FiftyFiftyOne

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Originally Posted By u/transcendent167 At 2025-06-16 11:58:02 AM | Source

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Peaceful civilians are being arrested for wearing masks during protests while ICE agents and riot police wear full facial coverings, hide their names, and refuse identification.

Trump backed new mask bans, claiming:

“If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to hide.”

Yet government agents are literally hiding their identities while dragging people off the streets.

This isn’t safety.
This is authoritarian control.

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Your right to protest with a mask is protected by the Constitution.

1st Amendment – U.S. Constitution
Protects freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, and anonymous political expression.
Wearing a mask during protest is a symbolic act of protected political speech.
Read the full amendment (Cornell Law)

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Legal Cases That Back You Up:

• McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Comm’n (1995):
  Supreme Court upheld anonymous political speech as protected.

  “Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority.”
  Read ruling

• NAACP v. Alabama (1958):
  Government can’t force disclosure of identity when it risks intimidation.
  Full decision

• American Knights of the KKK v. City of Goshen (1999):
  Court blocked a blanket mask ban, affirming mask-wearing can be political expression.

• Church of the American Knights v. Kerik (2004):
  Mask bans must be narrow and not suppress speech.
  Case summary

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This is how fascism takes hold.

First, they arrest you for what you wear.
Next, it’s what you say.
Then it’s how you believe or who you are.

Today it’s a protest mask.
Tomorrow it’s a Pride flag.
Or a cultural clothing.
Or not being Christian.

This is state power targeting visibility and identity and it’s not random. It’s calculated.

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You are not their subject. You are a citizen with rights.

They want obedience.
They want fear.
They want silence.

And that’s exactly why you must not give it to them.

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We demand:

• An immediate end to unconstitutional protest mask bans
• A federal investigation into unmarked, masked agents arresting civilians
• Equal protection for protesters not just for the state

Resources:

• ACLU: Know Your Protest Rights
• EFF: Right to Mask in Public

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“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.”
— Edmund Burke

This is not a time for silence.
This is not a time for fear.

This is the time to stand together.

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Originally Posted By u/Lo_Stallone At 2025-06-16 11:13:14 AM | Source

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Originally Posted By u/Project_Rees At 2025-06-16 06:56:33 AM | Source

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I wasn't sure it was the right choice at first, but I now realize it was brilliant.

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Originally Posted By u/hook3m13 At 2025-06-15 07:50:05 PM | Source

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With all the nonsense and lies about violence and property damage being spewed by Fox News and conservative pundits, I truly appreciate the Seattle PD putting this message out early in the day.

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Originally Posted By u/LoveFosteringDogs At 2025-06-15 03:09:19 PM | Source

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That’s it. That’s my post.

Edit. Looks like it was actually over 12 million protesters. Holy shit! Well over 3.5 of the voting population, not to mention the general population. Noice!

Edit #2. As lot of commenters are claiming the parade attendance was less than 10k. I have not yet been able to independently verify either number yet, as the situation is still fluid.

But regardless, it’s clear the parade was a flop, and the protests were a success. USA! 🇺🇸

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Originally Posted By u/SavannahPharaoh At 2025-06-15 08:57:52 PM | Source

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Originally Posted By u/Ice_Ice11 At 2025-06-15 09:59:01 PM | Source

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Originally Posted By u/blacksmith624 At 2025-06-15 03:47:30 PM | Source

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Look, I'm not one to over-romanticize hope that the U.S. military will choose the right side in upholding their duty to resist unlawful orders. Some will. Some won't. We'll see. But, lol, I do suspect there's malicious compliance. And as I keep seeing pics with military members looked absolutely miserable and sullen in the Orange Toddler's Big Boy B-Day Parade yesterday, I am cracking up. They were probably supposed to put on a big proud show for Dear Leader, and they didn't (or did a very bad job - perhaps on purpose). Trump's abuse of the military in this way is so disrespectful. But, I feel like some in there are really trying to show they aren't interested in being treated like toys in some draft-dodger's dipshit propaganda. This one in particular from WaPo got me:

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Originally Posted By u/RocketSocket765 At 2025-06-15 02:10:38 PM | Source

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ICE agents at an immigration courthouse. Look how these masked monsters laugh about “taking one or taking all” when the lawyer says they have families.

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Originally Posted By u/Xolerys_ At 2025-06-15 02:00:24 PM | Source

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He treated them like the "suckers and losers" he's called them.

Millions of Americans took to the streets around the country. Unarmed. Peaceful. A big tent that mobilized lots of different people.

Meanwhile the army looked pathetic surrounded by tanks and robot dogs. They had to march for an old man's birthday who felt the need to lie about what the march was for. He tried to goad protesters to come because he couldn't get any crowds.

Shout out to the organizers yesterday who had some really smart ideas like not protesting the parade and switching to the "no kings" slogan from being against "oligarchy".

Keep organizing and keep at it.

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Originally Posted By u/gibrownsci At 2025-06-15 02:51:31 PM | Source

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“12.1 million in attendance”

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Originally Posted By u/Melodic-Swordfish245 At 2025-06-15 11:24:04 AM | Source

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