Month: June 2020

Ex-Cincinnati Mayor Ken Blackwell: Leaders in our cities have a duty to do this

On By AZ ConservativeIn America, Culture, Depravity, Lawelssness, The LeftLeave a comment

By Kenneth Blackwell | Fox News

Cities across the country are in ruin, and the fear that took root when stay-at-home orders went into effect is being compounded by violent protesters who’ve abandoned reason and justice in the wake of George Floyd’s wanton death allegedly at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer.

People’s livelihoods are up in flames. Others are afraid to leave their homes and many who depend on public transportation no longer have a community pharmacy or convenience store for essentials, like food and medicine.
Rioters all but guaranteed many of the businesses in their own communities will never reopen again. Meanwhile, local leaders have a chance to stop the lawlessness instead of watching as rioters in their grief and anger destroy neighborhoods. Mayors have a duty to restore order.

President Trump has taken this matter seriously and directed the Department of Justice to conduct a civil-
How they respond to the crisis is what has the power to build up or tear down public confidence. In order to build confidence in their constituents, mayors must operate on the age-old wisdom that “Without peace, justice can’t take root.”

In their anger and grief over the needless loss of George Floyd, folks cannot torch their own communities — hurt their neighbors and friends — in the name of justice. Local leaders must harness peoples’ grief and anger and channel it in a constructive direction.

Otherwise, the violent rioting could prove the final straw for businessmen and women hanging on by a thread as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and serve to undermine the very change rioters and protesters seek to effect in their communities.

Rioting is no way to honor the memory of George Floyd. As the former mayor of Cincinnati and former ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Council, I witnessed first-hand the truth of Martin Luther King Jr.,’s immortal words: “The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged in the dark abyss of annihilation.”

We cannot let provocateurs and rioters co-opt our legitimate desire for justice and use it to wreak havoc on our country. This is common sense — not a “right” or “left” issue; this is about coming together as Americans and ensuring justice is done.

Those of us in positions of authority and influence have a duty to restore and unite for justice. Chaos and wanton destruction will destroy our communities. We cannot let our grief and desire for justice over the unnecessary death of George Floyd get lost in this chaos.

Frustration and anger are understandably high. What happened in Minneapolis is shocking and tragic, and George Floyd should still be with us today. The violence and destruction that followed, however, dishonor the pursuit of justice for a man widely remembered by his friends and family members as a “gentle giant.”

People are losing their life’s work, the businesses they built with their own two hands and their own sweat and hard work. In many cases, those businesses have been closed because of the virus, and now they are being physically destroyed or burned to the ground.

Local officials must restore order, end the riots and preserve communities — this is a time for peace, for calm and for unity. We must always remember that what unites us outweighs what divides us — as Americans, we must come together.

We can only achieve our desired goals, however, if we work together. With our spirit, our passion and our love of country, we can ensure justice is achieved and peace restored.

If we do this our communities will be the stronger for it, and the thing that will stand out at this moment in history will not be the violent, Antifa-fueled rioters, but the strength of the human spirit.

Designating Antifa as Domestic Terror Organization Is Step Toward Restoring Law and Order

On By AZ ConservativeIn America, Arizona, Depravity, Lawelssness, The LeftLeave a comment

By Laura Ries, The Daily Signal

As the president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage scholars have written elsewhere, the killing of George Floyd was unjustified and tragic.

In the days after Floyd’s death, Americans took to the streets in Minneapolis and other cities to express their frustration and anger. Unfortunately, many of these protests have metastasized into violence in several large cities and crossed the line from lawful to unlawful.

We are now witnessing, often on live television, acts of violence against innocent people, cars being torched, stores being looted, buildings set ablaze, and more. Rioters who loot and burn stores, homes, and buildings in minority neighborhoods are hurting the very people who already are at the lower end of the economic and social spectrum.

These are all crimes under state law, and some of these actions may be federal crimes as well, as we explain below.

In these trying times, we must turn to the greatest document in the history of the world to promise freedom and opportunity to its citizens for guidance. Find out more now >>

On Sunday, President Donald Trump tweeted that the administration would designate Antifa, the far-left militant movement, as a “domestic terrorist organization.” But the violence is not, from what we have seen and read, limited only to Antifa, as many violent thugs don’t cover their faces or hide behind the anonymity that typifies Antifa’s despicable tactics. This declaration can help, but it is not enough.

Attorney General William Barr issued a statement Sunday on “riots and domestic terrorism.” In it, he states, “The violence instigated and carried out by Antifa and other similar groups in connection with the rioting is domestic terrorism and will be treated accordingly.

But what does labeling Antifa a “domestic terrorist” organization actually mean? Does federal law enforcement gain anything from such a designation?

First of all, it is important to understand that terrorism is a tactic. Some state and federal criminal statutes include the word terrorism, but what they really criminalize are acts of violence, like bombings.

A terrorist designation does not change the charges a federal prosecutor can make. They remain the same. However, it will certainly help prioritize attention and federal resources on Antifa and encourage better coordination among law enforcement authorities.

This is a good start, but there is more that can and should be done at the state and local level as we describe below.

Politicians have periodically sought to designate different groups as domestic terrorist organizations, but such formal designations have not occurred in the past. Instead, organizations, such as the Earth Liberation Front, have been labeled as domestic terrorist “threats” or have committed terrorist “acts.”

Unfortunately, the words “terrorism” and “terrorist” have been used to describe an overly broad set of violent acts, from domestic abuse to bombings.

Due to the overbroad use of the term “terrorist,” the word itself has largely lost its meaning, resulting in a political and public disagreement on which organizations, if any, should be labeled terrorist, and why.

The term appropriately applies to Antifa.

Congress has defined domestic terrorism in a statute. Title 18, Section 2331(5) of the U.S. Criminal Code defines “domestic terrorism” as:

            … activities that:

(a) Involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;

            (b) Appear to be intended to: intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and

             (c) Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

There is no federal statute, however, that assigns criminal penalties to domestic terrorism.

So what can be done to quell the riots and hold people accountable for the crimes they commit?

First, states and localities have the primary responsibility to investigate, arrest, and prosecute people who violate state law.

Many of these crimes have been committed in full view of the media. Many of these crimes are not whodunits. The perpetrators are proudly flouting the law, on camera. To the extent possible, local prosecutors and police can and should investigate these crimes, arrest the violators, and prosecute them.

The federal government can, and likely is already, play a role, given the scale and scope of the riots and violence, especially considering that it appears that some of this is coordinated and funded.

Barr has directed the network of 56 regional Joint Terrorism Task Forces to identify criminal organizers and instigators, and to coordinate federal resources with their state and local partners. That in and of itself is a big deal.

Barr also stated that the violent radical agitators will be apprehended and charged for their violations of federal law.

No doubt, the FBI will use many of the same investigative tools it used to investigate and solve the April 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. That too was a resource-intensive effort, but resulted in the perpetrator being brought to justice.

One law that several violent rioters may be charged with is a violation of Title 18, Section 2101 of the U.S. Criminal Code, which criminalizes interstate travel or use of interstate commerce, including mail, telephone, radio, or television, with intent to: incite a riot; organize, promote, encourage, participate in, or carry on a riot; commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot; or aid or abet any person in inciting or participating in or carrying on a riot or committing any act of violence in furtherance of a riot.

This crime is punishable by fine, up to five years’ imprisonment, or both. There are, no doubt, other federal crimes that may have been violated, depending on the particular facts and circumstances involved.

What happened to George Floyd was horrific and criminal. Speaking out against it is justified, as long as it is done peacefully. But when protest turns to violence, it perverts the calls for peaceful, nonviolent protest and endangers everyone.