"In total, 21 federal courthouses nationwide have been vandalized this summer since largely peaceful protests commenced in dozens of cities following the death of George Floyd, who died while in Minneapolis police custody in late May." -- Anna Giaritelli, the Washington Examiner's "homeland security reporter"
Two elements of the sentence above stand out for me: First, "In total, 21 federal courthouses nationwide have been vandalized this summer..." I don't know if that number is accurate or what exactly "vandalized" consists of. I haven't seen any such number before, and it surprises me by how large it is, but if that number is correct and if the vandalism is significant, then that sounds like a national, physical assault on our legal system, which should be of concern to everyone who values the rule of law. It should also be pointed out that the Minneapolis police officers responsible for George Floyd's death have all been charged with Minnesota state criminal offenses, not with federal offenses. Nor were federal officers or the federal court system involved in George Floyd's death. So why have the federal courts been attacked rather than state courts? Are they simply targets of opportunity? Is it because Donald Trump is president? I don't recall -- but I haven't researched it either -- whether federal courthouses were targeted or vandalized by protesters, demonstrators, or rioters following the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, when Barack Obama was president.
The second element of the sentence above that cries out for comment is the now-commonplace description of the protests as "largely peaceful." I know. I know. I too assume that the vast majority of protesters at these federal courthouses do not throw rocks or bottles or incendiary devices. They do not shine laser lights into the eyes of police officers, which can cause permanent eye damage. They do not tear down fences, break windows, set fires, scrawl graffiti, or loot. And yet, in the same crowds, alongside the peaceful protesters, other activists are committing acts of violence against federal property and against law enforcement officers. You can talk about agents provocateurs if you wish, but there is no denying the presence at these protests of black-clad Antifas and of other unaffiliated street-fighting youth who seek both to damage property and to do battle with the police.
As a nation, we need to discover how to take the next step of doing battle in a just way against racial injustice. Spike Lee said it well in naming one of his films "Do the Right Thing." How can we do the right thing? By fulfilling the American people's commitment to justice, not by destroying the entire edifice of justice, imperfect though it is, that has taken us more than two hundred years to construct.