CIVIL UNREST: IS THIS THE PURGE

The Purge is an American media franchise centered on a series of films which present a seemingly normal, crime-free America in the near future. But the truth is that the country portrayed is a dystopia which celebrates an annual national holiday known as a pretty terrifying concept called the Purge: one night a year where all crime is legal, where murder, torture, rape and theft are all allowed as a form of a societal safety valve. It seemed farfetched to me that such a condition could ever exist in the United States of America, but are the radical left seeking anarchy toward an actual, more permanent purge?

Frequent civil unrest with many being allowed to riot, loot and burn structures with government officials backing down and allowing unlawful activity and violence to take place, often with little or no consequence, emboldens the participants. With no bail, bail reform, non-prosecutions and sanctioned prisoner release by an ever-increasing number of George Soros-funded “prosecuting” attorneys, is the purge coming to a town near you? These realities combined with media manipulation of truth and questioned election oversight and rules violations make law-abiding citizens feel as though there no longer is any rule of law being enforced on any level. Now lawlessness on both sides seems as though it is justifiable in the mindset of an ever-growing portion of our population, seemingly by even those who have “played by the rules” as law-abiding members of society in the past.

Add policing which is largely unrecognizable with stand-downs and poor operational and enforcement choices further fueling the disenfranchisement of many from seeing the need to surrender to authority in their thoughts and actions. And the waters are further muddied with confusion over enforcement of law versus Executive Order “mandates.” Further, serious national security concerns on Chinese influence over our officials and institutions add another layer of doubt and fear.

What are the ramifications? When the late Rush Limbaugh noted that America was “trending toward secession,” he said “I see more and more people asking, what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in, say, New York? There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, and theories of how we manage our affairs. We can’t be in this dire a conflict without something giving somewhere along the way. And I know that there’s a sizable and growing sentiment for people who believe that that is where we’re headed, whether we want to or not — whether we want to go there or not. I myself haven’t made up my mind. I still haven’t given up the idea that we are the majority and that all we have to do is find a way to unite and win.”

People from all over the country showed their support, taking part in rallies calling for greater transparency in government and elections moving forward. Many expressed that our election process was being handled improperly, and in some cases fraudulently. Some are optimistic that the tide will turn, however, including some high-profile supporters.

“Courts do not decide who the president of the United States will be,” said former national security adviser Michael Flynn. “We are in a crucible moment in the history of the United States of America,” he added. Flynn called himself a “product of an unjust system” and said the battle for honest elections “is about the fabric of the Constitution of the United States of America.”

Texas GOP Party Chairman Allen West noted that when the Supreme Court tossed out a Texas election lawsuit which was joined by 17 states, 106 U.S. congressmen and the former president himself over election practices and irregularities that in his view the decision establishes a precedent that states can violate the United States Constitution and not be held accountable.

He went on to say “Perhaps law-abiding states should bond together and form a Union of States that will abide by the constitution.”

So where is this all heading? Have we forsaken the rule of law in favor of choosing sides with “every man for himself?” Who can you trust when social order collapses? Is this the purge?

It’s essential that real leaders emerge and step up to curtail our journey on this road less traveled. In the alternative, it appears that conflict will continue on our land in crisis resulting in further chaos. We must act intelligently, admit our past mistakes, correct them and move forward.

Joel E. Gordon is a former Field Training Officer with the Baltimore City Police Department and is a past Chief of Police for the city of Kingwood, West Virginia. He has also served as vice-chair of a multi-jurisdictional regional narcotics task force. An award winning journalist, he is author of the book Still Seeking Justice: One Officer's Story and founded the Facebook group Police Authors Seeking Justice. Look him up at stillseekingjustice.com