Brian M Downing
After several nights of protest and more importantly violence, the president has deployed military forces to Washington, DC and set the stage for sending troops to various cities as well. The move runs the risk of bringing greater violence but it may also put an end to the destruction in our cities. However, there’s a lot more at stake than real estate.
The riots began with Minneapolis blacks but soon spread – not only geographically to other cities, but also demographically to other groups. Far-left activists known as Antifa name themselves after a movement that fought Brown Shirts in Weimar Germany and purport to be delivering us from fascism today. Instead, they are giving us glass-strewn streets.
Also in the mix are white supremacists who wish to ignite a race war (the Boogaloo in their doctrine) out of which white dominance will be restored – apocalypse now, with many Kurtzes but not a Willard in the lot. In this respect they are aberrantly akin to AQ and ISIL who see sectarian warfare leading to ruined states and a restored caliphate.
There are also thousands of freelance young people eager to demonstrate their political passions, disdain for the president, and a not a little bravado. They may actually believe that a more determined effort from Lafayette Park can drive the president out of the White House. Better to keep politics on the hustings and limited to a war of words.
We may see the emergence of urban and rural defense groups aimed at protecting members of one race from another. This in turn could lead to ethnic cleansing – driving gentrifying owners from inner cities and minority families from many areas. Sporadic skirmishes could go on for many years.
Over the decades a measure of racial comity has come to almost every community and workplace. People work side by side and enjoy meals together. Some socialization also takes place off-hours. This is coming undone.
It took many cities several decades to recover from the 1968 riots. Washington DC’s 14th Street corridor remained deeply scarred until relatively recently. Many cities are in danger of having neighborhoods revert to the dismal state of the seventies.
Police departments face widespread demoralization as officers are blamed for the crimes of a few and ordered to stand by while stores are burned they themselves are attacked, often with lethal intents. Many departments will face a worrisome spike in departures, leaving them no choice but to reduce their presence in many neighborhoods and bring in less experienced cops.
With the notable exception of white nationalists, the demonstrators loathe Trump and burn with the desire to see him out. However, they would do well to look back on the 1968 riots and wonder if they helped give Nixon the edge over Humphrey that November. But education being what it is today, most are more disposed to activism on the street than reflection on the past.
© 2020 Brian M Downing
Brian M Downing is a national security analyst who’s written for outlets across the political spectrum. He studied at Georgetown University and the University of Chicago, and did post-graduate work at Harvard’s Center for International Affairs. Thanks as ever to Susan Ganosellis.