“I am unsure if that is the best tactic to resolve the issue at hand. I believe it depends on the city you are in and the type of climate the city presents. I don’t necessarily agree with methods that corral people. So, I would say that if there were an alternative to that, I would be more apt to agree with the process.”
“When I think about that question, I think about agenda. That would be my first question: What is the big agenda overall? Is this the best use of our resources? And what is the end goal that’s coming of this? You know, right now, there seems to be a big power and control stunt that’s happening, which has a lot of people in fear. Do our communities and cities need more safety and protection? Absolutely. Is the answer to bring in troops? I’m not quite sure. I think there needs to be more conversation. Obviously, there needs to be a lot more transparency based on what we’re seeing right now.”
“I feel like in certain areas, it’s needed. I would say a lot of the local community activists try their best to combat crime and everything. The boys and men that are out there causing the crime, they feel like the locals are not afraid of them. They’re just like, if you’re not an authority, you’re nothing. You’re not going to stop what they’re doing. In the military, these boys are like, we aren’t about to play with no military. And I feel like if this is what needs to happen, it needs to happen to bring down the crime, because especially in the predominantly Black areas, I don’t want to see any of our innocent lives being taken—children, wives, you know what I’m saying? Even the boys out there that’s causing havoc, you don’t want to see them die. So, bringing in the military, if that’s going to stop them from doing what they’re doing, man, I’m all for it.”
“I have questions. What is that solving? Why aren’t these folks protecting us from any of the internal terrorists and terrorism that is happening? Is this putting food in people’s mouths? Is this getting people jobs? Is this contributing to our economy in a positive way? Are our taxpayer dollars going into this? When did I sign up for this? You know, I just have so many questions. So, yeah, those are my thoughts. There are just so many questions. Like, what is the reason? Why? How is this helping, and how is this going to get our economy back up?”
“I think it is definitely overkill, but at the same time, I do see a decline, and something needed to be done. But you know, is it overkill and misappropriation of the funds or use of the National Guard? So, that’s basically it. But you know something, if we don’t—and I’ve always said, if we don’t police and manage and nurture our own communities—that just leaves an opportunity for somebody outside who already doesn’t have a good agenda to validate what it is they want to do, and that gives them a justification to come and fix it.”
“As you know, my people are under siege. ICE, the government, and Trump are doing everything they can to send us to wherever. Law-abiding citizens are being snatched, children ripped from their parents, people abducted just going to work. I think there should be a different solution.”
