Armed Self-Defense Chronicles: When a Detroit Doctor Defended Himself and His Family Against a Racist Mob

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TTAG Contributor
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65
Dr. Ossian Sweet (Wikimedia Commons)

Reader Tyler Hilliker writes . . .

Dr. Ossian Sweet (1895-1960) was an African American physician and civil rights activist who played a pivotal role in the fight against housing discrimination in the United States.

Born in Bartow, Florida, Sweet grew up in a segregated society and experienced racial discrimination firsthand. Despite these challenges, he excelled academically and earned his medical degree from Howard University in 1921. He then completed postgraduate studies in Vienna, Austria before returning to the United States to practice medicine.

In 1925, Sweet and his wife Gladys attempted to move into a predominantly white neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. However, on the night of September 9, a mob of white residents numbering in the hundreds gathered outside Sweet’s home, threatening the family and throwing rocks at the house. In response, Sweet and a group of friends and family members fired shots from inside the house, killing one person and injuring several others.

After the incident, Sweet and his companions were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The trial began in October 1925, and was a highly publicized event. The defense, led by famed criminal defense attorney Clarence Darrow, argued that Sweet and his family had acted in self-defense, while the prosecution contended that Sweet and his companions had planned the shooting in advance. The jury ultimately failed to reach a verdict, and the case was declared a mistrial.

A second trial began in April, 1926, with the same charges against Sweet and his companions. Like the first trial, the second also garnered significant attention, with civil rights organizations such as the NAACP and the National Urban League providing support for the defense.

Sweet and his supporters argued that they were forced to defend themselves against a violent mob of white residents who were trying to prevent them from exercising their legal right to own property. They claimed that their use of firearms was justified under the principle of self-defense. Finally, after two trials, Sweet and his co-defendants were acquitted of all charges. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty after just over two hours of deliberation.

The Ossian Sweet trials were also significant because of the diversity of the defense team. Sweet’s defense team included both African American and white lawyers, which was unusual at the time. Darrow, the lead defense attorney, was a prominent trial lawyer known for his work on a number of high-profile cases such as the Scopes “Monkey” Trial.

CLARENCE DARROW
Criminal defense lawyer Clarence Darrow in a 1927 photo. (AP Photo)

During the trial, Darrow made a powerful closing argument in which he argued that the case was not simply about Sweet and his family, but about the broader issue of racial justice in America. He said, “I am pleading for the rights of all of us, black and white, rich and poor, all of us who live under the flag that means justice and liberty for all of us.”

Why do you suppose they took these guns and this ammunition and these men there? Because they wanted to kill somebody? It is utterly absurd and crazy. They took them there because they thought it might be necessary to defend their home with their lives and they were determined to do it. They took guns there that in case of need they might fight, fight even to death for their home, and for each other, for their people, for their race, for their rights under the Constitution and the laws under which all of us live; and unless men and women will do that, we will soon be a race of slaves, whether we are black or white. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” and it has always been so and always will be. Do you suppose they were in there for any other purpose?  Gentlemen, there isn’t a chance that they took arms there for anything else.

They did go there knowing their rights, feeling their responsibility, and determined to maintain those rights if it meant death to the last man and the last woman, and no one could do more. No man lived a better life or died a better death than fighting for his home and his children, for himself, and for the eternal principles upon which life depends. Instead of being here under indictment, for murder, they should be honored for the brave stand they made, for their rights and ours. Some day, both white and black, irrespective of color, will honor the memory of these men, whether they are inside prison-walls or outside, and will recognize that they fought not only for themselves, but for every man who wishes to be free.

After the trial, Sweet and his family faced continued harassment and threats from white residents in the neighborhood. They eventually moved to a different part of Detroit where Sweet continued to practice medicine. Sweet died in 1960 at the age of 64.

The Ossian Sweet case had a lasting impact on the African American community in Detroit. Sweet became a symbol of resistance and resilience, and his case inspired many others to fight against discrimination and injustice. The neighborhood where the incident took place eventually became more racially diverse, and today it is a predominantly African American community.

