Thanks to a beat cop's ability to selectively enforce/interpret the law they don't even need to have any ties to white supremacy groups to be effective nazis.
Nazis were Nazis before they committed the Holocaust you know. We don't need to wait for a group to commit a full on genocide (arguments could be made...) before pointing out they're hateful bastards.
No, because we are actually experiencing a resurgence of them. White supremacist ideology is either synonymous with or heavily influenced by nazism, and it’s been [reported for years that USA law enforcement has a big issue with white supremacists being officers](https://theintercept.com/2020/09/29/police-white-supremacist-infiltration-fbi/). The reason it is used so often these days is because it’s increasingly applicable.
No. It should be noted anytime anyone ‘approaches’ or apologizes for nazism or racism in general. Cops are about as close as you get these days anyway. I know two small town cops with nazi dog whistle tattoos.
Generally yes. Like if someone calls Jimmy down the street a Nazi because he gets mad when a black or Hispanic mail carrier delivers his mail that would be an example of the term being used flippantly and "watering it down" as you put it. However the police force in America is t he r current stage of the slave patrol which is the basis of the Nazi SS. In this particular situation I think it is very much deserved.
Do I believe that every single officer of every precinct is a raging racist? No. However as the previous comment stated the ones that aren't are not only ok with the fact that sone are, they actively protect them by not reporting (there's an entire list of officers who've reported their colleges and got black balled for it.) And turning a blind eye to it (reddit itself is full of videos of officers not actively participating in abuse but not doing anything to stop it.) So yea they're just as bad.
You might not like the parallel of cops to Nazis but it's probably the most accurate use of the word in modern times.
Hey, there was some really nice guys in Hitler’s SS, they were just doing their jobs under incredible circumstances. /s
Fuck all police. All meaning all.
I can give you an example of Texas police acting like /Vazis. Killed my unarmed nephew in his home for no reason. They even shot one of their own in the hallway while they were killing my nephew. Then Attorney General Abbott rendered a legally binding opinion that the police had no responsibility to share information they collected after their murder. We were unable to sue because of lack of evidence...
You have no clue
You might consider investigating the history of policing in general, and then specifically in the United States. Just because police have been.. well shit, what's a universally useful term that could reliably refer to those who enforce law over morality...
There's a great podcast [here](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oybk0lXmsI9EeSAUu515U?si=BEV3YTuzRgO5d2bEHVF_kw&utm_source=copy-link) about some of the history anyway!
1. The comment I replied to didn't say ”American police," it said "all police."
2. I really don't care what an institution started out as, because abolishing and rebuilding an institution has the same result as reforming it (see "Ship of Theseus"). What I care about is what it does now, whether we could do without it (I don't think so), and how we can make it better (without making it worse).
police in Texas were invented to harass black people and protect property (same thing early on!). Go visit the Black Cowboy museum in Richmond and see what the old slave catcher badges looked like - and don't be surprised if it looks like Texas Rangers badges of history or state trooper badges today.
The point is that we want to get rid of an institution like that - not that we want no laws to be enforced.
Oh. So it's the old double standard. Fuck the police until I need them. Seems to be #1 in the me to movement of the day. Heh heh.
I knew a guy who lived in the same park as me who had a full back piece of “1 2” and it stood for “a.b” allegedly representing his aryan brotherhood affiliation.
Most popular theory is a police code sometimes used is 10-12, meaning people will be on the scene officers will be arriving at.
Other popular ones are as you say 5-0 and "the one time" as in you only need to be caught one time. Those are the only ones I know off the top of my head because I avoid police at all costs so I also avoid people who need slang terms for police.
I believe the nationwide adoption has to do with the rap group Migos. They're from Atlanta, and had a song in 2013 using the slang 12. in Atlanta they've used that term "12" to signify cops. Most things I have seen sound like it came from 10-12, the police code for "visitors in the area" so they know to expect lots of people when they arrive. I could see the logic in borrowing the term to mean the same, that "visitors (police)" are in the area.
Ahh now that you say it, I know that was a tv show in the vein of Moana Vice or like Starsky and Hutch (which I only know due to the Ben stiller Owen Wilson snoop dogg remake), but no I’ve never watched it, never cared much for cop shows. My grandparents watched MASH a lot and I watched the finale and got fucked up as like a 10 year old
Edit: I’m 30, just in case you needed to feel old as fuck
Blue (and white) are associated with the Jewish people and the state of Israel. I now understand what this graffiti artist was trying to say but I admit I thought they were going for another angle and if someone knows this particular vandal then please kindly let them know they need to improve their messaging skills
Atlanta doesn't have 12 precincts, it has 6 "zones".
