Rep. Maxine Waters, who has been in Congress since 1991, is pouring gasoline on the flames of hatred. If one is cynical, one might say this is not her first time. But this time, it is more dangerous and on a larger scale.
Waters is not advocating driving Cabinet members of the opposite party out of restaurants this time. She is advocating—there is just no nice way to say this—mob control of our streets, if a verdict in a trial doesn’t go her way.
With big cities on tenterhooks, fearing violence, Waters is telling people to “get more confrontational” if former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is not convicted of the murder of George Floyd.
The jury will debate charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in the death of George Floyd. Minneapolis isn’t the only city that is bracing for possible riots. The verdict is expected this week. Waters’ intent was unmistakable:
Asked about the Chauvin murder trial in nearby Minneapolis, Waters told reporters if the former police officer isn’t found guilty of murdering Floyd, “We’ve got to stay on the street and we’ve got to get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.”
Waters said she was “hopeful” Chauvin would be convicted of murder, but if he isn’t, “we cannot go away.”
Waters went to Minneapolis to make her remarks, delivered after an 11 pm curfew (Ms. Waters didn’t “agree” with the curfew).
Several Republicans have condemned Waters’ remarks, but, as of this morning, crickets from the Democrats.
In an editorial calling for the impeachment of Ms. Waters, the New York Post compared what Waters said about former President Donald Trump, which she ardently supported, to what Waters is doing:
In supporting the second impeachment of President Donald Trump, California Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters said he was “inciting” his followers, and was “trying to create a civil war.”
By her own standards, Maxine Waters should be impeached and removed.
On Sunday in Minnesota, Waters, breaking the law by violating curfew (because “she didn’t agree with it”), said that if ex-police officer Derek Chauvin is not found guilty of murdering George Floyd, “We’ve got to get more confrontational.”
There’s been rioting, looting, graffiti—what did Waters mean by “more confrontational”? In Portland, they set fire to an Apple store. They’re trying to take over government buildings.
By what definition is Rep. Waters not encouraging mob action?
Interestingly, Ms. Waters is calling for former President Trump to be charged not only with criminal incitement but actual “premeditated murder” for the January 6th events at the U.S. Capitol. Legal scholar and commentator Jonathan Turley has some thoughts on this.
The Capitol Hill riots were inexcusable and harmful to our nation, but likely not as many lives and as much property were lost as will be lost if there are mobs in multiple cities if the jury does not return the maximum verdict in the Chauvin trial.
The potential rioters don’t need Waters’ permission to do their thing.
In a way, she’s just along for the ride, and we can expect her to be holed up somewhere safe if our streets erupt in violence after the Chauvin verdict. Still, none of us expected to live to see a veteran member of Congress advocating mob rule. And there is no way around it: that is exactly what Maxine Waters is doing.