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j0hn_d0e wrote

The BLM leaders want peaceful protests because their goal is to get police reform & have police held accountable for their actions just like any other citizen. Half of the BLM protesters (regardless of race) want to remain peaceful & the other half want to riot (or are opportunistic).

Anarchists want to completely change the system and replace the government. Anarchists tend to show up at the peaceful protests ready to riot. Once things get violent, police have a reason to start arresting people.

This twitter account highlights various moments when people attempt to instigate peaceful protests: https://twitter.com/Freeyourmindkid

Personally I'm not blaming either side since BLM & Anarchists just have different ideas & goals.

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polpotisevil2 OP wrote

I'm not blaming either side either, what I am saying is that (regardless of how peaceful or how violent or anything else) protests should not be dictated by a few people. BLM itself, any protest, any issue, incorporates a huge range of opinions and problems and solutions and ideas. Letting them group together and do what their atmosphere creates is the most genuine form of the protest. Whether it morphs into a riot or a long discussion with the mayor or stays completely peaceful and has success or stays uneventful really tells a lot about the situation.

But to have one or two people telling everyone to stay behind some line and to be respectful to the police and yelling "you are with 'us' or against 'us'" (the use of the word us in this situation is funny) to anyone slightly falling out of line is not acceptable

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