Andrew Jameson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Today, Dr. Ossian Sweet is remembered as a courageous and principled advocate for justice and equality. His legacy continues to inspire those who fight for civil rights, armed self-defense, and social justice. His house on Garland Street in Detroit still stands, with a historical marker placed in the yard.

 

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65 COMMENTS

  1. Surprising but awesome outcome. Unfortunately they still had to put up with harrassment to the point of moving.

    • From the article:

      “Dr. Ossian Sweet (1895-1960) was an African American physician and civil rights activist…”

      This really bugs me the way people mis-apply the term. “African American” is someone who was born in Africa but emigrated to America and is now an American citizen. That person’s children – if born here and therefore natural citizens – are simply “Americans”. I mean, I don’t go around telling everyone I’m an Irish-American, and nobody of oriental descent has ever identified themselves to me as a Chinese-, Japanese-, or Thai-American. They are always proud of the fact that they’re American. Period.

      Dr Sweet was born in Orlando, Florida, and was an American.

      (squints eyes, looks around room, steps off soap box and quietly exits stage left…)

      • Indeed Clarence Darrow made a powerful closing argument…

        Why do you suppose they took these guns and this ammunition and these men there? Because they wanted to kill somebody? It is utterly absurd and crazy. They took them there because they thought it might be necessary to defend their home with their lives and they were determined to do it. They took guns there that in case of need they might fight, fight even to death for their home, and for each other, for their people, for their race, for their rights under the Constitution and the laws under which all of us live; and unless men and women will do that, we will soon be a race of slaves, whether we are black or white. “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” and it has always been so and always will be. Do you suppose they were in there for any other purpose? Gentlemen, there isn’t a chance that they took arms there for anything else.

        They did go there knowing their rights, feeling their responsibility, and determined to maintain those rights if it meant death to the last man and the last woman, and no one could do more. No man lived a better life or died a better death than fighting for his home and his children, for himself, and for the eternal principles upon which life depends. Instead of being here under indictment, for murder, they should be honored for the brave stand they made, for their rights and ours. Some day, both white and black, irrespective of color, will honor the memory of these men, whether they are inside prison-walls or outside, and will recognize that they fought not only for themselves, but for every man who wishes to be free.

        Powerful Words Clarence Darrow, Great Article TTAG.

      • And “African” is idiotically misused as a proxy for ‘black’. Many millions of Africans are whiter than dacian.

      • “To a rousing round of applause brother..” (nice going Haz) Post Script: At least you knew where the exit was man….. jus’ sayin’

      • Political correctness. I’m sure it was started by Democrats. Jesse Jackson? Democrats love it when Americans don’t identify simply as Americans. Unity is their enemy.

        Latinx? Gotta take gender out of it doncha know? The Progressives that came up with that are apparently clueless about gender in the Spanish language. Political correctness is poison. It was a precursor to “wokeness.”

      • “Dr Sweet was born in Orlando, Florida, and was an American.”

        According to the article, born in Bartow, a town about 7 miles from me, and roughly 40 miles south of Orlando…

        • When I checked various articles (not Wikipedia) online, they stated Orlando. Perhaps that was in reference to the general area. Technically, I live about 40 from Los Angeles City, but when someone from the East Coast asks me where I’m from, they don’t recognize my specific town, but they nod in comprehension when I generalize it and say “L.A.”

        • At that time, Bartow was just a little spit that nearly no one was familiar with, so Orlando was a perfectly acceptable landmark…

      • Elan Musk is the only African American I can think of. Fraudulently given US citizenship. The little conman should move BACK to S Africa and the chicoms can then finance his silly schemes.

        • “The little conman should move BACK to S Africa and the chicoms can then finance his silly schemes.”

          Silly? Cutting the cost to obit by a drastic amount is in no way ‘silly scheme’.

