I’m getting ready to leave the house and join the No Kings protest here in Morris, Minnesota. I read up on recommendations made for other protests — stuff like leave your phone at home, mask up, what to do if there is tear gas, etc. — but it all seems like overkill here. I’ll be about 5 or 6 blocks away from my home, in a small quiet rural town, and I anticipate a well-behaved calm protest, so I hope you’re not expecting dramatic news when I get back. It’s just going to be a small group of citizens expressing their civic responsibility, unlike the Republicans in government.
I still think it’s important for everyone to stand up in resistance, even in situations lacking in drama.
Unfortunately, then I learn this morning that two Democratic state legislators, John Hoffman and Melissa Hortman, were shot overnight by a man dressed as a law enforcement officer. Their spouses were also shot. The shootings were in two different locations, so it seems to be a targeted terrorism attack, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the goal was to intimidate protesters on this day.
It’s all the more reason to get out there and peacefully protest. Don’t let the thugs win.
I just posted this on Mano Singham’s blog.
I see that PZ Myers is already on the story.
This just happened.
Fascist terrorism incident: Two Democratic party legislators in Minnesota were shot at their homes by someone impersonating a police officer.
.1. Obligatory disclaimer. I’m supposed to say this is only a probable assassination attempt by a right wingnut since the shooter hasn’t been caught.
I’m not going to bother. It was almost certainly a MAGAt.
.2. They are in the hospital and their conditions are stated as “grave”.
They might well die from their wounds. At the best they will be life altering.
.3. The news stories all say it was someone “impersonating” a police officer.
How do they know that? It could just as easily be a real police officer or an ICE agent with a mask and no badge showing.
.4. This is the second attempted assassination of an elected Democratic leader. Someone fire bombed the Pennsylvania governor’s house when he was home.
.5. I’m sure Trump will now call up the Minnesota National Guard and catch the wannabe assassin. (This is a joke. I’m sure the GOP is celebrating.)
I’m going to the local protest today as well.
I worry about my US friends today. Later there will be Trump’s big beautiful parade, and there are the No Kings protests. Don’t forget, Trump wants people out in the streets, so he can call them radicals and communists and criminals and sic the National Guard or military on them. OTOH, at this point, silence and obedience are not an option anymore. It’s a difficult situation.
Don’t use swimming goggles. These rubber bullets will bust your eyeballs.
I’m pretty sure that if you get shot in the eye with a rubber bullet, it won’t matter whether or not you’re wearing goggles.
This guy has said he’d be reporting more on this and other incidents throughout the day:
https://aaronparnas.substack.com/p/breaking-democratic-lawmakers-shot?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=521pu&triedRedirect=true
@3
“I’m pretty sure that if you get shot in the eye with a rubber bullet, it won’t matter whether or not you’re wearing goggles.”
And you would be wrong.
Update.
Two dead, two seriously wounded.
I can’t think of anything else to say about this. It is just appalling.
FFS.
The gunperson hasn’t been caught yet.
But it might well have been a police officer.
Who else drives around in a “police vehicle with emergency lights”?
It’s not funny. It’s DEADLY serious now. Nowhere to Run To, Baby, Nowhere to Hide.
Look around, we are living in a failed plutocratic fascist police state NOW
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/bill-berkowitz/114088/white-supremacists-threaten-no-kings-protests
by Bill Berkowitz | June 14, 2025
Chapters of The Proud Boys, White Lives Matter and other White supremacist groups are ginning up their members for possible attacks on these demonstrations.
In Minn., As Raven posted: Two dead, two seriously wounded.
And, the texass gov. pulls troops from border to confront ‘No Kings’ protesters. WTF
Aceelerationist? One of those right winged kooks that thinks that such attacks can cause civil war to break out in America?
Protest in Cheyenne scheduled from noon to 2:30. I’m not taking a sign–just a small flag. Like PZ, I doubt anything big will happen here, but I want my hands free in case it does.
Frankly, I’m going to assume all law enforcement officers are impersonating until they give me a badge number and ID.
Update 3.
Even the Minnesota cops are now saying that the killer could be…a cop.
Not someone pretending to be a law enforcement officer.
I’m not feeling too great right now for some reason, this is definitely a scary event.
Still going to the protest today though.
I’ve doom scrolled too many protest videos now.
ICE and the cops absolutely hate people photographing and video recording them.
They are arresting people on that basis often. Which is illegal, that is people have a right to photo and video whatever they want. Those people aren’t even going to make it to trial.
One some level, they must know what happened to the Nazis at Nuremberg.
I’m taking my phone.
Re: raven @ #12…
About a phone… That would be a good use for a “burner” phone. One that does NOT contain any contact information for anyone. Even better if you buy it for cash and it’s pre-paid, so it doesn’t even have a link back to you.
Went to the protest in Waukesha with my homemade “No… Gods/Kings/Trump” placard. An impressive turnout in Wisconsin’s 8th most populous city in a blood Red county. I admit I was pretty nervous that some of white flight refugees would make trouble, but the worst I say got was just one guy who flipped us off as he drove by, and two more who drove past holding Trump yard signs out their windows.
Now my only worry is what my RW father will do to me if he finds out. He knows I despise Trump, he just doesn’t like it when I express that disdain.
@12 raven
Good advice.
Taking a video recording device that isn’t a phone is a good idea. Taking the multipurpose spyware platform known as a smartphone practically announces to the mass-surveillance apparatus where you are the whole time and where you live, which is why protesters tell you to leave your phone at home.
@13 whheydt
Burner phones don’t help, unless you activate them at the site of the protest (good luck figuring that out) and throw them in a trash can before you leave. The whole location tracking is a liability either way. Modding a cameraphone to remove the cellular modem is overall more useful and less wasteful.
Beholder in a nutshell:
“Burner phones don’t help, unless you activate them at the site of the protest”
↓
“Burner phones do help, unless you don’t activate them at the site of the protest”
Semantics are preserved, no?
The attempted insinuation, not so much — I notice these things.
PSA. “Beholder” here is a defacto Trump voter and Trump enabler who worked to attack the Democratic party – the only actual alternative toTrump’s Fascists – thereby getting Trump elected. As such their credibility here should be considered nil and their advice highly suspect and untrustworthy. Theyare NOT a true progressive.
Just in case anyone isn’t already aware of this..