Rodney King's Message Applies to the 2020 Riots

Current Apostles of Jesus Christ support peaceful protesting under the 1st Amendment, and like other people with common sense, they know the difference between protesters and rioters, and acknowledge that there have been both in 2020.
"We have seen people passionately exercising their right to peaceful protest, and we have seen angry mobs riot." - M. Russell Ballard, "Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always", Oct. 2020. See full talk at: www.churchofje...
"...some went beyond peaceful protests and engaged in destructive behavior. ...At one extreme, some seem to have forgotten that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the 'right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' ...At the other extreme, a minority of participants and supporters of these protests and the illegal acts that followed them seem to have forgotten that the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests. Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers. The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy. All of us-police, protesters, supporters, and spectators-should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law." - Dallin H. Oaks, "Love Your Enemies", Oct. 2020. See full talk at: www.churchofje...
“Can we all get along?” That was Rodney King’s message in 1992, and we need it now in 2020. Rioting is wrong, but today’s riots are what happens when people protesting peacefully for justice and equality are met by armed soldiers who attack them at the order of their own president, as if they are all part of the riots. And consequently, more people join the riots, and the cycle escalates. Donald Trump and our government share the blame for the increase in riots, because instead of hearing the protesters and reforming the corruption within law enforcement, they made war against their own people. This is a clear example of a tyrannical government and people’s response to a tyrannical government.

[@MichaelP_IsMe]

Current Apostles of Jesus Christ support peaceful protesting under the 1st Amendment, and like other people with common sense, they know the difference between protesters and rioters, and acknowledge that there have been both in 2020. "We have seen people passionately exercising their right to peaceful protest, and we have seen angry mobs riot." - M. Russell Ballard, "Watch Ye Therefore, and Pray Always", Oct. 2020. See full talk at: www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/41ballard?lang=eng "...some went beyond peaceful protests and engaged in destructive behavior. ...At one extreme, some seem to have forgotten that the First Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the 'right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.' ...At the other extreme, a minority of participants and supporters of these protests and the illegal acts that followed them seem to have forgotten that the protests protected by the Constitution are peaceful protests. Protesters have no right to destroy, deface, or steal property or to undermine the government’s legitimate police powers. The Constitution and laws contain no invitation to revolution or anarchy. All of us-police, protesters, supporters, and spectators-should understand the limits of our rights and the importance of our duties to stay within the boundaries of existing law." - Dallin H. Oaks, "Love Your Enemies", Oct. 2020. See full talk at: www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2020/10/17oaks?lang=eng

[@lilmak4401]

Bruh...WUT 🤦‍♂️ you should just stick to the BOM...politics isn't your thing.

[@69GeneralLee01]

Thank you for your message to him.

[@shanermcdoogle]

I really enjoy your BOM research videos, so keep up the good work in that regard. However, I disagree with much of your statements in this video and it appears that you have embraced a lot of the false narratives being propagated by the media. Nevertheless, I whole heartedly agree with you on the idea that we should all just get along.

[@69GeneralLee01]

Took your religious channel and went political.... bummer

[@goosejocke]

After 51 days of chaos in Portland, then the federal police stepped in. It's not a bad thing.

[@69GeneralLee01]

This video was a bad thing

[@inyoured]

Oh wow, this aged like bread.

[@Christ_in_You-theHope_of_Glory]

Stick to Mormon and forget politics or lose half your viewers

[@Christ_in_You-theHope_of_Glory]

@Adam Khan not a threat, just the result of getting political

[@theresagraham5893]

Rodney King said it all and is all that needed to be said. Your opinion screwed it up. You must be a CNN fan.

[@andrewbowles9753]

Well your video did not age well completely.