          Just ask the Russians, SpaceX was responsible for effectively killing their orbital launches, kicking Putin’s nuts square in the teeth… 🙂

      • I wouldn’t even know what to hyphenate with. I’m a Heinze 57 of the British Isles and northwest Europe. And there is a dash of “Levantine”, .08%, thrown in for spice. Did both 23and me and Ancestry DNA. It was very revealing, confirming some family stories and completely disproving others. They do give slightly different results. If you have not done both then you may not actually know your hyphenations 😉

        Me: “Mom, I have no native American ancestry.”
        Mom: “Yes you do.”
        Me: “Not according to the DNA test.”
        Mom, indignant: “Well, you are supposed to!”
        Me: “Well, you forgot to put it in.”

        • LOL, I found the same thing. I will never give my DNA to 23-and-me or Ancestry, but both my parents did, so I’m screwed. In any case, I’m also a mix (closer to Heinz 58), but we found that the longstanding family rumor that we have some Cherokee was incorrect. So there goes my hope of rubbing elbows with Elizabeth Warren.

        • My grandpa actually could have passed as a Native American on looks alone (he looked nothing like Liz Warren). However, someone did some research for a family tree and discovered his namesake ancestors came from France. They changed their last name to sound more American.

        • @Dude,

          A branch of my own genealogy (four generations back) did the same! They were Huguenots from France, and changed the spelling of their surname to solidify their new identity as Americans.

          (raises hand up for a high five)

      • I agree. Using terms of Nationality that ended generations ago as descriptors is in and of itself Racist. At what point does one become simply an “American?”
        I’m a descendant of Scottish and Norse Great Great Grandparents who immigrated to the US as young children in 1847. Does that make me more Scottish and Norse than the English settlers who arrived in the 18th century? I don’t think so. Am I proud of the Scots and Norse heritage? Certainly, but I’m prouder that my fores had the smarts and opportunity to get the hell out of both countries.
        Descriptors, are intended to further divide us, and I strongly believe that was the intent from the very beginning. To say genetically we are all the same isn’t correct, as genetics are the reason for everything from your skin and eye color, to how short or tall you are. There are skeletal differences between the three main races, even though current science really tries to poopoo the idea, they’re ignoring the fact those differences exist. We’re close enough though genetically to each other, that interpreting can occur, and that’s been going on since man first looked at a distant hill and wondered what and who was on the other side.
        If you’re born and raised here, your an American in my view. If you immigrate and become a citizen, you’re a first generation American. After that point, I really couldn’t care less how long your family’s been here, anymore than I care what your skin color is.

  2. It is the truth that gun control is a product of democrat racism. As is the KKK.

    Modern gun control is the product of corporate billionaires wishing to impoverish and control the 99%.

    At its core gun control has always and will always be evil.

    • What part is confusing? It’s an awesome story about an American doing America stuff. We support the right of free people to bear arms in support of themselves and their families. It makes no difference what color their skin is.

    • The article epitomizes all of the reasons that gun control is bad. Armed men are not easily enslaved. Unarmed men cannot resist a tyrant. Go buy yourself another gun or ten, and be prepared to use them. Be prepared to arm your women and children, brothers and sisters, and yes, your dear old granny in her rocking chair.

    • if memory serves arightm this site is all about “the truth about guns”. On aspect of the truth about guns” is that when guns are in the hands of normal folk, the free state in which we all prefer to life is secure. In this case, the new residents in that home were not secure… until they were forced to make use of their guns. For precisely the purpose the Second Article of Ammendment makes certain we ALL have the right to arms. Wouldn’t hve changed a tThing if the family being attacked had been white and the gang of hoodlums surrounding the home were black or even purple…..

  5. Getting payback against me does nothing for him or his family, just perpetuates racism. Right now dems trying to change the demographics of the country, and discriminate against white men.

  6. This case certainly demonstrates why no one needs a semiautomatic rifle with a standard capacity, 30 round magazine. Of course a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with “harmless” buckshot is darn effective.

