Privileged, heavily armed, white ranchers forcefully barricade themselves in a federal reserve in the U.S., resulting in a tense several-week standoff with authorities.
One culprit had even proudly boasted to the media that he would be willing to die for the cause. If that kind of statement is not a threat of violence, I'm not certain what is.
The debacle was over some beef — pun intended — the ranchers had regarding grazing issues with the U.S. government.
Peaceful protest is one thing.
But a hostile, armed, forced takeover of federal property is another ball of wax entirely. The stunt should have amounted to nothing less than treason for mounting an armed insurrection.
Instead, several of the ringleaders were recently acquitted on all charges. Another batch will be heading to court soon. If the first farce of a trial was any indication, they too will simply walk away without so much as a slap on the wrist.
Meanwhile, tales of the numerous minority males throughout the U.S. who were shot dead despite complying with police orders still are not enough to convince those with blinders firmly in place that there is certainly a problem.
The situation has actually reached the point where many among the public see assault rifle toting, well-off white ranchers merely as protesters standing up for their rights — even if that means doing so through threat of force.
Yet completely unarmed and impoverished minority groups — who do not own massive amounts of ranching land — protest for their rights not to be summarily executed during a routine traffic stop and are immediately branded as thugs who all deserve everything coming to them.
How police could be more “scared for their lives” — the excuse always used when a suspect is killed — when facing an unarmed black male with his hands in the air and his back turned than when facing a heavily-armed white rancher is beyond my ability to comprehend.
More recently, adding further insult to injury are the hostile police actions against peaceful, unarmed First Nations groups and supporters that have rallied to protest the construction of the multi-billion dollar North Dakota pipeline. The project runs through treaty land and could potentially threaten pristine water reserves.
Authorities deployed a light armoured vehicle, military Humvees and troops that look altogether too much like counterterrorist units going to war in the Middle East to do battle against IS.
But this is the American Midwest. The foe? Unarmed Americans.
While such a heavy-handed response might have made sense in reaction to the hostile armed takeover of federal land, it makes no sense whatsoever to use against unarmed and peaceful protesters. Even journalists, filmmakers and celebrities supporting the cause have been unlawfully rounded up only to later be released.
Cordially and calmly negotiating with what amount to well-armed militants while bringing the hammer down on unarmed protesters is an egregious misuse of police power.
However, it certainly underscores the deplorable double standard that shines a bright light on how differently American authorities handle different demographics.
