The “outside agitator” narrative is a trick bag. And here’s why.

City and state leadership have every incentive to draw attention away from the bad behavior of police.

They want us to ignore what we see with our own eyes. Cops escalating protests, itching for a fight.

Do folks come from “out of town” to go wild? Sure, a few.

That’s why following local leadership is critical. As protests go on, agreements develop among protestors.

That makes it easier to spot those moving differently. Organizing works.

But the real troublemakers?

Cops using protests as an opportunity to abuse people with impunity and act out.

In Baltimore, cops looted pharmacies during the uprising to sell the drugs back on the street.

This isn’t hyperbole. It’s a federal case. https://twitter.com/mattyglesias/status/1266578813695283200

They want you to forget that we have learned over time to reject a good vs bad protestor narrative.

We’ve learned to organize better, reject misinformation and protect each other.

It does not serve anyone (except cops) to allow police to dictate how all this should work.

It’s worth noting that most cops don’t live in the cities they patrol.

And when multiple police departments are called into protests, there’s almost zero accountability for their behavior.

So who are the outside agitators again?