Yesterday, Miguel asked Why no Antifa in Florida?
He proposed that it is because of Florida’s anti-mask law.
We have those in Alabama as well, for the same reason. They were created to combat the Klan.
Ours are not as brutal, they are part of loitering law. However, they are strictly enforced by police who do not budge an inch on the subject.
Back in 2017, Richard Spencer spoke at Auburn University.
Antifa showed up with the clear intentions of going all Berkeley on campus and causing havoc.
Auburn Police showed up to prevent that from getting out of hand.
Auburn Police clearly did not attend the same police academy as Berkeley campus police or Portland PD. They did not take shit from masked Antifa.
“No hoodies, no masks.”
Just look at how they turned into chicken-shits as soon as their masks came off. Trying to hide their faces from the camera with their hands, slinking down the sidewalk.
They are bold when they think they can’t be identified. All that has to be done to is take away their anonymity.
Auburn police were not afraid of arresting people who got out of hand either.
Go right ahead and start some shit, you will end up in handcuffs, on the ground, bleeding from your head, being hauled off to jail.
There hasn’t been an Antifa action in Alabama since then that I can find.
Letting them wear masks or hide their faces and letting them get away with violence, that is how things get out of hand.
Taking away their masks and cracking down on bad actors keeps the rest of them in line.
Oregon has a long history of being a rather libertarian/conservative state, although Portland has been a progressive/marxist stronghold since the sixties. For most of the state’s history we were all grumpy German farmers, ornery Russian fishermen, and fundamentalist Mormons who had gotten lost on their way to Deseret… There was a strong streak of “Leave Me Alone!” built into our laws from day one. With the Post-War economy shifting to Portland the population became more urbanized and with over the next few decades that urban population went hard Left.
Until fairly recently, the hard left was comfortable with (and even supportive of) the very strong free speech protections our state had baked into its DNA by the “Leave Me Alone!” earlier generations. It’s why we have no sex- or gender-based distinctions in our public shirtlessness laws, why we have (used to have) such a thriving small press publishing industry (before the internet), and why we’ve got more strip clubs per capita than any other U.S. city.
It’s also why we do NOT have a anti-mask law.
Normally, I’d be going full “Wookie Suit” angry libertarian at the very idea of having any such restrictions on public speech… But, dammit, the Communist Revolution Cosplay Club really has me reconsidering that ideal.
Our police chief has called for an anti-mask law. So far, city council (who are all deeply in the pocket of the Merry Maoist Marching Society) hasn’t taken it up.
I know the ACLU fights the anti-Mask law. I, myself, have a pretty libertarian bend.
But I stand by the idea that if you are proud of what you are protesting you should show your face when you do it. It’s like signing a petition with a fake name.
I can see making carve-outs for Cosplay and Cons and stuff (Florida’s anti-mask law makes MEGACON in Orlando and Tampa ComicCon tough), but making a clear “no masks at political rallies” law makes sense.
If it were up to me, the best option would probably be to treat it as an aggravating element attached to another criminal act.
Wearing a hockey mask whilst playing hockey or cosplaying as Jason Voorhees and going about you business peaceably? Carry on.
Vandalizing a storefront? That’s a problem.
Wearing a hockey mask whilst vandalizing a storefront? That’s a bigger problem.
The South has a history of
Democrat Party ConventionsKu Klux Klan rallies attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of masked men who would conspire to commit further crimes. So most anti-mask laws in the region are prohibitions on gatherings of X number of people wearing masks. The number varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, but it’s generally a large enough number that a family can go trick-or-treating or a community theater can put on a pantomime play, but you can’t have a masked Nuremberg Rally. Cosplay conventions being affected are one of the unforeseen unintended consequences.Hence, I like the idea that it be treated as an aggravating element for some other crime.
I would treat showing up to a protest in a mask as a declaration of intent to riot and apply deadly force as a preventative measure.
Enjoy your 15-20 for premeditated murder.
I don’t think you even need an anti mask law. Its pretty simple: you start shit, you throw something, you hit someone, you vandalize, your rob or steal, you get arrested mask or not.
Though I do agree with the sentiment that they are cowards who know what they are doing is illegal or borderline so they hide their identity.
The main thing that’s needed is respect for the 2nd Amendment, including at public gatherings. That, and recognition that throwing objects at people is assault, and reasonable people may interpret it as assault with a deadly weapon — meaning self defense with deadly force is justified.
There’s nice people commenting here…thats nice.
I would like to see a Final End of them….on sight.
But thats just me, I view them by there actions…
That of Terrorist’s!
Therefore they earned my…
Solution to them.