as armed rightwing militia attacking Democratic candidate events in Texas earlier in the month. Police protection of protesters has been noticeably lacking. Military leaders have indicated that they will not intervene in the political process.
Outside of the Native American experience, the largest genocide in American focused on the Plan De San Diego in the Rio Grande Valley during the early part of the 20th century. During this outbreak of violence white militia targetted Hispanic landowners. By some accounts, land-owning Hispanics in the valley suffered a greater rate of death and disappearance than did victims of Argentina’s dirty war. During this event, military and civil authorities refused to intervene to halt the genocide.
I would urge leaders at all levels of government to immediately pass legislation banning the possession of a firearm at a political gathering and affirmatively compelling police enforce such ordinance.
BIPOC communities and individuals should carefully consider the worst-case scenario and make careful and disciplined decisions about how to respond either individually or in groups. While the current situation is bad, incidents of political violence are, currently, limited in the context of the population as a whole. Put another way, please don’t be the Lexington & Concord militias if you don’t have to.