  7. His legacy continues to inspire those who fight for civil rights, armed self-defense, and social justice.

    That sounds nice after the happy ending of that story, but we aren’t in the 1920’s. That was 100 years ago. The current fight for “social justice” is a complete farce because it’s always set up in terms of white vs. black. They use old stories like this to justify the “conversation” and keep the threat of “racism” going. It’s a cover for our dear leaders, so the citizens, who are constantly propagandized into submission, won’t notice the REAL fight for social justice. That would be the rulers vs. the ruled.

      • Oh they love to throw the ‘justice’ word around. Focus groups responded well to it.

        U.S. Democratic presidential contender Warren vows to pursue ‘environmental justice’

        Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren vowed on Wednesday to protect minority- and low-income communities from the effects of pollution and climate change, arguing that vulnerable populations had suffered for decades because of federal inaction.

        There’s currently a vulnerable population suffering from a massive environmental disaster. Where’s Warren now? These people are so FOS. If they can’t tax you or take something from you, to “help” someone else, they aren’t interested. “Environmental justice, social justice, etc.” is nothing more than a convenient cover for these tyrants.

        ^awaiting moderation. No time to find the trigger word(s).

  8. That area, like much of Detroit, is now run down and crime ridden. Those “racists” might have been on to something.

  11. Ages 2 through 8, I grew up in Staten Island, NYC. That is where I first learned about race.

    Approximately age 6: Walking alone through “The Projects” at South Beach, I saw another boy I recognized from school. In typical kid fashion, I walked up to him and said “Hey, do you want to be friends?”

    His eyes opened wide and he said, in clear disbelief and sounding like a challenge: “You want to be friends with me?” I remember being confused and not answering. He continued: “We can’t be friends, we are not the same color.” Now, I was even more confused since my baby-sitter was black and there were black folk on my Mom’s side of the family (the Puerto Rican side).

    Again, I did not answer. He got up and walked away.

    That memory is as clear as the day it occurred. I had no idea as to what had just happened. I remember feeling sad and rejected, but I did not understand why.

    Disclaimer: although I am half Puerto Rican, (my grandmother was actually a Puerto Rican native American), at the time I was a little white boy with platinum-blonde hair.

    I was so upset I cried on the way back to our appartment. It took a long time for me to understand that transaction.

    • I grew up in SoCal in the ’80s. I read about “race” in History class as it related to the Civil Rights era of the ’60s (MLK Jr, et al), but I never even bothered to give it a thought for my personal life. My friends were black (one of them was literally from Africa), Taiwanese, Cuban, Mexican, etc. None of us ever discussed our “races”, nor did we care…all the way through the years to high school graduation.

      It was when I entered college that the race issue was thrown into my lap. I clearly recall a conversation with an angry young black man in which he was telling me all about life’s injustices. I calmly told him what I wrote above, summarizing that my childhood was pretty much the very “racial utopia” he said he should have had.

      Instead of recognizing the fact that such situations actually do exist in which neighborhood children of different ethnicities play together just fine, he simply looked at me and said, “Well, you just don’t understand the black man, then” and walked away. I have always remembered that. Some people want to hold on to their personal reason to be perpetually angry, and be perpetual victims.

      Oh, and notice I used the word “ethnicities”. I believe in one single human race, arrayed in a wide spectrum of cultures and ethnic backgrounds. If I (a white person of low melanin content) am born in America, and my neighbors (of different melanin contents and genealogical backgrounds) also grew up in America, why are we labeled as being different races? What if my parents were white/black, and my neighbors were white/black, but my skin leaned lighter while my neighbor’s leaned darker due to a roll of the genetic dice? Are we still different “races” just because some blowhard tells the world he thinks we are?

      Clown world.

      • Haz,

        Great story!

        What makes me laugh is that when my family would visit relatives in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, (from where my mother hailed), the locals all called me “little gringo”. But they watched out for like every other kid on the block.