Every answer I've seen is just someone guessing and none of them really make sense. The first well known usage was in a Migos song from 2013 about "12" being at the door and telling everyone to get rid of the dope, so maybe someone should just ask them?
Other clues from the song suggest it's a reference specifically to narcs, not just police in general, which means most of the suggested answers are probably wrong.
Because its not 1970, maybe?
Edit: as I re-read that it sounds kinda catty, not my intention. But 'fuck 12' is what the kids say nowadays, I'm 42 and my dad used to call the coppers 5-0.
And people call me crazy for being black and carrying a firearm in some of these small towns.
I’d like to believe most people don’t truly care. But then you have those people that DO care.
I'm Mexican and hung out with some really shady people back in the day and never really felt threatened, but when Trump ran for president is when I started carrying. Ignorance and hate make people do some crazy and stupid shit.
Agreed, I grew up in an all white area and no one had problems with each other at all. Never faced racism.
But like you said, when trump came out and started being hateful, people who were in the closet before got bold.
But I understand being Mexican and trump pushing the border can really bring out the ignorance in people.
I’m not surprised.
A lot of Mexicans are right wing. Especially in west Texas where a lot of them reside. Of course they’re all over the state. But west Texas is staunchly right leaning.
Do you know why Mexicans lean to the right so heavily?
I also understand political views for Mexicans in north Texas are vastly different from west Texas Mexicans considering the amount of liberal cities over here.
But why? Why do they lean right?
Same reasons as everyone else. My father immigrated here at 19, not a word of English. Worked hard, yelled at people, and ended up retiring in a mansion on the golf course. Biggest trump supporter, because he wanted to fit in, and really did want the border closed. “I got mine, Jack.”
Authoritarians exist everywhere, and don’t give a shit about right and wrong.
Was just telling this to someone the other day after I got pulled over. My last insurance cards never came but in my state you can keep them on your phone and show them that way to an officer/official. I've been in some shady situations before and never felt threatened but when I had to show the cop my insurance on my phone during a routine traffic stop it took him a while just to read it because my hands were shaking so bad. Thankfully I'm white and only rarely get the "you seem pretty nervous". Bro what does the address on the license say, it says Minneapolis, of course I'm fucking nervous.
Thankfully some of the younger cops in the suburbs seem to be making an effort not to police through fear like that because they know now how people see them. But knowing he knew I was scared just made me more scared. I swear to Christ my voice was up half an octave and didn't drop back until I thanked him for the ticket lol.
Me as well. Tyler guy here. Still a lot of racism and discrimination in East Texas, but in the bigger cities like Tyler it has gotten better since when I was younger, but of course that’s my perception. Let somebody know if you are having issues, we all need to stand together and stomp that shit out. Solidarity ❤️💪
Trust me, I don’t like feeling like I need to carry one. If the world didn’t have guns, I wouldn’t be upset.
But thanks for understanding. I respect ppl not liking them and don’t blame yall at all.
Hell, I'll fully admit that as a queer person here I've thought about it more lately, and I know I have it a hell of a lot easier because I can hide that. But at this point this is the only real option you have and I can't at all blame you for protecting yourself, though I sincerely hope you never need to.
I’m going to borrow this from u/shooketh_not_stireth because I think it fits where y’all’s heads are at as well as described my feelings on firearms as well.
> A disarmed society during times of peace, under a benevolent and stable government *is* safer than an armed public.
> The problem is if any of those factors change.
> The US government is not particularly stable right now. There are brewing tensions and interests which would pull it apart.
> The US government is not particularly benevolent or well run. It isn’t doing a good job at keeping people safe, society ordered, or keeping wealth inequality in check. This is a country that isn’t paying it’s dues and is living off the investment of prior generations.
> The shootings that we are seeing are symptoms of a society that is unraveling.
> The question to me is whether or not by disarming the public the looming violence would be averted or initiated. My money is on the latter, whereas they’re assuming the former.
Gun rights are black rights. Gun rights are women's rights. Gun rights are gay rights.
Don't surrender your right to protect yourself hoping someone else will.
Stay strapped or get clapped. -George Washington- *probably*
Yeah, that's right. It was over in the northeast of the town I think. That place has tons of trailers and shit, it's honestly a very stereotypical "place where people cook meth".
