Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
The only thing between several businesses and a bunch of people rioting is a couple of unnamed armed citizens.
As all hell breaks loose in Minneapolis over the lack of action taken against a police officer who killed a citizen on video, some self-titled “free Americans” helped store owners protect their property. They heard that the store owners had boarded up windows and were standing guard with machetes, and they went to help.
But if you think the men were there because they disagreed with the protests, you’d be incorrect. In a statement to Max Nesterak, a reporter for the Minnesota Reformer, the men said:
“Basically you see the records that cops keep,” one man told Nesterak in a now-viral video posted to Twitter. “And cops are a lot less likely to try and tread on people’s rights when there’s other armed Americans with them. So I figured it’s about damn time that some heavily armed rednecks stood with fellow citizens.”
“It turns out these guys are out here with machetes and shattered windows trying to keep looters out of the businesses ’cause cops can’t get in here,” one man said. “So I figured before there were cops, there were just Americans, so here we are.”
“Bottom line, justice for Floyd and I hope they stop looting at some point. If there were more of us we could go stop them from looting, but it’s just us four,” said the man on the right.
“We definitely don’t agree with the looting, but we agree with the cause of the protests,” the other man said. (source)
Watch the interview here:
These two men say they support the protests but not the riots and are helping protect a tobacco store owner from looting
pic.twitter.com/PDn2Jd8iEB— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 28, 2020
As of today, the good Samaritans are still unidentified.
This isn’t the first time armed citizens protected businesses during times of unrest.
This is not the first time that armed citizens have protected property during riots.
During the Ferguson riots in 2015, St. Louis Ink Tattoo Studio and County Guns remained unscathed as businesses around them burned or were looted, due to the protection of armed citizens.
After hearing of the roving bands of looters, Mike Gutierrez knew he had to protect his tattoo shop. He brought a posse with him, including Adam Weinstein, owner of County Guns, who was acutely worried about criminals getting their hands on his merchandise.
“We didn’t want them coming in here and then running around with a bunch of free guns,” Weinstein told Daily RFT when we arrive at the store around 12:30 a.m. this morning. Weinstein was outfitted with an assault rifle, pistol and tactical vest. Gutierrez cradled his own rifle in his hands. (source)
And who can forget the videos of Korean-American store owners in Los Angeles protecting their businesses with a variety of firearms as angry mobs besieged the area during the LA Riots of 1992?
This should serve as a reminder of why citizens need guns
After the on-camera death of George Floyd, it was a given that unrest would ensue, particularly when the police officer who killed him and the three who stood by and prevented citizens from coming to Floyd’s aid were merely fired and not arrested.
If you’re faced with an angry mob, you’re going to want as much force equalization as possible. In all the cases above, no armed citizens shot anyone. Their presence and willingness to defend their property served as a sufficient deterrent, as is often the case. In nearly every situation, people rioting are going to choose targets that aren’t likely to kill them. And this doesn’t just hold true for civil unrest – a gun in the hands of a determined person has deterred countless crimes – and I speak from experience.
You can’t count on the police to save you during times like this – they’re busy and likely couldn’t get through the crowds anyway. You’re completely on your own. And at some point during prolonged turmoil, the police and military will finally throw their hands up in the air, give up, and go home to protect their own families,
The only person you can rely on to protect your family is yourself.
The only person you can truly rely on during scenarios like this is yourself.
While I’m always going to recommend first to not be there during times of unrest, if you are there and you missed the window to leave during a riot, you’re the only game in town when it comes to the safety of your home, your livelihood, and your loved ones.
Take a long hard look at the threats you face during civil unrest. Wherever you live, whatever your situation, you need to plan as though 911 does not exist. Whether riots are occurring in the streets or not, in the seconds during which the lives of your family hang in the balance, you are completely on your own.
Sometimes the mob just wants to set your home or business on fire. But In other situations, it won’t stop with the destruction of your property. You may have to defend your home. And for this, you must be armed. No amount of hand-to-hand self-defense training will deter an angry mob but staring down the barrel of your firearm just might. Here’s more information about being prepared to survive civil unrest.
Being willing to protect your family is not an endorsement of police brutality. I know that I am personally disgusted by the action that set off this entire chain of events. However, when the angry crowds are on your street, it’s no longer about the initial incident. People aren’t thinking rationally when it has escalated this far.
Being armed is a matter of survival in situations where the normal rules of society have completely broken down.
