Attribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Quick review of events in El Paso resulting from demonstrations to protest the Murder of George Floyd.

My god daughter and others went out to protest and/or observe and record events on 31 May. Protestors marched from police headquarters (at the intersection of Piedras and Montana Street) to Memorial Park near the swimming pool and then back to EPPD Headquarters. Things went fairly peacefully until some people threw rocks and water bottles, then the police retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Another protestor/recorder complained about outside agitator types trying to promote violence and wanting to burn a local school building. It should be mentioned this happened in a residential area where people feel a sense of ownership about their park, school, and businesses.

Other demonstrations were scheduled for the 3rd of June but were kind of upstaged by the local Catholic bishop (Bishop Seitz) having a kneel in at Memorial park to protest Floyd's murder and other police brutality and to express support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The events of the day went peacefully.

There were two simultaneous demonstrations in Downtown El Paso, one calling for defunding of the police department, one expressing support for the EPPD. Both pretty much happened at the same time and the same place. Police, National Guard (who were mostly guarding buildings), Faith Peacekeepers (unarmed), thing turned into and Oathkeepers (definitely armed) were there to keep the peace. Whole thing turned into an exercise in free speech and peacefully assembling to petition for redress of grievances. Apparently, there was a little unpleasantness at the end, however, the dueling marches went so smoothly they did not interfere with the graduation ceremony for one of our local high schools at the nearby Southwest University Park Baseball Field (home of the El Paso Chihuahuas Triple Minor League baseball team and also used as a Soccer field by the El Paso Locomotive Professional Football Club.)

The temperature at the time of all these events was in the upper eighties and lower nineties during the cool of the evening. El Pasoans are a fairly laid-back bunch. Right now we like our PD and Sheriff Deputies and other LEO's. All this kept violence down.

The piece of garbage who murdered Mr. Floyd Knelt on his neck for a bit over 8 minutes to kill him. He should be charged with premeditated murder, but I admit it's better to undercharge and get a conviction than risk losing a case.

I distrust calls to disband or defund PD's, as I can see our would be leftist rulers replacing them with People's Police that function like the Tonton Macoute.

Finally, I notice that people are digging up Mr. Floyd's record to try to minimize the horror of his murder or assert that it is not appropriate to respond to his murder so forcefully. The reason it's called a last straw is not because something is a big deal, though, of course, any murder is a big deal, but because it's the last thing that pushes people over the edge. Also, it must be pointed out that the "motley rabble of saucy boys, negroes, and molattoes, Irish teagues and outlandish Jack Tarrs" (Source, Wikipedia. As an aside, Irish Teague and the Saucy Boys would be a good name for a band.) who took part in the demonstration that resulted in the Boston Massacre were not a bunch of saints. They are Martyrs in the struggle for American Freedom. And so is George Floyd.