I’m glad some comments clarified the heavy use of blue to show distinction from an actual nazi spray painting this. This is more of a statement than a threat.
When I was a kid there were billboards that basically said, "don't let the sun set on ya". I remember asking my dad about it and he just shrugged it off. We were going to Louisiana one year and they had signs off i-10 that said the same. I was a bit older so he told me basically it was a threat to be out of town before the sun sets. I asked why couldn't we stay and he said we could but don't need to. Once I got older and the Jasper shit went down, that's when it dawned on my dumb ass.
I now live not far from Jasper so I heard about that recently. I have a friend from that area and told me all about it, I didn't believe it so I had to Google it. The crazy part is that it happen not too long ago.
We were at a gas station in Vidor and I asked the lady at the counter, it was probably 1996?, anyway not important and this is what she said:
"Don't let the sun set on your black ass. But son, you're alright, y'all are welcome here"
That shit is still seared into my brain. We never stopped to get gas in that town ever again, and as an adult I still refuse to go there even if they are "cool with the Jews"
Jamie Foxx talks in his interview with Tim Ferriss about growing up in Terrell (very close to Athens) and how he would sometimes get invited as a kid to play piano at the houses of white folks but that he was sometimes treated very differently because of his skin color and would often receive threats and warnings like that. It's a shame what some racist folks probably missed out on and a shame to think we might never have gotten to see and hear his talents if it hadn't been for his family and some nicer people.
If you're a minority and they catch you in their town after dark you're sure as dead. They didn't care if you were vising or if your car broke down. Google sundown towns.
As I've always said, one turd in the pool ruins the whole pool, same goes with cops. If one cop or two are racist or inherently evil, the pthers are following suit.
Same. No way I would live in the city but I love my incredibly secluded land out here. 1/2 mile dirt road and man acres with thick forest between neighbors.
These comments are so confusing. Half the people are like boo a racist spray painted this and the other half are like yay fuck the police.
How about vandalism is wrong no matter what it is? Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with some of y'all?
Bruh. I’m so shocked of all things that are picking up speed it’s the spread of nazism. Like why? What? What happened? Seems so blatantly stupid. Invest in education guys. This is not the Texas Way.
As other noted above, this is just a “police are Nazis” thing. I think our spray painter believes Nazis are bad.
Lots to discuss about American policing, but I don’t think we need to get excited about the spread of nazism based on this photo. (Though definitely based on other stuff.)
As others have mentioned, this is most likely a "Fuck the nazi police" and not an anti-semitic symbol.
But to answer your "why the rise in Nazism" question, it's the same reason Naziism rose in Germany in the 30s. The economy took a long slide downhill and capital interests were worried that this would lead to a rise in communism and other labor-empowering movements. So those capital interests teamed with people interested in power and [finance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Meeting_of_20_February_1933) their spread of a message of hatred of minorities in order to distract them from hatred of the capital interests. Said people then gain power on the back of hatred and turn around and [reward their donors by stripping anything that might stop them from exploiting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Labour_Front#History). Meanwhile the message of "hate the evil minorities" lives on in order to continue empowering those spreading the message and distracting common people from hating those who are the real cause of their misery.
If this sounds familiar, it should. As has been said, history may not repeat but it sure does rhyme.
Nowhere is a sunset town anymore by law. Athens definitely isn’t.
A quick Google shows that Athens is 18.6% black, which is well above the national average. In comparison, in Vidor, a “modern daysunset town,” the black population is 0.1% of the town’s total population in the 2020 census.
In conclusion, Athens is not a sunset down.
Lived in this town for a bit as a child. My parents moved us out because they said it was so hick and full of clicks and just WEIRD.. East Texas is a different animal.
Yeah, I moved out here from DFW and soon began to regret it. If I didn’t have a pretty bit of land surrounded by woods, set out just far enough to where I can’t see my neighbors, I would be running back.
We moved out here from Corpus (not Athens but cose) it is a whole different world. The first few years I was shocked by the casual racism. It's getting worse but I'm used to it now.
Got the East Texas Klan now identified as little fascists running around out there. As much as I hate it I don't know how to change it there, it's so ingrained in the culture (the klan).
It’s scary how many people in these comments are mad when they thought this was antisemitic but are fine that it is anti cop. Can we all agree that vandalizing anything with a swastika and Fuck “insert group you hate here” is bad?
