Spiral Bound Journal

Save the Day

"Save the Day" by Train, originally released 2003

I came back to the crazy train known as the Internet the Monday after possibly the worst weekend of my life. I'm a year older and hoping like Hell that my next year on this planet is not so intense. During a break from work, I open up Facebook and find a bunch of notifications waiting for me. When I click on them, I find a couple pertaining to a post Mitch made for me. Curious that. It's time for a little investigation.

Nothing prepares me for the post that's spurred quite a bit of activity. Indeed, while I was out trying to find some salvation on my precarious birthday, Mitch busted out quite the soliloquy.

Guys, I know this weekend has been sad, enraging, and chaotic. Many of us are seeing this with a local connection but are not actually in it. I've been talking quite a bit with Christine, someone who is in Minneapolis right now and is definitely feeling the effects more intensely than most. Because her safety has been on the line, she's paid active attention to developing threats. She has found that in the majority of cases the protesters do not support property destruction. They are aware of how rioting compromises already vulnerable populations (like the elderly) in these neighborhoods. Some of the protesters have even actively chased down vandals and agents provocateurs that have been initiating these fires and looting.

She has also mentioned seeing a pattern in the types of buildings destroyed. Thanks to the Star Tribune and Bring Me the News, there are lists of businesses (and a couple residences) that have been damaged in the riots. Christine pointed out how many of these businesses have ample flammable materials and thus have a lot of ignition sources. She also pointed out that Jeremiah Ellison said that rioters tend to gravitate more toward symbols of power like police stations. To her, the fact that liquor stores, pharmacies and gas stations were among the most heavily targeted areas indicates that there have been people with specific knowledge of how to most effectively destroy a building and/or loot it for the greatest profit. She's also pointed out that North Minneapolis had zero protests but still had a lot of fires. That's targeted behavior by someone other than protesters. If you know anything about Minneapolis, two things become clear. Every part of the city was affected, and there are different kinds of people involved in this destruction.

As cleanup begins and Minneapolis makes the first steps to deal with everything that has happened, all I ask is that you not take every news bulletin at face value. People on the inside are making it clear that what they're seeing is atypical. This could be a one time thing, or it could be the beginnings of a possible pattern of domestic terrorism. Christine has used that phrase a couple times, and I can see how she might reach that conclusion. We all have to be careful right now, and that includes making assumptions. Be respectful, and be rational. Those are the keys to getting through all this.

After reading his post, I scan the comments. There's some surprise expressed in them, but others were supportive. The real head scratcher was not seeing anything from Samantha on this subject, especially given how many other people had reacted and/or commented. Moving away from that post, I saw Mitch had shared some of the links I had initially posted to my feed. Goddamn, the boy actually did it! I owe him one (or a dozen).

I wait until after work to reach out to Mitch. With that, I fire off a quick text.

me: Damn, Mitch! That post was something else. YOu didn't have to do that much, but I do appreciate it.

Mitch wastes no time with his response.

Mitch: I couldn't exactly save the day, but I could at least give you a helping hand. Your story is important, and I hope my postings helped get it out there more.

Part of me wants to ask about Samantha's silence, but I decide to leave that alone for the time being.

me: EVen if you didn't save the day, you did make getting through it a little bit easier.