        One time I wandered far from my grand parent’s home, trying to find my way to the beach. I was only 6 or 7 at the time. Some locals spotted me and led me back to my grandparents home, telling them “We heard you have a little gringo staying with you so we thought this one might be yours”. Of course this was all in Spanish and when Mayaguez was a much smaller town than it is today.

        In reality, the only people who seem to care about race are those who make a living from accusing others of racism.

        Cynical, I am.

        • “It has been 300 years [edit mine – actually 400] since they were brought to this country, 160 years since they were freed, over 50 years since they were granted complete equal rights, and on top of that, they have had several decades of “racial privilege” thrown at them in the forms of jobs, money, and ‘entitlements’. And still, they continue thousands of times, every day, to fulfill the negative stereotypes that are held against them. Nothing ever helps these people, they are perpetual victims forever of their own causing. The only culture on the planet that seems incapable of pulling themselves up.”

          John Stuart Mill, July 2022

          ****
          The only blacks I knew as a child were those who believed in conservative values and hard work. It wasn’t until I entered the adult world that I encountered people who choose to establish themselves as victims, and worthy of a portion of your possessions without having earned it, and are happy to use the government’s strong arm to facilitate the transfer. The divide between the “producers” and “consumers” seems to be widening these days.

        • …they are perpetual victims forever of their own causing.

          Sort of, but not quite. They have been, and continue to be, exploited and held back. They’ve been led to believe they aren’t capable of making it on their own without the government (Democrats) doing the heavy lifting on their behalf. They’re rewarded for being victims. It isn’t working? Well then we just aren’t spending enough! We need more government agencies and programs because they always manage everything so well! If the white supremacy bogeyman isn’t around to blame, people might begin looking elsewhere. When/if that ever happens, our dear leaders’ golden ticket to power goes up in flames. They have something else to hold over us though: climate alarmism.

          Someone finally asked what I’ve been asking for years: details. Tell us exactly how much lower the temperature will be in ten years if we enact these policies. How much lower will mean sea level be? Exactly how much will this cost? We need specific targets so we can check the results or know if it’s even worth pursuing at all. Senator Kennedy from Louisiana was asking for specifics from the so-called experts. The experts had no idea, and seemed indignant over those very relevant questions. That tells you everything you need to know about the climate cult. When you read the fine print, you see the goal is to stop the temperature from rising an additional half a degree in 80 years. Maybe. If China and India join the fight. What a sick joke. The real goal is an unlimited budget and more control over their subjects.

        • Haz I do believe you would enjoy greatly some of the writings if Thomas Sowell. He used to write a daily column I read, but at 82 years of age he decided to “retire” and persue his life0long passion, photography. He grew up in the projects of Baltimore, the first son of a black mother, no father figure in the home. He refused to admopt the tyepical “role” for such a person.
          Hos most meorable piece, to me was ine he wrote shortly after the election some years back of the kinyun as president. He lit into the black population who voted for that guy BECAUSE he was “black”. He had researched his history and work, and warned against electing such a man. He also wrote what many consder tobe the best textbook on economics in the english tongue. “Basic Economics”. Two editions: the university textbo, at above fifty bucks, and a more “accessible” version for the mass market, same content, for under twenty. Guess which one I have?

