One of the things that representative popular government can't survive for long is the perception that there are two or more different justice systems - one for people with some special privilege, and another for the rest of us.
From the left, that's usually phrased as a matter of class privilege - the "one percent", or a social or racial class, having a different set of outcomes in the justice system than the rest of society.
On the right, it's usually more a matter of social classes and connections; for example, groups who are socially or political connected to power-players in government getting concierge treatment from law enforcement and, it needs to be said, the media.
If you live in a blue city, it seems that groups connected with and favored by the political class get a pass on things like blocking traffic, holding demonstrations with frequent outbursts of violence, vandalism without consequences, blocking streets and attacking motorists that tried to drive on and, in cities with Stage IV progressivism, overt coddling of criminality and fairly open tolerance for large-scale violence - by one side. Be honest - what do you think would happen if a pro-life group blocked a freeway in Minneapolis, or a Second Amendment group started torching businesses and government buildings in Chicago?
When that perception becomes widespread, then support for things outside that system among the group that is, or thinks of itself as, discriminated against, may tend to get a little casual about the more academic niceties of dealing with protests.
The summer of 2020, the culmination of years of leftist groups operating with what appeared to be special legal and narrative privileges in "blue" cities, brought the trend out in almost Orwellian style:
The Most 2020 headline you'll ever read...
— Hodgetwins (@hodgetwins) August 27, 2020
"Fiery but mostly peaceful..." 🤣 https://t.co/1Lj6lfqbLU
In 2020 as today, I lived in one of the neighborhoods hard-hit by the riots; the main street through my neighborhood was heavily burned; the pharmacy that I've been going to for a couple decades, three blocks from my house, was burned to the ground - as the authorities in the city and state government gaslit us with tall tales of "white supremacists" and "klansmen" roaming the streets provoking the riots (Mayor Frey, Governor Walz and local media all promoted those rumors - although years of investigation have revealed no evidence of any significant involvement).
It's no accident that pushing through laws allowing Floridians considerable leeway in using vehicles to escape freeway protests that endanger them was a big part of cementing Ron DeSantis's popularity. Academics and selective civil libertarians may furrow their brows and make concerned noises - but those laws are the sound of people who've had enough, and are tired of getting walked over.
We saw another outburst of that feeling this past week in Cincinnati, as an ICE protest spilled over onto the Roebling Bridge - a key thoroughfare, and a frequent target of protesters (again - unexpectedly, always leftists) who want to get attention.
And they certainly got attention. Some of the protesters tried to block in a vehicle, and the driver was having none of it.
And Covington (KY) politice responded decisively - drawing some criticism:
One day after the incident, Covington Police Chief Brian Valenti acknowledged the challenge of deciding when to use force and when to step back to avoid conflict.
“Use-of-force decisions often unfold in seconds and can generate strong public reactions,” Valenti wrote in a statement about his department’s handling of the incident. “We ask the community to withhold judgment until all facts are known.”
Strong public reactions indeed. There was the usual academic phumphering and brow-furrowing from the crowd that is diligent about civil liberties of those who are not a gun owners, fetuses, or law-abiding taxpayers:
Jacqueline Greene, civil rights lawyer and partner at Friedman, Gilbert + Gerhardstein:https://t.co/jvcXXQx0C1 pic.twitter.com/5GkzlLucpH
— friends of Bones (@FriendsofBones) July 19, 2025
Among others? There was rejoicing:
Sweet dreams are made of @CovKyPD as they swiftly clear rioters illegally blocking roads and a bridge. Cross the line from "peaceful protest" to criminal acts, and you’ve earned your time behind bars. Great work, Covington PD! pic.twitter.com/2pBDDuZiwJ
— Kim "Katie" USA (@KimKatieUSA) July 18, 2025
Investigators are investigation - there were around 18 arrests, and one of the officers, seen on video punching the stuffing out of a protester who'd also gotten pretty violent, is apparently on leave:
BREAKING - This Ohio police officer has been placed on leave after he used some force to remove an anti-ICE leftist roadblock on an Ohio bridge.pic.twitter.com/u1jNM4b3rY
— Right Angle News Network (@Rightanglenews) July 19, 2025
More video:
Covington Police on the Roebling Suspension Bridge teach unlawful protestors a valuable lesson by handing out equal rights and lefts.
— Tim (@Dragonboy155) July 19, 2025
Pro tip: your protest becomes unlawful when you infringe on the rights of another citizen or you break the law.
Stay out of the road. pic.twitter.com/wPTLOdEUBP
Reactions appear to be breaking pretty predictably down party lines, which also break dowh political and social lines.
A driver wanders into territory controlled by a "progressive" machine, and as people pound on his windows, wonders "how am I ever going to get justice for this?". (The answer: No. What, are you new at this?)
A group of protesters, used to being coddled by Soros-funded prosecutors, wander outside the Blue bubble and run into cops supported by people who are tired of watching the decline of the city across the river, and wonder if they can get recourse (hint: of course they can).
It's easy to cheer for "our side"; like many of you, I get a spring in my step watching drivers accelerate their way out of mobs of goons, or listening to entitled white progressives sniveling and crying when they run into unexpected legal consequences for the first time.
And we've earned the smile, after this last 5-10 years.
But let's think about how a representative government is supposed to survive that state of affairs.