I’m sure I’ll receive another barrage of email wishing me and my children dead by our own guns. Blah, blah, blah. It always amazes me how people who swear vehemently that they’re against violence can send me those letters that fervently and creatively hope for our gruesome murders.
Watching the effectiveness of firearms in the hands of people like the ones mentioned in this article to deter violence – not commit more of it – makes me even more determined to remain prepared to protect myself and my family.
What about you?
I personally would NOT go and stand with my Firearms in front of a strangers property, and attempt to deter rioters from looting or burning it down. Should you have to actually use your firearm, you will no doubt (once the riots are all over) face charges from aggravated assault to murder (should some one die). Kind of hard to put up a defense in court when you have no connection to the property that was in jeopardy. Now, if it was my property, and/or my Family that was in danger, a completely different story.
Just my thoughts.
You make a good point, but for all we know, those fellows might actually be stake holders.
Judging the final breakdown of Law and society is a sketchy proposition at best. You are right to point out that you don’t want to be caught on the wrong side of that fence should things return to “normal”.
Agreed – I wouldn’t do that for a stranger either. I hope it doesn’t seem like I was recommending that when I was using it as an example of an effective deterrent.
Well who then would you do it for? A decent law abiding stranger is not worth saving anymore? See THIS attitude is the problem with our world today. It’s all about ME, screw everyone else, they are on their own, ME ME ME.
This total lack of moral and civic duty if you must is what leads us to living in a world where a man is dying in the street and not a soul lifts a finger to help them, but there are 50 people getting 80 different angles of the death on video to get the most ‘likes’ on fakebook and pootube.
Whats going to happen when it’s your time of need, and nobody cares then either?
A A Ron
You’re free to involve yourself in a matter that doesn’t directly involve you if you so choose…as long as you’re willing to accept the consequences of YOUR actions. Consequences could range from instant death to future legal penalties (up to and including death) or anything in between.
If your life means less to you than a stranger’s property (and that is between you and God) then by all means…have at it.
But don’t you DARE lecture anyone else about “morality” or civic “duty”. You don’t get to define our morals and priorities for us.
“Whats going to happen when it’s your time of need, and nobody cares then either?”
THAT IS WHY WE PREP, ding dong!
Thank you AA Ron
You nailed it. If we assume the other attitude, then we are alone in this shitty world, faced with those who not only hate you because of your skin, but want to kill you. Look to South Africa. It’s like a crystal ball.
I think it is still legal to defend yourself against attacks by others, and if one is to expose himself to possible legal harm in his efforts to defend someone else, best there be cameras nearby to record events. Look for who drew first blood or who initiated the attacks. It has been my observation that rioters don’t want to get shot so they choose not to challenge an armed human, cop or civilian.
Stats show us that an armed community is a safer and more polite community.
Minnesota is a tricky one….they have a “must stand down” law if I`m not mistaken. Either way I doubt you would ever need to fire your weapon, these rioters are cowards and are easily deterred by any show of strength.
After watching the cops and NG cut and run your only option is to arm yourself, I`ll take my chances in court.
The looters, and government would-be tyrants, are counting on your “thoughts.”
“And at some point during prolonged turmoil, the police and military will finally throw their hands up in the air, give up, and go home to protect their own families,”
I wouldn’t bet on that! I think you seriously underestimate the resolve of those organizations. Many of them are in those professions because they WANT to kill (or think they do). This, for them, is a golden opportunity not to be passed up…yet another reason for the vigilant armed citizen.
There is NO LIMIT to the escalation of force by Government. You doubt that at your own peril.
This situation will most likely be contained, but there are 1000 ways it could go pear shaped.
Good observation. I agree. Government uses its own force and violence to control civilians, and hence the greatest problem for people who simply want to live in peace.
My friend, in times like these it is easy to believe that peace has been taken from the face of the Earth forever. But forever is a very long time and hope springs eternal.
As hard as it is to believe, things will have to get exponentially worse before we see the beginning of the end.
I hope for, and wish you all, peace in your little corners of the world.
Pray for the best.
Plan for the worst.
Stay away from crowds.
I never leave the house without my weapon. My main desire is to NEVER use it. My main fear is being in a situation without it. Like the old saying goes, God created men and women,Samuel Colt made them equal
What with the burning, looting,and violence going on in not just Minneapolis, but now everywhere,I’m finding myself back in L.A. during those riots where I practically lived in the middle of it. I can still smell the smoke,the sirens,and general chaos. I can’t watch the news,it’s just too much.
