zlacker

>>fortra+(OP)
Jesus. A 33 year old massage therapist with a peace tattoo. This is getting surreal. I feel a little sorry for her, not because she got caught (the crime, if she did it, is what it is) but because over and above that, she is about to become the target of a torrent of pent-up rage and counteragression from the right, who now have a perfect symbol to direct it at. (I feel the same way for the targets from the left too. My sympathies are with witches, not witch hunters.)

>>neonat+Nr
Under normal circumstances, society gets pretty angry at arsonists irrespective of their political beliefs. Do you also feel bad for the guy who mailed CNN pipe bombs?

>>NE2z2T+mK
I don't expect to see this kind of childish logic on HN. You really think burning an abandoned police car is the same as mailing explosives to a news team?

>>Booris+DM
Is this some sick joke? Do you really not see how arson and explosives are absolutely comparable crimes? The arson which accompanied looting in Philadelphia caused a massive fire in downtown Philly which could have easily killed people. Your apologism for serious crimes because I guess it suits your political biases is not OK.

>>NE2z2T+5R
Repeat after me: Cars do not have feelings. Cars do not have families.

>>antihe+ge1
Fire spreads.

>>leeree+7r1
Are you claiming that fire from an unoccupied police car somehow spreads over non-flammable cement/asphalt? If so, you may have some misconceptions about the nature of fire.

I think it's fairly clear that this fire was not intended to spread and had little chance of spreading.

To be clear, I'm not saying what she did was right--but I am saying that if we look at intentions and what was likely to happen, this clearly was not done with the intent of destroying anything but property.

And to be clear, if you look at the George Floyd murder and protests, and your biggest concern is the torching of two unoccupied police cars, you aren't concerned about justice or public safety.

>>kerkes+jD1
Cars are usually filled with gasoline that can spill and spread. Sparks and flames can blow quite some distance and start secondary fires. Police cars probably have ammo inside too, that can ignite. Toxic fumes can blow quite some distance, even into people's homes.

I'm sure that wasn't her intention, but serious fires are started by people who didn't intend to do anything more than have a campfire or fireplace. It's reckless, and it's counter-productive, turning people against the protests.

And just to be clear, it's entirely possible to be concerned about both police brutality and arson.