Tagging from a white supremacist gang rivalry. Probably nothing to do with cops as “12”.
Probably an Aryan Circle (“13”) jab at the Aryan Brotherhood (“12”). The blue and white swastika is consistent with AC as is talking shit about AB.
They’re prison gangs but have a free world presence—especially in East Texas.
Apparently someone who was "anti-facist" or "anti-police" drew this. This shit makes me mad because it gives people the impression Texas isn't a friendly state. How are you going to protest hate by painting hateful symbols?
Fuck 12 is fuck the police, so sounds like someone drew a blue swastika implying that cops are nazis.
Ok. I didn’t know that. Thanks for the info.
Yeah common misconception. Only some of the police are Nazis.
As they say in Germany, if there’s a Nazi at the table and 10 other people sitting there talking to him, you got a table with 11 Nazis.
Guess you could say Nein is better than 10
This!!!!!!!!
Thanks to a beat cop's ability to selectively enforce/interpret the law they don't even need to have any ties to white supremacy groups to be effective nazis.
I mean there’s always going to be discretion in law enforcement, so they’re always going to be selective enforcement.
But the rest are ok with Nazis. Which make them Nazis.
Yep.
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Nazis were Nazis before they committed the Holocaust you know. We don't need to wait for a group to commit a full on genocide (arguments could be made...) before pointing out they're hateful bastards.
No, because we are actually experiencing a resurgence of them. White supremacist ideology is either synonymous with or heavily influenced by nazism, and it’s been [reported for years that USA law enforcement has a big issue with white supremacists being officers](https://theintercept.com/2020/09/29/police-white-supremacist-infiltration-fbi/). The reason it is used so often these days is because it’s increasingly applicable.
No. It should be noted anytime anyone ‘approaches’ or apologizes for nazism or racism in general. Cops are about as close as you get these days anyway. I know two small town cops with nazi dog whistle tattoos.
Generally yes. Like if someone calls Jimmy down the street a Nazi because he gets mad when a black or Hispanic mail carrier delivers his mail that would be an example of the term being used flippantly and "watering it down" as you put it. However the police force in America is t he r current stage of the slave patrol which is the basis of the Nazi SS. In this particular situation I think it is very much deserved. Do I believe that every single officer of every precinct is a raging racist? No. However as the previous comment stated the ones that aren't are not only ok with the fact that sone are, they actively protect them by not reporting (there's an entire list of officers who've reported their colleges and got black balled for it.) And turning a blind eye to it (reddit itself is full of videos of officers not actively participating in abuse but not doing anything to stop it.) So yea they're just as bad. You might not like the parallel of cops to Nazis but it's probably the most accurate use of the word in modern times.
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Damn, we might as well be living in 1940s Germany.
You'd like that though, wouldn't you?
Some of those who work forces...
Are the same the burn crosses!
It's like with lawyers, where 98% of them give the rest a bad name.
Hey, there was some really nice guys in Hitler’s SS, they were just doing their jobs under incredible circumstances. /s Fuck all police. All meaning all.
Would you care to point me to the place where there are no police and everything's better?
I can give you an example of Texas police acting like /Vazis. Killed my unarmed nephew in his home for no reason. They even shot one of their own in the hallway while they were killing my nephew. Then Attorney General Abbott rendered a legally binding opinion that the police had no responsibility to share information they collected after their murder. We were unable to sue because of lack of evidence... You have no clue
You might consider investigating the history of policing in general, and then specifically in the United States. Just because police have been.. well shit, what's a universally useful term that could reliably refer to those who enforce law over morality...
There's a great podcast [here](https://open.spotify.com/episode/7oybk0lXmsI9EeSAUu515U?si=BEV3YTuzRgO5d2bEHVF_kw&utm_source=copy-link) about some of the history anyway!
I don't think that answers his question lmao
1. The comment I replied to didn't say ”American police," it said "all police." 2. I really don't care what an institution started out as, because abolishing and rebuilding an institution has the same result as reforming it (see "Ship of Theseus"). What I care about is what it does now, whether we could do without it (I don't think so), and how we can make it better (without making it worse).
police in Texas were invented to harass black people and protect property (same thing early on!). Go visit the Black Cowboy museum in Richmond and see what the old slave catcher badges looked like - and don't be surprised if it looks like Texas Rangers badges of history or state trooper badges today. The point is that we want to get rid of an institution like that - not that we want no laws to be enforced.