My wife and I adopted two boys, half brothers: one is white, one is mixed black and white. In the event either one is murdered by law enforcement, we will throw the bullies with badges into a pit of live lawyers, without regard to THEIR skin color, voting record or favorite dessert topping.
In the event that criminals without badges break down our door and attack either of our sons, or my wife, or me, we will absolutely respond with deadly force. And again, we won’t be looking at the skin color of our attackers, we we will be aiming for center mass, and we will not stop firing until they stop attacking.
What those Minneapolis PD officers did sure enough looks like murder, but that’s what trials are for, so I’m not rushing to judgement. What many folks have done in response looks like arson, grand theft and assault with a deadly weapon, presumably because those they are attacking are the Wrong Color, and are therefore somehow “responsible” for what some police officers did.
PS There was a case in South Carolina a few years back where a white police officer killed an unarmed black man, then attempted to fix it so it looked “justified”. He was caught, put on trial, and convicted. Know what DIDN’T happen? RIOTING. Of ANY kind. Not one bit of it.
So maybe, just maybe mind you, the snippy, snarky inhabitants of “blue” cities like Minneapolis mind want to stop their sneering at those ignorant deplorable rednecks in red states like South Carolina. Because it sure makes a lot more sense to me to punish those actually guilty than to attack folks who had nothing to do with the crime
A great article! Thanks Daisy.
This is exactly why I oppose “grey man tactics”, during and after SHTF.
Nobody wants to challenge or oppose some one who is armed and looks like a threat.
Looters tend to have a mob mentality, but they still respect the sight of a gun in the hands of a citizen.
Now if they had been concealed carrying, no one would have respected them. If they were playing ” grey men” , they would not have deterred anyone and might have become a target of the mob, since they were white.
I agree there are times, in the normal everyday life right now that it can be good to be a ” grey man”.
Just don’t carry it over into SHTF times or times of unrest.
That is when the more real “Rambo” you are, the better off you will be.
Of course if you are a just playing Rambo, they will probably see through that. So you need to know your stuff and look and act like the real deal to pull that off.
If you can’t do that, then you better play the “grey man” with the rest of the sheeple and hope the wolves don’t get you.
In the event of SHTF, being a grey Rambo will be modus operandi. Not to get all sci fi or anything, but in Star Wars, when you first meet Yoda, he does NOT look like a warrior of any kind. Bad guys won’t even see that green light saber of his, because they’ll done, son, before they know what him.
Heck, speaking of bad guys in Star Wars, did anyone think anything of that wrinkly old dude in the hoody? Not til he shot lightning bolts from his fingers!
Mic, have you not seen any old war movies? The man that stands up in a firefight always gets killed. In a SHTF situation it is the person that stands out that will be killed. If you are walking 20 miles home with your get home bag and you are all tacticool with a rifle over your shoulder, you will be killed by somebody that you didn’t even see because that person is behind some solid cover and will shoot you in the back, mostly for your rifle and ammo.
When seconds count, the cops are only minutes away…
–Lewis
Consequences.
Seems many people worry about what the “system” can/will do to them when the emergency is over.
One does not need a set of pictures to realize just how completely corrupt the legal system has become.
Police who won’t obey the very laws they are charged to enforce, politicians take advantage of crisis,
lawyers profiting from the whole mess and a dumbed down public. The perfect recipe for disaster.
“Street-level justice” may soon be applied to those who are not only, not doing their jobs, but are actually making matters far worse.
If, as we have seen, police stations can be burned, who can/will protect the pompous black robed jerks who presume authority?
Ask Ted Kaczynski…aka, the Unabomer…who will protect the judges.
Their level of corruption has NO BEARING on the level of protection they are afforded.
The police stations were ALLOWED to burn, for whatever reason.
Try doing something they’ve decided NOT to let you do and see what happens! They will hunt you down to your dying breath to the exclusion of all else.
You really need to understand the times you’re living in, and that time is 1984.
The US government is reaping what they have sown.
Obama set this country back 100 yrs in regards to race relations. You are witnessing his legacy to the nation.
Yup. Everything was wound up tighter than a top during his regime, set to go off at such a time as this. Now we know why. POTUS has a lot of solid support from the black community, so this comes from somewhere else entirely. The hypocrisy is rank.
As are we all. Behold the Mystery of Iniquity!
Daisy. THANK YOU for writing about men and not color. The more we perpetuate the color of someone’s skin the worse it gets. A nation divided against itself will fall.