        • Yes sir Life, Exactly…. I was on the “J” train (El train “Elevated”) in Jamaica, Queens NYC had to walk up “The HILL” 168 th. street first day’s to get to High School. All my friends went to other Catholic schools…I was Alone, white and Norwegian (not that anybody could tell Norwegian, I had brown hair) and petrified! Got into a scuffle 2nd day, (5) kids pounced!, I did good for about .10 seconds maybe, nose bloody, one eye closed, still swinging my garrison belt buckle out! like a mad…kid! Out of nowhere MY later on Best Bud waded into the melee and trounced the bastards! Sent them all runnin’ and bleedin’! Saved my life. His name was Ozwaldo , “Ozzie” and he NEVER saw race, NEVER saw COLOR just good n bad, right and wrong, Just “do the right thing” kind of guy/kid. For (4) long years we had to get past one of the most violent high schools in NY (1974-’78) to get to ours. Back to back often literally.(Ozzie also taught me how to fight). We met each others families, went to Coney Island and Museums etc. when we finally started to drive picked each other up and avoided the “death March”. Ozzie was killed on February 25th 1985 by a skell for whatever reason, I don’t care why? I hate him! Wish he was dead! The loss is still profound… So, present day, all the madness going on, stoopid stuff, I Protect people (all people) It is part of who I am because of Oz. No better friend, no better Human ever walked this Earth!
          Here’s to you Ozzie! immortalized here on TTAG forever! You deserved better Brother! But we will be together again one day. Everybody should have/know an Ozzie in their life. I just wish this wasn’t happening today, Sometimes I ask why? but I know the answers already, no need to tarnish what is written here. It just sucks. So, If you can Ladies and Gentlemen, BE AN OZZIE. Do the Right thing, STAND UP ! for the Right reasons. It would make Oz smile, it would make me smile. Believe it or not we are all in this s*** together, I just wish we acted like it.

  12. When Covid hit, we were ALL shown just how much we are all slaves and how few people in positions of power cared at all for our rights or our laws.

    You must choose for yourself.

    • Prndll,

      Yup. Got kicked out of a few stores for refusing to mask. Eventually, I started to glare at any store employee who began to approach me. So, they would stand 20 ft. away and loudly say I must be masked. I would glare and say I cannot mask due to health issues. They would tell me I should mask anyway and I would say “That is not your corporate policy”. By the time they returned with a supervisor I was at the cash register.

      My health issue? Masks concentrate bacteria and mold. No one ever asked.

      More than a few people approached me in the stores to say they wished they had the courage to not mask.

      Being unmasked was not easy when my (masked) wife and daughter were with me. They did not like the attention. But I am a stubborn cuss.

      Yes, a few times I was strongly encouraged by store security to leave immediately.

      • I leared early on that the magic words are “I cannot SAFELY wear a mask”. If they sk WHY or WHAT is your condition, I simply respond “federal Health Information and Patient Protection Act prohibits you asking as you are NOT my medical care provider. Let them stutter and bluster. If they persist, inform then that Federal Americans with Disability Act law demands yuo make an accomodation for my disability,as this store s by federallaw a “public accomodation”. See the blue handicap parking signs? My disability is different but no less real.
        Most tmes I’d just walk on in as if nothing was wring, because in reality it was not. Had one clown in a supermarket accuse me of endangring those around me. I said “then go stand somewhere else and scream at smene else f you feele endangered”. He muttered and shuffled off. I paid for my groceries and walked out to the car as if nothing was wring.. because it wasn’t. The ine in the wrng had already left in a chuff or self-righteousness.

        I have also made open comments about the days when certain folks had to use a differen counter or drinking fountain. Ih THAT got me some looks….

  13. WHEW THA COMMENTS , MASK ?? , O YA RACIST AGAINST A MASK IS IT ANYONE COLOR OR ANY COLOR .. O NEVER MINE …
    I WAS RAISED RACIST , LEARNED IN VIET NAM EVERONE BLEED RED .. I BEGAIN TO CHANGE , YES I’M CAUCASIAN …
    RIGHT , WRONG , BAD , GOOD IT WAS FOR THE BEST , WAS IN ALL NEGRO SQUADE FOR AWHILE MEET SOME GOOD DUDES , NICK NAMED ME WHITE RABBIT .. I SURE COULD MOVE WHEN CHARLEY OPENED FIRE .. I UNDERSTAND GOD MADED MANY DIFFERENT COLOR FLOWERS , SO AS WITH PEOPLE MANY DIFFERENT COLORS ,, DON’T JUDGE BY COLOR OF SKIN , LIKE DON’T JUDGE BOOK BY IT’S NAME .. ACTION SPEAK LOUDER THAT WORDS AT TIMES , TAKE CARE …

  15. When white people who were waving rainbow Flags and threatening a homeowner in Oregon this particular story in Detroit Michigan was what I was reminded of. I thought here we go again. Decades and decades later. When a mob of white people descend on a residential neighborhood,m to target someone whose politics they disagree with.

