this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2026

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358

Wearing All Black at Protests Makes You Guilty of Terrorism, Prosecutors Tell Jury (theintercept.com)

submitted 1 month ago by AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works to c/news@lemmy.world

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The exterior of the Eldon B. Mahon U.S. Courthouse in Fort Worth, Texas, seen during the Prairieland protest trial on March 9, 2026. Photo: Matt Sledge/The Intercept Federal agents raiding the home of two alleged antifa “operatives” seized a telling piece of evidence, a defense attorney said during closing arguments in a landmark trial Wednesday.

A printing press.

That printing press was never presented to jurors. Still, the government has kept it locked away because it hated the pamphlets and zines it published, lawyer Blake Burns said.

Burns represents Elizabeth Soto, one of nine defendants whose fates were in the hands of jurors as deliberations began Thursday. All are accused of roles during or after a late-night noise demonstration outside Prairieland Detention Center, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Dallas that ended with a local police officer wounded by gunfire.

The case has become a bellwether for the Trump administration’s crackdown on dissent from the left. The government charged people involved with the anti-ICE protest with a slew of charges, including attempted murder and terrorism counts that defense attorneys said are being used to criminalize protest.

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[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 87 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

This is why I say the best protest outfit is a clown costume. One: big baggy clothes that you can hide body armor and other utilities underneath. Two: face paint that hides you from facial recognition. And three: the cops are gonna look like idiots beating a clown.

And if you want a fourth reason, your friends can paint all your faces the same so you’re harder to identify in the crowd.

[–] kayzeekayzee@lemmy.blahaj.zone 37 points 1 month ago

The last part is the main point of wearing all black.

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 month ago (4 children)

And three: the cops are gonna look like idiots beating a clown.

Not a clown with body armor and other utilities. You just end up making Juggaloes a terrorist organization.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago

Didn't the courts already determine that like a decade ago? Not saying I agree with it, but I seem to remember this already being a thing.

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The armor and utilities go under the suit. By the time the truth comes out the cops already look stupider.

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (3 children)

By the time truth comes out once, you've just condemned clowndom.

Edit: Unless you are considering making it an official military uniform of a breakaway political faction, in which case you've just rewritten the meaning of "send in the clowns".

[–] Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Yes, I am in fact suggesting that.

[–] Saber_is_dead@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

In that case I am...

down to clown

🤡

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 month ago

[–] crank0271@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Clown ~~car~~ APC, deploy

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Everyone who joins our military is already a clown, so why not make it official

[–] duncan_bayne@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

You just end up making Juggalos a terrorist organization.

It's all upside then!

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[–] leftzero@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 1 month ago

your friends can paint all your faces the same

No they can't!

That would be plagiarism!

One clown, one egg!

[–] backalleycoyote@lemmy.today 5 points 1 month ago

They don’t care that they look cruel, cruelty is the point. They gassed an inflatable frog, choked out high schoolers, dog-piled Captain America, shot clergy, and show zero restraint around children and the elderly. Even before Trump they have savaged POC, women, LGBTQ, and teenagers with mohawks. Shame requires both a sense of right and wrong as well as some sort of consequence to make it work. Cops have been given carte blanche to be violent, and even if they do it for pleasure rather than the state will have their actions publicly defended by the state, and their moral compass is “might is right”.

No matter how one dresses or what actions they engage in during a protest, the new definition of terrorism is defying and disagreeing with the regime. Had the defendants all dressed like clowns the prosecution would have made the case that dressing like a clown is terrorism.

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 40 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black Why you never see bright colors on my back And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone

Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime

But is there because he's a victim of the times I wear the black for those who've never read Or listened to the words that Jesus said About the road to happiness through love and charity

Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back Up front there ought to be a man in black

Trump: He's a terrorist. Lock him up and throw away the key.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Well obviously he's a terrorist, he implied that prisoners are capable of having paid for their crime

[–] Thrydwulf@lemmy.today 26 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Fashion police? In my Nazi party? More likely than you think.

[–] postmateDumbass@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Goths vs Nazis rumble on the construction site for the new white house high school gymnasium.

The Outsiders 2026

[–] TwodogsFighting 24 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Bet the judge was wearing black.

[–] captainlezbian@lemmy.world 11 points 1 month ago

Bet the cops are too

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 23 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

But wearing cargo shorts, red arm bands, brandishing weapons, bringing IED's, dressing in upper body tacticool clothing, and storming the capital looking to hang Mike Pence is just good ol' fashioned protesting right?

[–] Thedogdrinkscoffee@lemmy.ca 8 points 1 month ago

Wilhoit's Law:

Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Correct.

"Say, since you're already all dressed up to play the part, President Trump has another important mission he needs you to take care of. You ever been to Iran?"

[–] inclementimmigrant@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I mean, I kind of wish that would be the scenario. That would be doing what Covid didn't.

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

That's definitely the scenario. It's not going to be just Trump supporters, but making pro-war military propaganda an inescapable aspect of civilian life is meant to help normalize forever wars.

If you grow up knowing nothing but a world where forever war is the norm, and a dictator just does whatever the fuck he wants, then by comparison whatever Trump, (or Vance, or Rubio, or Hegseth, or whoever the next polished turd is that oligarchs choose to be his replacement), does next, always seems a little less outrageous than what he did the time before. It just becomes the new normal.

It's hard to believe there are some people who honestly think there's just no way Trump (or whoever is next) would reinstate the draft because it would be "political suicide." People would be out in the streets again.

I remember hearing my parents and older family members saying shit like that. They also didn't think there would be any way Roe vs. Wade would be overturned in their lifetime. Or that America would ever see a repeat of something like Kent State. But it happened. It just becomes the new normal.