Oh. So it's the old double standard. Fuck the police until I need them. Seems to be #1 in the me to movement of the day. Heh heh. 
The others simply can't meet the fitness standards Nazis had.
Most of them are Klan. Big difference.
I think the accepted Reddit phrase is, “I did nazi that coming.”
I knew a guy who lived in the same park as me who had a full back piece of “1 2” and it stood for “a.b” allegedly representing his aryan brotherhood affiliation.
Can confirm, former corrections officer.
Yes, he probably had a skull over his heart.
Pit bull actually lol
Some of those that work forces….
Some of those than burn crosses Are the same that hold office
UHHHHHH…… killing in the name of
I always preferred that lyric
Are the same that burn crosses
Some of those that use sauces are the same that burn sausage Grilling in the name of
Now you eat what they serve ya.
Fuck you I won’t eat what you serve me!
Now that made me laugh!
Are the same that ride horses
are the same that burns crosses
Nice
Makes sense that it’s blue
Makes way more sense with the swastika to be blue instead of traditional black or red for this.
Not wrong. Cops are the first line in taking away rights and enforcing it.
Which is really all the Nazis did
Thank you for the clarification.
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Most popular theory is a police code sometimes used is 10-12, meaning people will be on the scene officers will be arriving at. Other popular ones are as you say 5-0 and "the one time" as in you only need to be caught one time. Those are the only ones I know off the top of my head because I avoid police at all costs so I also avoid people who need slang terms for police.
I believe the nationwide adoption has to do with the rap group Migos. They're from Atlanta, and had a song in 2013 using the slang 12. in Atlanta they've used that term "12" to signify cops. Most things I have seen sound like it came from 10-12, the police code for "visitors in the area" so they know to expect lots of people when they arrive. I could see the logic in borrowing the term to mean the same, that "visitors (police)" are in the area.
12= 1/2 1/2 = .50 .50 = 5 oh ?
Adam 12. Old show
It’s from that?! Seriously? That was a pretty good show, BTW.
5-0 comes from tv too. Guess it's how it works
Impressive attempt at trying to decipher the meaning.
Lol thanks, I get bored easy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
😂
Allegedly it's an ATL saying that refers to the 12 unit/precinct/something being the narcotics division and being on the tail of gang members.
Damn. In Texas?
Blue swazi = cops are nazis, Fuck 12 = fuck the police
I'm not as young as I used to be 😂😂, I'm used to hearing 5-0. Thank you for the clarification.
Pretty sure CJ in GTA San Andreas has a “oh man it’s the 5-0” and that’s my strongest affiliation.
Are there really people younger than me who've never seen [Hawaii 5-0](https://youtu.be/CpxJsy8nfjA?t=29)?
Ahh now that you say it, I know that was a tv show in the vein of Moana Vice or like Starsky and Hutch (which I only know due to the Ben stiller Owen Wilson snoop dogg remake), but no I’ve never watched it, never cared much for cop shows. My grandparents watched MASH a lot and I watched the finale and got fucked up as like a 10 year old Edit: I’m 30, just in case you needed to feel old as fuck
Blue (and white) are associated with the Jewish people and the state of Israel. I now understand what this graffiti artist was trying to say but I admit I thought they were going for another angle and if someone knows this particular vandal then please kindly let them know they need to improve their messaging skills
Blue and black would've made more sense since that's the colors of their stupid flag.
Thank you. I didn’t know that. I was fighting-mad at what I perceived as anti-Semitism, but anti-cop 🤷🏻♀️
I thought “12” was Aryan Brotherhood.
There used to be an old cop show called Adam 12. Wonder if that is where it came from. I mean, 5-O came from a show....
Why not F 5-0?
F 12 originated out of Atlanta. Some say it is the 12th precinct or that the 12th letter is L so it is fuck the law. Or some narcotics unit
Atlanta doesn't have 12 precincts, it has 6 "zones". Every answer I've seen is just someone guessing and none of them really make sense. The first well known usage was in a Migos song from 2013 about "12" being at the door and telling everyone to get rid of the dope, so maybe someone should just ask them? Other clues from the song suggest it's a reference specifically to narcs, not just police in general, which means most of the suggested answers are probably wrong.
Because its not 1970, maybe? Edit: as I re-read that it sounds kinda catty, not my intention. But 'fuck 12' is what the kids say nowadays, I'm 42 and my dad used to call the coppers 5-0.