    And here on TTAG the “gun community” argued about whether it was okay for the Oregon gun owner to display a firearm in his living room window, for the mob to see as a visual warning.
    That mob called the police and the police came and arrested him. Even though that mob had violated his property. Just as that mob had violated the doctor’s property in Detroit.

    The mob in Oregon cheered as the police took the homeowner away in handcuffs. And my question is, that mob of white people waving their rainbow Flags, did they then enter that homeowners home and then ransack it???
    Because there was never a follow-up news story as to what happened to his house. I can guarantee you that in Detroit Michigan, back in those days, the Black Doctor’s house would have been set on fire, and burned to the ground.

    Just like today as white mobs waving rainbow Flags, are setting private property on fire, and smashing windows.
    As I have said many times in the past. If you violate somebody’s private property the property owner should have the automatic right to shoot you dead on site.

    The so-called Libertarians Liberals and the Left do not believe in the concept of private property. The government will kill you to protect government property. But property owners in the 21st century are told to buy insurance. To help pay for their losses.

    That is until your property is continuously broken into. Which is exactly what is happening in Portland Oregon. Those businesses in the downtown area have been forced to close. Because they had repeated break-ins and their insurance rates went up and up. So now they can’t afford to get insurance anymore.

    We have come to a point in the United States history that the property rights of the ordinary citizen don’t exist.
    But if you’re a rich person. If your “Nordstrom’s in San Francisco”. When organized thieves run into your store, and take whatever they want. There will be 20 or 30 police officers who will show up, to try to arrest the shoplifters.

    So yes I say it’s time for a “national divorce”. It’s been obvious to me for a very long time that the Three L’s do not believe in one of the basic founding principles of the United States of America.
    That the ordinary citizen in this country has the right to buy and own and sell property. In the United States there are no serfs. As there were in Europe and England.

    And they have the right to protect what is theirs using deadly force if necessary. But it really does seem to these people that property rights are only for rich folks. Because it’s people with money who can afford to buy insurance. And buy it repeatedly over and over again when their property is attacked endlessly.

    btw

    That was a racist white mob waving rainbow Flags, who attacked that homeowner in Oregon. Because they hate white conservatives gun owners.

    They hate the blacks with guns too. But they mask their hatred with “the soft bigotry of low expectations” for gun owning blacks. When it comes to the white conservatives they’re just up front, open and honest, with their hatred.

  16. Kinda glad that Dr. Sweet left this blue orb before he can see Detroit go down the flusher.
    His street, like many in detroit, are returning to greenspace as all the derelict houses get bulldozed and grass planted. Half the lots on the street are now just grassy lots as people flee the S-hole.

  17. Whenever you watch a trial involving self-defense, especially armed self-defense, listen for these arguments:

    -He shouldn’t have gone where he wasn’t wanted.
    -He was looking for trouble.
    -He should have stayed home.
    -The fact he went armed means he wanted to kill someone.
    -The fact he has friends with him meant he was looking for trouble.
    -The fact he was on alert means he was looking for trouble.
    -The mob was unarmed.
    -The mob hasn’t hurt him (yet).
    -His injuries were not severe (yet).

    Then think about the case of Dr. Sweet, and so many other cases like it where black Americans defended themselves against racist mobs. These were the arguments marshalled against them. They all boil down to the same thing: “his kind of person has no right to defend himself against our kind of person.” They feel ashamed to speak it outright, so they pretend they accept the right to self-defense… just as long as he had no need to defend himself, and had no means of defending himself, and didn’t try to defend himself until it was too late.

    Remember these arguments, because they crop up again and again. It isn’t always in the context of black Americans defending themselves from racists. But when they’re deployed, you can rest assured the speaker identifies the defender as one of “those” people whose right to self-defense – whose right to live – they do not recognize.

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