|
Friend,
In an outrage that is hard to overstate, President Donald Trump overnight threatened to deploy the U.S. National Guard with shoot-to-kill orders against unarmed people in Minneapolis—even as the city reels and protests continue in response to the death of George Floyd earlier this week at the hands of city police officers.
Instead of urging calm and healing—some kind of unity statement or acknowledgment of pain and righteous grievance—the U.S. president threatened violence against his own people. And not only violence, but an unlawful threat of summary execution.
"Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way," Trump declared in a 1:00 am tweet. "Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!"
This is authoritarian madness.
Covering the president is an exhausting and often heartbreaking affair, but Common Dreams is dedicated to making sure that such noxious and dangerous behavior from the man now sitting in the world's most powerful office is not ignored or sugarcoated.
As calls for justice rise up nationwide in response to what was done to George Floyd—and justified anger against the broader crimes of corporate looting, state violence, social neglect, and pervasive injustice continue amid the added stresses brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic—we are committed to bringing you the news and perspectives needed to make sense of it all.
Supported only by our readers, we remain vigilant—guided by our mission to serve the common good—only because of you.
While we know so many are struggling during these difficult times, we ask today—if you believe in this work and have the means to pitch in—to help us keep going.
These are frightening and infuriating times, but we will continue on together to build the better world we know is possible.
| 