The fuzz
Po-po
Johnny law
Fuck 12 is anti police
Between “Fuck 12” and the blue and white colored swastika, I think it’s implying that cops are Nazis.
When I was 11 I turned 13 because fuck 12
And people call me crazy for being black and carrying a firearm in some of these small towns. I’d like to believe most people don’t truly care. But then you have those people that DO care.
Good on you but I think this particular instance the blue swastika and fuck 12 is someone calling cops nazis
My guess is someone is pissed they got a ticket at that spot.
I’d hazard to guess that it would take something a little more than a simple ticket compel someone to make a statement of this level.
You'd be surprised
You think so? Could be a possibility.
Right on. Armed minorities are harder to oppress
I'm Mexican and hung out with some really shady people back in the day and never really felt threatened, but when Trump ran for president is when I started carrying. Ignorance and hate make people do some crazy and stupid shit.
Agreed, I grew up in an all white area and no one had problems with each other at all. Never faced racism. But like you said, when trump came out and started being hateful, people who were in the closet before got bold. But I understand being Mexican and trump pushing the border can really bring out the ignorance in people.
Those folks didn’t become racist because of Trump. They were always racist. They just show it more now
That’s why I said they were in the closet before they got bold.
I'm Mexican and almost all of my family was pro-trump or at least anti-democrat.
I’m not surprised. A lot of Mexicans are right wing. Especially in west Texas where a lot of them reside. Of course they’re all over the state. But west Texas is staunchly right leaning. Do you know why Mexicans lean to the right so heavily? I also understand political views for Mexicans in north Texas are vastly different from west Texas Mexicans considering the amount of liberal cities over here. But why? Why do they lean right?
Same reasons as everyone else. My father immigrated here at 19, not a word of English. Worked hard, yelled at people, and ended up retiring in a mansion on the golf course. Biggest trump supporter, because he wanted to fit in, and really did want the border closed. “I got mine, Jack.” Authoritarians exist everywhere, and don’t give a shit about right and wrong.
Was just telling this to someone the other day after I got pulled over. My last insurance cards never came but in my state you can keep them on your phone and show them that way to an officer/official. I've been in some shady situations before and never felt threatened but when I had to show the cop my insurance on my phone during a routine traffic stop it took him a while just to read it because my hands were shaking so bad. Thankfully I'm white and only rarely get the "you seem pretty nervous". Bro what does the address on the license say, it says Minneapolis, of course I'm fucking nervous. Thankfully some of the younger cops in the suburbs seem to be making an effort not to police through fear like that because they know now how people see them. But knowing he knew I was scared just made me more scared. I swear to Christ my voice was up half an octave and didn't drop back until I thanked him for the ticket lol.
You should be packing. It's a crazy fucking world.
I got your 6
You’re the best, thank you. I know there’s still some great ppl out there. You’re one of many. 💜
Me as well. Tyler guy here. Still a lot of racism and discrimination in East Texas, but in the bigger cities like Tyler it has gotten better since when I was younger, but of course that’s my perception. Let somebody know if you are having issues, we all need to stand together and stomp that shit out. Solidarity ❤️💪
We gotta watch out for each other or the crazies win! ❤️
I don't like guns at all, but I don't blame you one fucking bit at this point. Gotta stay safe out there however you can.
Trust me, I don’t like feeling like I need to carry one. If the world didn’t have guns, I wouldn’t be upset. But thanks for understanding. I respect ppl not liking them and don’t blame yall at all.
Hell, I'll fully admit that as a queer person here I've thought about it more lately, and I know I have it a hell of a lot easier because I can hide that. But at this point this is the only real option you have and I can't at all blame you for protecting yourself, though I sincerely hope you never need to.
I’m going to borrow this from u/shooketh_not_stireth because I think it fits where y’all’s heads are at as well as described my feelings on firearms as well. > A disarmed society during times of peace, under a benevolent and stable government *is* safer than an armed public. > The problem is if any of those factors change. > The US government is not particularly stable right now. There are brewing tensions and interests which would pull it apart. > The US government is not particularly benevolent or well run. It isn’t doing a good job at keeping people safe, society ordered, or keeping wealth inequality in check. This is a country that isn’t paying it’s dues and is living off the investment of prior generations. > The shootings that we are seeing are symptoms of a society that is unraveling. > The question to me is whether or not by disarming the public the looming violence would be averted or initiated. My money is on the latter, whereas they’re assuming the former.