Preppers will survive while the Libtards, Communists and traitors…not so much. Arsonist should be a shot on site…
I live in St. Paul, MN, 1-3 miles from the looting and destruction in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. I’ve been surprised how little coverage has been given to St. Paul’s violence last night, which certainly rivaled Minneapolis. Today I drove around a little and everything is boarded up in preparation for another night of rioting we all hope doesn’t come. Last night I slept on our couch to be able to better hear any signs of trouble as we did not hear some neighborhood commotion two nights ago spill over from Minneapolis. It was a very restless night but we are safe and everyone we know is safe. Having a few firearms around and people who know how to use them is peace of mind for me right now.
I had to go a good ways outside the city today to find an open grocery store and liquor store and, even in those areas, saw Verizon stores and the like boarded. I can’t help but wonder how the coming weeks will look in my neighborhood…assuming the rioting stops, how long will it take the damaged and looted stores to be operational again? For how many businesses in my community was this the final nail in the coffin?
I was in L.A. during the riots, living about a block from where that video of the Korean storekeeper was taken. The next day I was at a friend’s apartment near La Brea and Wilshire and while we were on the balcony watching the city burn we noticed several cars pull up and proceed to break the windows out of the local Radio Shack and loot it. I called 911 and to report it and the operator said, “I’ll make a note of it.” I said, “What do you mean you’ll make a note of it? Send someone out to stop it.” She replied, “All officers are dispatched, there is no one to send out. I’ll make a note of it.” While I had never considered owning a firearm in the past, my mind was changed that day, when I realized that in chaos, we are on our own.
Good article. When you buy a gun always buy 1,000 rounds for reserve. Its not very expensive (depending on the round) then add to it as time goes by. Teach your family where to go if you must protect your home. And be prepared to protect your neighbor.
Chairman Mao: “All Power comes out of the barrel of a gun.”
“When guns are outlawed, only cops and criminals will have Guns.”
ALL ANYONE NEEDS TO KNOW!
The problem is the P A’s are cowards, and will probably do a drive by on these protectors so they can go in and get their free stuff that they is entitled to.
Let this be a good lesson to EVERYONE, when the SHTF for real, the cops are going to be nowhere close to where they can protect you, they will be too busy protecting themselves. It will be up to YOU to protect you and your family.
Some people will look for any excuse to loot, steal, and riot, and just be criminal. We have seen this pattern time and time again, and it does not take much either. Next time could be a hurricane somewhere and basic needs get cut.. oh wait, been there done that already…
I can understand them doing damage to police stuff, but do not agree with it. I do not understand burning down your neighbors homes, business’, and stealing everything that is not nailed down from your neighbors homes, business’ etc. Which is further proof that this is not about justice, but about people looking, waiting for any excuse to act like aholes.
Be warned people, this could very easily happen in YOUR town. Be ready to defend yourself.
As the politicians do NOTHING to simmer this down.
When ZeroHedge.com (with a global audience in the alt-media space) reprints another of Daisy’s sterling research and writing, it’s a good day!
As Minneapolis Burns, Armed Citizens Deter Rioters & Looters Without Firing A Shot
Fri, 05/29/2020 – 19:10 hours (Eastern Time)
Authored by Daisy Luther via The Organic Prepper blog,
https://www.zerohedge.com/health/minneapolis-burns-armed-citizens-deter-rioters-looters-without-firing-shot
Plus 457 unique comments, so far …
–Lewis
I am in agreement. Totally disgusted by the looters actions and the police brutality and lack of action by his counterparts. And no, I will Not give up my gun rights, ever
The equalizer again proves it’s worth.
Be blessed my friend. Keep speaking the truth.
T
Arm Yourself, Train with All of your Possible Weapons, Be Prepared to Have to Use Violence & Understand that May Include Killing Another Human Being in Defense of your Life or your Family’s Life which sadly means You Need to be Able to Summon Ruthlessness which is Difficult for the Average person. Before Any of this Occurs You Must Develop Situational Awareness & Develop a Sense of Security for Your Home, Auto, Work, Shopping, Traffic & Most of All Don’t live your life in a Bubble. The Most Important thing Right This Moment is to Enjoy EVERY MOMENT NOW – because the Good Years are Behind Us but You Can’t Stop Being Human So REJECT FEAR & EMBRACE GOD. By the way for those of you wanting a very Simple & Effective Self Defense “Weapon” but Don’t have Any “Skills” – a $4.99 can of Wasp & Hornet Spray shoots up to 20-25 feet away – Blinds Attackers if it gets in their Eyes & Poisons Them If It Gets in Their Mouth & it Kills Wasps & Hornets you get a 2fer.
