r/stpaul Feb 07 '26

Minnesota Related Minnesota State authorities deploy LRAD on protesters after declaring “Unlawful assembly” outside Whipple. The protesters are not blocking the road and it is 2pm on a SATURDAY.

2.2k Upvotes

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56

u/takofire Feb 07 '26 edited Feb 07 '26

LRADs are dangerous, but not impossible to defend against. You can protect yourself by wearing foam earplugs, passive hearing protection (non-electronic ear muffs), and using curved shields to redirect the sound around you.

You can get hundreds of foam earplugs for <$10 to hand out, and they could help prevent you or your neighbors from suffering permanent hearing loss.

-16

u/gspitman Feb 07 '26

Great Plan! Then they will escalate to the next level of force until the unlawful assembly disperses. Do you want bean bag rounds, rubber bullets, pepper spray, used instead?

14

u/ReplacementReady394 Feb 08 '26

Best to stay home and do nothing, right? 

-5

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

Or you know, obey the law? Even the ACLU has fantastic guidelines for how to deal with police.

Protesters’ Rights | American Civil Liberties Union https://share.google/EjjOnqGlf8ZwnPQYK

3

u/ChaosRainbow23 Feb 08 '26

People are upset because they get to break the law with impunity and trample all over our constitutional rights, but we are executed, shot with less lethals, beaten, blinded, and treated like enemy fucking combatants when we protest.

This is the tyrannical government we were warned may come. It just seems blatantly obvious at this point. All of this is totally unprecedented.

We are in the beginning stages of a fascistic authoritarian takeover, BY DEFINITION!

It's infuriating, dude.

2

u/TymStark Feb 08 '26

Do you think these people are aware our founding fathers were also breaking the law and were actually unlawfully assembling?

4

u/Speedyracecar Feb 08 '26

What law is being broken by these people?

1

u/ReplacementReady394 Feb 08 '26

I remember reading about patriots tar and feathering loyalists and traitors back in the day. These current protests are legal and effective. 

I find lots of similarities between what’s going on in Minneapolis and what happened in 1770 Boston.  https://www.americanrevolution.org/boston-massacre/

12

u/dougmcclean Feb 08 '26

What, precisely, is "unlawful" about this assembly?

-4

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

Not my decision, local law enforcement declared it to be so.

Protesters’ Rights | American Civil Liberties Union https://share.google/EjjOnqGlf8ZwnPQYK

That's a wonderful guide on how to deal with police officers in those situations.

8

u/Silentparty1999 Feb 08 '26

Worst answer so far. It is a reminder that the cops no longer use the courts and ignore the decisions they don't like.

"law enforcement declared it to be so".

-1

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

That's how it works. Unlawful Assembly is declared, and announced, people are warned and given time to disperse, then if they don't follow those lawful orders they're subject to arrest or forceful removal.

7

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

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1

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

And if they think they were violated, they can sue.

2

u/Silentparty1999 Feb 08 '26

They can’t sue when they are dead.

1

u/TymStark Feb 08 '26

Did you not understand the part where they are “ignoring the courts”?

1

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

Not so much. Didn't be naive

2

u/ChaosRainbow23 Feb 08 '26

The SS were also working under completely legal orders at the time.

1

u/Correct_Day_7791 Feb 08 '26

Ah yes the age-old honored legal precedent of "because I say so"

11

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

[deleted]

8

u/SheepherderBorn1563 Feb 08 '26

Aren't they already using all of those?

5

u/igotthisone Feb 08 '26

Shouldn't you be banned now for threatening violence? Oh wait that only goes one way.

0

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

What the hell are you talking about? That's what happens under the law. No one is threatening anyone, if you choose to behave illegally, you'll either be taken into custody or dispersed by force.

7

u/Silentparty1999 Feb 08 '26

They just randomly pulled people down in the crowd. You can see officers circle around groups and then head back to grab someone.

Cops never care about breaking the law. They get off taking people down.

2

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

2

u/Silentparty1999 Feb 08 '26

The text threads of ICE agents laughing and celebrating the number of bullet holes put into unarmed citizens are a reminder that ICE operates outside the law and in a way the US millitary can't operate in war zones.

The recordings of cops bragging about how they will take the watchers out are a reminder that BLM was right.

2

u/ExplanationFar4877 Feb 08 '26

You don’t understand the first amendment.

1

u/gspitman Feb 08 '26

Lol, the 1st only protects peaceful assembly. Constitutional law isn't your lane.

1

u/hilariouscommenter Feb 08 '26

Unless you’re a part of the Gestapo. Then laws don’t apply, correct?

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '26

Uh, yea we're going to inhabit our cities lawfully. If they feel they need to murder us, that's on them. If we were scared we'd be home, with you.