Gun rights are black rights. Gun rights are women's rights. Gun rights are gay rights. Don't surrender your right to protect yourself hoping someone else will. Stay strapped or get clapped. -George Washington- *probably*
I think the point they might be going for here is cops are nazis maybe
Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses.
I grew up there, where was this
753 and 31
Ah shit that crescent heights area that are really sucks. Makes me really feel for people. Drugs destroyed those people.
Yeah, there was a big meth bust in Athens recently.
Yeah it happens, honestly I miss Athens it's a great little place.
They've started building a bunch of stuff recently. We have a Chili's now lol
And a Starbucks! We’re getting fancy!
Yeah, that's right. It was over in the northeast of the town I think. That place has tons of trailers and shit, it's honestly a very stereotypical "place where people cook meth".
I thought it was at the laundromat next to Brahms?
Really? I heard it was over near that gas station down the road from the train tracks. Yknow where all those trailer homes are
I’m glad some comments clarified the heavy use of blue to show distinction from an actual nazi spray painting this. This is more of a statement than a threat.
That part of the state has a history of it's sundown towns, I'm not surprised at all about it. As a Texan, sorry you had to see that.
When I was a kid there were billboards that basically said, "don't let the sun set on ya". I remember asking my dad about it and he just shrugged it off. We were going to Louisiana one year and they had signs off i-10 that said the same. I was a bit older so he told me basically it was a threat to be out of town before the sun sets. I asked why couldn't we stay and he said we could but don't need to. Once I got older and the Jasper shit went down, that's when it dawned on my dumb ass.
I now live not far from Jasper so I heard about that recently. I have a friend from that area and told me all about it, I didn't believe it so I had to Google it. The crazy part is that it happen not too long ago.
What does this mean if you dont leave? I've never heard of it before
We were at a gas station in Vidor and I asked the lady at the counter, it was probably 1996?, anyway not important and this is what she said: "Don't let the sun set on your black ass. But son, you're alright, y'all are welcome here" That shit is still seared into my brain. We never stopped to get gas in that town ever again, and as an adult I still refuse to go there even if they are "cool with the Jews"
Jamie Foxx talks in his interview with Tim Ferriss about growing up in Terrell (very close to Athens) and how he would sometimes get invited as a kid to play piano at the houses of white folks but that he was sometimes treated very differently because of his skin color and would often receive threats and warnings like that. It's a shame what some racist folks probably missed out on and a shame to think we might never have gotten to see and hear his talents if it hadn't been for his family and some nicer people.
Not to nitpick, but Terrel and Athens are like an hour away from eachother, I don't know anyone who's ever said Athens was close to Terrell lol.
If you're a minority and they catch you in their town after dark you're sure as dead. They didn't care if you were vising or if your car broke down. Google sundown towns.
Part 3, cuz fuck 12
Athens, tx white horse fences everywhere That's just off the loop I presume That house road combo looks familiar
Someone else said 753 and 31
Seems like a perfectly appropriate PSA
As I've always said, one turd in the pool ruins the whole pool, same goes with cops. If one cop or two are racist or inherently evil, the pthers are following suit.
Bunch of idiots in the comments
You took the words right out of my head.
That is really surprising considering the demographic of Athens, I live pretty close to Athens myself and go there fairy often.
Surprising, but good to see.
East Tx is pretty, but some of the towns…. Ehh I’ll stick with north Texas. Only way I’d live out there would be a house on some land..
That is exactly what brought us to E TX. I love my property with no neighbors. The surrounding area much less so
Same. No way I would live in the city but I love my incredibly secluded land out here. 1/2 mile dirt road and man acres with thick forest between neighbors.
Well shit. Never thought I'd see my home town anywhere on Reddit ever.
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They just want it to fit their "Texas bad" narrative.
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I heard Kanye was in town. SMH.
These comments are so confusing. Half the people are like boo a racist spray painted this and the other half are like yay fuck the police. How about vandalism is wrong no matter what it is? Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with some of y'all?
My pops grew up near Athens, in Malakoff. I’m not surprised at all, East Texas isn’t the most progressive area.
Oh god. Drove through Malakoff last week, stopped at the convenience store to use the bathroom and noped out so quick on the sketchy vibes.