Ilhan Omar’s daughter Tweeted on her feed for people to help out the rioters by sending (among other things) hockey sticks and racquets.
I have never been so pleased to know that all of my firearms have been certified as suitable for sporting purposes.
You can bet that the feckless, useless, piece of human excrement clown Obumbler and George Soros are paying these protesters.
I know the killing of the gentleman was as bad as it gets. The people looting and setting fires are scumbags, using the poor man’s death to get free stuff.
That they don’t want to pay for. And those guys standing outside the stores helping defend them is a
Slippery slope. But if it was your house the bad guys might walk in vertically. But make sure they leave horizontal. People that are against guns, what are you going to do when 3 bad guys break in your house and assault your wife or daughter? I know call 911 and wait 20 mins. for the cops to get there. By that time the nightmare will be over and the bad guys never get caught and now your wife and daughter will never look at you the way they did because you couldn’t protect them. Like the shirt had on it. My RIGHTS DON’T END. WHERE YOUR FEELINGS START. And about the Grey Man. There’s a time and place for everything.
On another not. Where was this outrage these last 70 days or so while our basic rights and freedoms have been taken from us
by our government who are supposed to protect our rights and freedoms. We don’t need the looting, the arson, or the assault on people because of the different color of there skin.. But we need to band together as ONE TOGETHER and get our RIGHTS back and our FREEDOM.
Dear GOD I pray that Mr. FLOYD is in heaven with you and his soul is at rest, and please help his family and friends get through this really rough time in there lives, also make those responsible pay for what they have done. Amen
I am in total agreement Daisy. Only a fool would trust their life and the lives of their family to the total fantasy that 911 is a brick wall they can stand behind. The shills and trolls never were very smart; ignore them.
I’m pretty disgusted by the “protesters”. Exactly how is looting and burning considered a suitable protest to an act of police brutality? These folks are sure not MLK or Ghandi followers! And any sympathy I might have had for the validity of their protests evaporates when they use this as an excuse to “grab stuff”, destroy business and harm others. So glad I don’t live in any of the areas where the “protests” have occurred so far. I have been wondering when stuff might get violent; the Covid epidemic has so far been pretty peaceful here in the US. Perhaps this is the spark to set it all off? Add civil unrest to the mix. Some upcoming hurricanes. What else?
In my area there are only the state police and they are a long ways away. Waiting for them to arrive would be an act of futility.
You’d need to consider where you are before standing guard with a visible firearm. If you live in a blue state, such as California, you will be imprisoned for carrying a visible firearm in public. I may have good intentions, like protecting stores or homes, but make no doubt about it. The cops would prioritize me as threat #1 and pounce on me. I will be facing jail time, if I survive at all. So yes, it would be very unlikely that I would stand guard over anyone’s property during a riot. If I were in a state that actually respected the Constitution, then I would do it without question. But right now, I need to consider my family. I don’t want to be locked up.
How do we get to the point that the senseless killing of one person sparks such an outrage when we as a nation have killed over 50 million people in the abortion clinics with no outrage at all. We all pay our taxes to support places that do this none the less. Prep all you want to but if the God of heaven brings retribution on us none of us escapes it. No amount crying and whining will save us then. I have no love for Jeremiah Wright but are America’s chickens coming home to roost? Pray tell only time will tell.
we aren’t seeing looters as yet, but overnite protests became violent causing a curfew to be declared and causing the Portland Oregon transportation agency, TriMet, to issue this statement today: “Service Alert: Only use TriMet service for essential trips after 8 p.m. tonight in the City of Portland due to the curfew following rioting overnight. MAX and bus lines may be disrupted and not serve stations and stops in Downtown Portland if it becomes unsafe or police close the area. Portland Streetcar will end service at 8 p.m. tonight.”
Please be very careful calling people “killers” until all the evidence has been examined. An initial autopsy report found no evidence of suffocation or damage to Floyd’s neck. There were indications of heart disease and blood tests will take more time.
Sometimes what you see doesn’t tell the whole story.
I saw that as well. The forensic evidence will be ignored and dismissed as a cover up to protect “murderous cops” regardless of the results…unless the evidence “justifies” the mob behavior.
Rationality is not a trait of mobs.
The legal process will only infuriate the mobs further, as it is the hatred of that system fueling their illegal behavior in the first place. What we are seeing has nothing to do with George Floyd. Hatred, greed and envy are the driving forces behind this phenomenon.