Iran looked very different before the CIA intervened (the first time). We were always told that the religious fundamentalism that took hold was a consequence of a failed U.S. intervention, but I'm pretty sure things went according to somebody's plan.

It's never been that religious fundamentalism (in Iran or the U.S.) is actually important to the religious values of those who use it to control others. It's important to preserving a conservative heirarchy. The Americans who created the Iranian revolution viewed themselves as Gods (or at least as close to God as humanly possible within the heirarchy of humans) meant to control and lead the rest of society. They recognized a long time ago that religion and nationalism are simply the tools that enable them to shape and control a society into their image.

Tldr: You might not fall for the propaganda, but keep in mind that others will. Once they get to a certain point of enmeshment, it becomes like trying to bring a brainwashed cult member back to reality.

[–] tomiant@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

God didn't make man in his image, we made god in our image, because we believe ourselves to be gods. It was always a worship of hierarchy and "the Man".

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Maybe? And I mean that maybe as sincerely as any maybe can be. I don't believe myself to be a god, and I would like to see these so called "natural" hierarchies toppled.

However, I know what you mean and why you would feel that way. That is definitely the belief of the men who use religion to control others, but I think there's a lot more to human spiritualism and religion than just man made hierarchies. That is kind of a separate point, but it gets down to the basic question of why spiritualism and religion even exist as human behaviors?

There does seem to be evidence that humans are sort of hard wired to seek a spiritual or higher power. This drive can leave humans vulnerable to manipulation when it comes to authoritarianism, in-group/out-group dynamics, and group think. But, there's also some evidence that in certain situations, the same drive can have positive effects and may even be beneficial to individual survival and motivation.

Personally, I believe it boils down to a question of seeking out others who are willing to just give you the answer in exchange for handing over your own autonomy vs. reflecting on what a religion teaches, combining that with your own knowledge and experience, and then looking within yourself for your own answers.

One of those options is much easier to default to than the other, especially if you have a charismatic authority figure offering those answers, leading a group of your peers, asking you to join.

If you default to the easy option, it can provide some social support/comfort and a sense of community. However, once you're fully entrenched in the social/in-group aspect of a religion, it's easy to stop reflecting within to consider if what you're doing lines up with your own reality and beliefs about right vs. wrong. It's easier to just obey the leader and follow along with others. It also becomes easier to misplace the blame on to yourself if you do notice any conflicts between what a "religious authority" is ordering you to do and your own moral compass.

Abrahamic religions all have overlap in the core principles that are most often associated with each of those 3 religions: obedience to one god, blind faith, and abiding by a set of rules to appease that God. However, each of those religions also share overlap between other human focused core values that more often than not just get brushed aside.

I know more about Christianity than I do Jewish or Islamic faiths, so I'll just stick with Christianity as the example even though it could be applied to all 3. It's not really surprising to me that the core tenets most often ignored in Christianity (love and empathy) are the tenets that conflict with "Christianity®️" as a means to control others. But it's not like Christ placed those tenets lower on a priority list. He even says all of the other laws hang on the greatest commandment: love for God and love for thy neighbor.

So, how and more importantly why would the greatest commandment of Jesus Christ end up getting knocked so far down on the priority list of rules for Christians to obey?

[–] HootinNHollerin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 18 points 1 month ago

If you listen closely you can hear a bald eagle being mutilated. Fuck this shit

[–] DABDA@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 month ago (1 children)

In for a penny, in for a pound.

If they're going to bring such heavy charges carrying such serious prison time for typical protesting actions (or apparel‽) it might just convince some people that any restraint is unnecessary and to "earn" their sentences. I get that the current assumption is that is the unspoken goal to claim additional legal power but there doesn't seem to be much hope left that things won't escalate there even without a "proper" inciting incident.

[–] IamtheMorgz@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

An interrobang‽ In the wild‽ Thank you for that!

[–] garretble@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

I have a shortcut on my phone that every time I type a question mark followed by an exclamation mark it changes to the ‘bang. It’s fun.

[–] mrgoosmoos@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 month ago (1 children)

The jury now has an opportunity to do a funny thing

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 month ago

In Texas? That'd be nice.

[–] Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 12 points 1 month ago

This whole time people thought cops were racist. Who knew? Turns out they don't hate black PEOPLE, they just hate the color black! Totally different type of hate!

........ugh. All jokes aside, we live on the dumbest planet. I'd leave if I could.

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 month ago

Coming for the Amish, are they?

[–] phutatorius@lemmy.zip 11 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I guess I'm going to have to change my wardrobe, almost everything I wear is black. There's a bit of color on my black sneakers, though, I'm not completely rigid about it.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 1 month ago

Ever look on a New Yorker's closet? Almost all black, with a little color hanging at the end. For holidays, I guess.

[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Nazis..

[–] NauticalNoodle@lemmy.ml 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

the more they use that term, the less meaning it has.

[–] Manjushri@piefed.social 2 points 1 month ago

This is their strategy. Whenever the right is doing something vile, they will repeatedly accuse the left of committing the same sort of acts. They will scream long and loud that the left is committing terrorist acts, and with the power of the accusation weakened by overuse, they can simply hand-wave away any similar accusation leveled at them. They've been doing this kind of thing for a long time now. "Every accusation is a confession" isn't just an amusing observation. It's literally their strategy.

[–] Luisp@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

Rock is not a crime

[–] apftwb@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Those who make peaceful protest impossible make violent revolution inevitable.

[–] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

[–] Encephalotrocity@feddit.online 1 points 1 month ago

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flSmiIne-4k

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