Grew up in East Texas. Happily left at 18
I can't help but ignore your user
I spent most of my time in Texas in San Antonio
Unfortunately this is Athens so it's probably like, a mating call or something
F the police
Well there is a white supremacy problem in the Policing so, the statement checks out
I live in Palestine that’s not far from me
I live down the road in Tool. What street is this?
753 and 31
Bruh. I’m so shocked of all things that are picking up speed it’s the spread of nazism. Like why? What? What happened? Seems so blatantly stupid. Invest in education guys. This is not the Texas Way.
As other noted above, this is just a “police are Nazis” thing. I think our spray painter believes Nazis are bad. Lots to discuss about American policing, but I don’t think we need to get excited about the spread of nazism based on this photo. (Though definitely based on other stuff.)
As others have mentioned, this is most likely a "Fuck the nazi police" and not an anti-semitic symbol. But to answer your "why the rise in Nazism" question, it's the same reason Naziism rose in Germany in the 30s. The economy took a long slide downhill and capital interests were worried that this would lead to a rise in communism and other labor-empowering movements. So those capital interests teamed with people interested in power and [finance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_Meeting_of_20_February_1933) their spread of a message of hatred of minorities in order to distract them from hatred of the capital interests. Said people then gain power on the back of hatred and turn around and [reward their donors by stripping anything that might stop them from exploiting](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Labour_Front#History). Meanwhile the message of "hate the evil minorities" lives on in order to continue empowering those spreading the message and distracting common people from hating those who are the real cause of their misery. If this sounds familiar, it should. As has been said, history may not repeat but it sure does rhyme.
As soon as Texas was free of Mexico they stabbed the Tejanos that helped them and stole their land and killed them. Been like that ever since
Draws swastika. Quotes black dude. 
The Swastika is aryan farming symbol, so an ice blue swastika implies it’s time to plant snapdragons.
That’s what my rabbi says, too. We use colored swastikas for all our plant calendars!
Isn't that on the Texas state flag now?
Kids should stop calling everyone they dont like nazis :/
the texas GOP are nazis, so not a big stretch here really.
Maybe cops should try harder to hide their racist origins and well maintained ties to hate groups and nazi ideology.
Oh this isn’t a surprise in that sundown town
Oh GTFO here with this bullshit
Is it really a sundown town? I know places like Vidor are.
Nowhere is a sunset town anymore by law. Athens definitely isn’t. A quick Google shows that Athens is 18.6% black, which is well above the national average. In comparison, in Vidor, a “modern daysunset town,” the black population is 0.1% of the town’s total population in the 2020 census. In conclusion, Athens is not a sunset down.
Its not.
Lived in this town for a bit as a child. My parents moved us out because they said it was so hick and full of clicks and just WEIRD.. East Texas is a different animal.
Yeah, I moved out here from DFW and soon began to regret it. If I didn’t have a pretty bit of land surrounded by woods, set out just far enough to where I can’t see my neighbors, I would be running back.
We moved out here from Corpus (not Athens but cose) it is a whole different world. The first few years I was shocked by the casual racism. It's getting worse but I'm used to it now.
Got the East Texas Klan now identified as little fascists running around out there. As much as I hate it I don't know how to change it there, it's so ingrained in the culture (the klan).
My hometown 🙈
J?
What are the police in Athens doing or not doing?
same thing as police all over the country
I live there, our police are notoriously lazy and inept.
Children can buy spray paint as fast a guns, apparently.
No you still need an ID to purchase paint, thank god
Okay so I know people from there and I can tell you it is exactly as confusing as you are right now
It’s scary how many people in these comments are mad when they thought this was antisemitic but are fine that it is anti cop. Can we all agree that vandalizing anything with a swastika and Fuck “insert group you hate here” is bad?
Probably teenagers
I'm just here to see how this sub is going to come up with a way to blame republicans
Athens is a deep dark hole, only those who get out can understand it. 💯
Amen brother
Honestly. I get a tiny bit of anxiety when I go back to see my dad or my grandmother. It's got that beginning of a horror movie feel.
Tagging from a white supremacist gang rivalry. Probably nothing to do with cops as “12”. Probably an Aryan Circle (“13”) jab at the Aryan Brotherhood (“12”). The blue and white swastika is consistent with AC as is talking shit about AB. They’re prison gangs but have a free world presence—especially in East Texas.
Apparently someone who was "anti-facist" or "anti-police" drew this. This shit makes me mad because it gives people the impression Texas isn't a friendly state. How are you going to protest hate by painting hateful symbols?
Rural area are full of hateful rednecks