People Have Driven Into Protests 104 Times Since George Floyd’s Death
Dios mio, I dont even know where to start with this because the numbers are just… theyre horrifying. Since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis, there have been at least 104 documented incidents of vehicles driving into protesters across the United States. One hundred and four. In just a few months. That is not a statistic, that is a pattern, that is people using their cars as weapons against other people exercising their constitutional right to protest.
The data comes from terrorism researchers who have been documenting these incidents since the protests began. Wikipedias comprehensive list of vehicle ramming incidents during the George Floyd protests catalogs each event with dates, locations, and outcomes. And look, Im not talking about accidents here. Im not talking about people who got confused in traffic or made a wrong turn. Im talking about deliberate acts – people accelerating into crowds, people using their vehicles as instruments of violence.
At least 8 of those incidents involved police officers. Let me say that again because it needs to sink in. POLICE drove into PROTESTERS on at least eight documented occasions. The people who are supposed to protect us. Using their vehicles to hurt people who are out there protesting police violence. The irony is so bitter I cant even process it honestly.
And its not just the driving. The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project has been tracking political violence at demonstrations across America and the findings are sobering. Theyre documenting how vehicle attacks have become part of a larger pattern of violence against protesters – some politically motivated, some opportunistic, all dangerous.
The Black Lives Matter movement has fundamentally reshaped how America talks about police violence and racial justice, and apparently some people find that threatening enough to try to kill protesters with their cars. Thats what were dealing with here. Thats the level of hatred and anger were up against.
Some of the drivers have been arrested and charged. Some have not. Some have claimed they “felt threatened” by protesters surrounding their car, even when video evidence shows they drove INTO the crowd first and then got surrounded. The legal responses have been inconsistent at best. In some jurisdictions, prosecutors have thrown the book at attackers. In others, theyve declined to file charges entirely.
What do you even do with this information? I genuinely dont know. I want to tell people to keep protesting, to keep fighting for justice, to not let violence intimidate them into silence. But I also want people to be safe. I want them to come home to their families at night. I want them to not have to worry that some random person is going to turn their car into a weapon.
One hundred and four times. And counting. Because the protests arent over. The fight isnt over. And apparently neither is the violence against the people brave enough to stand up and demand change. Stay safe out there, yall. Watch your surroundings. Look out for each other. Because clearly some people have decided that murder by automobile is an acceptable response to signs and chanting.