[@misterskins]

Really Michael? What you described about President Trump’s secret police attacking peaceful BLM protesters is way beyond ridiculous. I don’t know what parallel universe you are living in, but I have never seen the like. Granted I am not what you would call a media hawk, but every thing I have seen of the BLM has been anything but peaceful or respectful, and I am sorry but I have not seen anything akin to the Brownshirt attacks you talk about. I enjoy what you have to say about Book of Mormon geography, but I have to do a double take after your rant here. Please do a little more research on what is going on with BLM and the like.

[@desdichado-007]

Rodney King tried to outrun police officers at high speed because he knew that he was driving drunk, which was a violation of his parole for his previous robbery conviction. He was a dangerous person, who recklessly endangered not only the police men, but everyone else around. Yeah, sure this is a decent message in his speech, but Hitler gave good speeches too. While I don't subscribe to the genetic fallacy, at the same time, if you purposefully quote tainted sources to get across a message of unity that the person giving the speech clearly doesn't really believe based on their behavior, then your entire point you're trying to make is going to be lost. Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus.

[@MichaelP_IsMe]

Yes, I'm aware of why the police were chasing him, and I support that, but he did not deserve the beating that they gave him. All the officers had to do was get him down on the ground, cuff him, and take him to jail. They did not have to go on beating him like they did. I'm not completely on King's side or the officers' side, but the greater crime of what happened that night is what the police did to him, and King's message concerning the riots of 1992 was sincere and is still true today in 2020, despite his crimes. There's a lot more to how Rodney felt about the whole situation than what's shown in this short video clip. He knew he screwed up and shouldn't have ran from the police, and he was sad to see that riots were happening over his beating, which is partly why I think his message carries more weight than just somebody else commenting about it. Everyone makes bad decisions (some worse than others), but not everyone is a bad person. It's not that black and white. For example, Hitler = bad person. Rodney King = good person who made some bad decisions (like a lot of people do) and was cruelly and unjustly beaten for them. Yes, arrest him and give him some jail time for his crimes, but don't beat him nearly to death. The message of this video is that protestors and police/government need to calm down, work together, and stop treating each other like enemies, because not all protestors are rioters, and not all police/government are corrupt. Each group seeing the other group as an enemy isn't correct. What is correct is that there are enemies within each group (which are the rioters and corrupt police/government), and therefore, they need listen to each other and work together to stop the rioters and corrupt police/government. Until then, each group will continue to see each other as enemies and only become more hostile to each other. More protestors will turn to rioting, more police/government will view and attack innocent protestors as if they are rioters, the cycle will continue to escalate, the division will get even wider, and anger and hatred will only get worse. You can even see it right here in these comments. People are losing their heads. You can see it everywhere. The situation has become way out of hand, and contrary to what some people believe, the government is partially responsible, because of how they treated some protesters (not the rioters) early on in this whole mess. But does anyone in any of these groups have the courage and humility to admit their faults, make apologies, and start working together? I don't know. I hope so, because this country is so divided right now, and so many people want to throw all the blame on this group or that group instead of looking at themselves or groups that they affiliate with - blame the Democrats, blame the Republicans, blame whoever, but the real answer is that there are some bad people in every group. But there are also good people in every group (despite the differences), and people who don't see that only help the division get worse. So we all just need to calm down, "get along", and work together.

[@desdichado-007]

@@MichaelP_IsMe I wonder if people complained about Captain Moroni and told him to calm down and get along with the Lamanites, sometimes. Or if members of the Church today, at least, would do so. The time for calming down and talking things out passed years ago. Decades ago, really, and rather than have those conversations, we passed on it, thinking that all was well in Zion, and we could ignore it and everything would be fine. When we read Alma 43 this week for Come Follow Me, we'll clearly see that there comes a time when talking it out fruitless. Maybe you don't agree that that time has arrived yet, but I think it clearly passed a long time ago.

