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1061 points danso | 3 comments | | HN request time: 0.002s | source
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ikeyany ◴[] No.23349451[source]
People are wondering "How far does this go? How can Twitter say this is not cool, but allow something like violent movies or games? Where's the line?"

The leader of the United States encouraging law enforcement and the military to shoot American citizens for looting, that's the line.

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umvi ◴[] No.23349574[source]
> The leader of the United States encouraging law enforcement and the military to shoot American citizens for looting

That's an extremely literal interpretation of his words. Most people would interpret that phrase to mean "you better think twice before looting because I'm not going to sit idly by and let you do it" but in the form of a vaguely threatening, yet catchy rhyme.

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chooseaname ◴[] No.23349765[source]
> The phrase was used by Miami's police chief, Walter Headley, in 1967, when he addressed his department's "crackdown on ... slum hoodlums," according to a United Press International article from the time.

> Headley, who was chief of police in Miami for 20 years, said that law enforcement was going after “young hoodlums, from 15 to 21, who have taken advantage of the civil rights campaign. ... We don't mind being accused of police brutality."

This is where the quote comes from.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/where-does-phrase-...

Edit:

https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-quotes-cop-sparked-rac...

> The National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence found that Headley's remarks and policing policies had been a significant factor in sparking the riots.

> Headley died four months after the riots. The Times in its obituary noted his policies had caused "growing resentment" among black Miami residents.

Our President fully understands the gravity of those words. This is what he wanted to say. This is what he meant. This is what he believes. This is WHO HE IS.

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philwelch ◴[] No.23353982[source]
There are many ways I would describe Donald Trump, but “deeply knowledgeable about American civil rights history” is not one of them. I can almost certainly guarantee you that Trump’s statement was not intended as an homage or reference to a Miami police chief from the 1960’s.
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diffrinse ◴[] No.23354813{3}[source]
Two paths here: - Trump is old enough to conceivably remember such quotes, he doesn't have to have a deep knowledge of American Civil Rights history, just a few memories of catchy rhymes - If Trump is not penning his tweets, then the choice of quotation is even more likely to be intended
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philwelch ◴[] No.23355076{4}[source]
I think it’s entirely possible that he remembered a catchy rhyme. I don’t think that supports the theory that he is deliberately referencing Walter Headley. Lots of people repeat catchy sayings without even knowing and endorsing who originally said them or even what those sayings originally meant.
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1. chooseaname ◴[] No.23357825{5}[source]
Its not catchy. Say the words out loud. Everything about those words are ominous.

He knew what he was saying. But, coward that he is, he’s claiming to not know where the words came from now that a reporter asked him.

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2. umvi ◴[] No.23358180[source]
Being catchy and being ominous are not mutually exclusive.
3. philwelch ◴[] No.23359597[source]
So you might remember about a year back, a doctor got rather violently removed from a United Airlines flight after boarding because they overbooked the flight. There was a joke about it afterwards, some gallows humor: “Not enough seating? Prepare for a beating.”

I remembered that admittedly tasteless joke because (a) it rhymes and (b) it’s pretty violent and offensive, which makes it somewhat vivid. And honestly, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” hits the same notes.