[@MichaelP_IsMe]

@@desdichado-007 That may be true when it comes to rioters and corrupt police/government, but good people who are protesters and good people within the police/government definitely can still work together. Comparing all protesters to bad "Lamanites" as if they're all rioters and comparing what our police/government are doing as completely good like the good "Nephites" is not an accurate comparison. Seeing one side as completely bad and one side as completely good is the mentality that people need to get over. Yes, there are rioters out there, and yes, the police/government need to fight them. That's a good thing. I'm not saying police/government need to "calm down" and try to "talk" with rioters. When riots are going on, that is definitely a time for action. I support that. I do not support viewing all protestors as rioters and attacking those protestors as rioters. That is wrong, and it is a mistake made all too often by our police/government, and it only instigates more rioting. So like I said, the good people among the protesters, police, and government need to calm down and work it out with each other instead of seeing each other as enemies (based on the bad actions of rioters and corrupt police/government). That time has not past. If we believe it has, then this country will continue to go down the toilet as more and more people lose their heads.

[@desdichado-007]

@@MichaelP_IsMe These aren't protests. They're not good people. The thing that they're violently protesting is a hoax. Lamanites is an imprecise comparison, yes. The slightly more correct one is "Gadianton robbers."

[@MichaelP_IsMe]

@@desdichado-007 I'm sorry that you view the rioters and the protestors as the same. True, some protestors turn into rioters, but not all protestors are rioters. God help this country.

[@Herosoulstone]

What I get From this Video, is that Peaceful Protesting should not be treated like those who are not Peacfully Protesting. Simple and Plain. If their is some incorrect info on this, which im not sure their might be. the message is still loud and Clear. Peaceful Protesting Should Be Treated Peacefully. People have the Right to Share their Opinions. Rodney's Message is "can we all get along?" of All People Joseph Smith and the Early Saints understood what it was like to be Persecuted for their Beliefs. I hope we find Peaceful ways of Dealing with Things.

[@69GeneralLee01]

That's the message you get through all the Trump bashing.... trumps mean... trumps this...hes that... arresting here... secret cops.... this video is created by a foolish man

[@MichaelP_IsMe]

You're right on, Brendan.

[@69GeneralLee01]

@@MichaelP_IsMe glad u found 2 comments that barley support ur BLM ANTIFA propaganda video

[@69GeneralLee01]

Its better that one man parish than a nation dwindle in disbelief.

[@falcon091480]

This was as real as them shutting down the Los Angeles freeway for O.J.

[@DeannaWalsh]

You make so many really great videos with excellent content. Thanks for your thoughts. I don’t agree 100% with what you said here. Yet, I still really appreciate your heart in the matter and the comments about us all needing to “get along”. You made some great points, but did not discuss some other issues that certainly have influenced what’s been going on. Sincere and careful protesters ideals were hijacked by paid mobs and hired “protesters” that came to commit tyranny. We’re living in a world where good and bad is so homogenized, and sometimes it’s hard to know what is legitimate and what is by fraudulent design. But I see that we do need to all “get along” and not buy into anything that the main stream media dishes out and we should prepare for the coming of the Lord.

[@Trihard_7]

Geez, reading the comments. Tough crowd

[@Xbellatri50]

My friend Michael P…I am a 72 year old Sister in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints … and have subscribed to your channel today for info on our history that your have put together and studied and am thankful for it this information….. but this particular video here at the end of it is making my eyes pop out of my head this video either needs some up dating or you need to spend time researching the political aspect of the situation we are in now in 2022 ….cause much has taken place in the past year…. And yes I am not a Trump person for him personally but his would have been much better than the situation we are in now… if we actually have a nation we can call The USA this time next year… Godspeed Kathleen Taylor

[@b.rexnichols9752]

It was really nice to have all of this validated by Elder Oakes in October, at least to those who had ears to hear.

[@69GeneralLee01]

The church may be corrupted one day...but the gospel will not

[@69GeneralLee01]

Rodney moved to my community after the riots... he was a problem there too for many years until he drown in his pool.

[@djkickmycobra5557]

Freedom of speech people's.