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Uh we are now effectively uh rather effective today requiring all counties to close their indoor activities, their indoor operations uh in the following sectors: restaurants, wineries, tasting rooms, movie theaters, family entertainment centers, zoos and museums, card rooms, uh and uh the shuttering of all bars. Newsom on Monday also ordered the closure of churches, gyms, and hair salons in the hardest-hit counties. In 2020, America was already under pressure. The country had spent months locked inside their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses collapsed almost overnight.
Millions lost their jobs. Streets once packed with people sat empty under lockdown orders. Fear, anger, and uncertainty spread faster than the virus itself. Americans were exhausted. Schools were shut down across the country. Children were pulled out of classrooms, separated from friends, forced into online learning, and masked for hours at a time when schools finally reopened. Parents suddenly found themselves trying to work, teach their kids, and survive financially all at once. Mental health problems exploded across the country.
Depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicide rates surged as Americans found themselves cut off from normal human interaction. Children struggled socially and emotionally after months away from classrooms and friends with no clear end in sight. And every week seemed to bring a new rule. Wear a mask. Don't wear a mask. Stay 6 ft apart. Don't gather in groups. Businesses were forced to close their doors, while giant corporation chains remained open.
Churches were shut down. Funerals were restricted. Families were told they couldn't visit dying relatives in hospitals. And at the same time, liquor stores, marijuana dispensaries, and even strip clubs in some states were labeled essential businesses. To millions of Americans, none of it made sense anymore. Trust in institutions was collapsing in real time. People stopped believing the experts, the politicians, and even the media. And underneath the surface, the pressure kept building. Then on May 25th, 2020, a video out of Minneapolis ignited the nation. George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man with a lengthy criminal record, was caught using a counterfeit $20 bill at a neighborhood convenience store.
His criminal record including drug offenses, theft, and a violent aggravated robbery conviction in Texas, where Floyd held a gun to the belly of a pregnant woman during the robbery, while others searched the home for drugs and money. When Minneapolis police arrived, officers reported that Floyd appeared to be intoxicated and was behaving erratically. Body cam footage later showed Floyd resisting attempts to place him in the patrol vehicle, repeatedly saying he was claustrophobic and anxious. The situation quickly became tense and chaotic. Officers struggled to control Floyd as a crowd began gathering nearby.
What had started as a routine police call was spiraling out of control in real time. Then, everything changed. A Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, restrained Floyd on the ground with his knee across Floyd's neck and upper back area for over 9 minutes, while bystanders recording the incident with their phones pleaded for officers to stop. Floyd repeatedly said he couldn't breathe. By the time paramedics arrived, he was unresponsive. The official medical examiner later ruled Floyd's death a homicide caused by law enforcement restraint during the arrest, while also noting significant contributing factors, including fentanyl
intoxication and pre-existing heart disease. Within hours, the footage spread across social media and major news networks. The reaction was immediate. Protests erupted across Minneapolis, then across the country. For many, this was about police accountability and years of frustration boiling over all at once. And social media amplified every emotion in real time. Anger began spreading city to city like gasoline searching for a spark. Within days, protests expanded nationwide. Then the fire started, followed by the looting and assaults.
Entire sections of American cities descended into chaos. Police departments became overwhelmed. Police lines collapsed. Officers retreated. And in Minneapolis, critics would later accuse Democrat Governor Tim Walz and Democrat Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey of waiting far too long to deploy the National Guard as entire sections of the city burned. And yet, while cities burned, another battle was beginning. A battle over the story itself. What exactly was America witnessing? Peaceful protest, necessary unrest, or something far more dangerous?
Hi, I'm Mike Droberg. We'll try to answer these questions on today's episode of Forgotten History. The beginning of the toughest 26 days in Marine Corps history. With confidence in our armed forces 36th President of the United States died this afternoon There's children and women in here and they call it off. The George Floyd video spread across the internet at lightning speed. Within hours, protests erupted in Minneapolis, then Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Portland, and Chicago. But almost immediately, the anger surrounding Floyd's death collided with something much larger.
Months of lockdown frustration coupled with political division and distrust in institutions only fueled a population already on edge. City after city, peaceful demonstrations began giving way to something darker. Looting, arson, and violence. Police vehicles set on fire, businesses smashed apart, entire neighborhoods descending into chaos after dark. And as the unrest escalated, many Americans began noticing something deeply unsettling. Authorities often appeared either unwilling or unable to stop it. The chaos would later be proven to be fueled by far more than spontaneous outrage alone.
Across the country, progressive activist networks, political organizations, and wealthy donors rapidly mobilized money, legal support, and online coordination behind the protests. Billionaire donor George Soros is an example of the powerful political forces shaping the unrest from behind the scenes. Bail funds promoted by public figures, including future Vice President Kamala Harris, helped arrested protesters and rioters return to the streets in some cities within hours. Then, in Minneapolis, police abandoned the city's Third Precinct Station
as rioters overran the building and set it on fire. Governor Tim Walz and Mayor Jacob Frey waited far too long to deploy the National Guard while police were overwhelmed and entire sections of the city burned. I could smell the burning tires. And um that was a very real thing. And I kept the windows open for as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening. But, Minneapolis was only the beginning. I can't breathe. In Portland, riots and violent clashes with federal officers continued for months under Democrat Governor Kate Brown and Mayor Ted Wheeler who also served as the city's police commissioner during much of the unrest.
President Donald Trump repeatedly warned that federal intervention could become necessary if cities failed to restore order. While many Democratic governors and mayors resisted outside involvement and accused the administration of inflaming tensions for political gain. Federal officers were finally deployed to defend the Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse in Portland after weeks of escalating attacks. Night after night, riders launched fireworks, lasers, rocks, and improvised weapons at federal personnel while political leaders argued publicly over whether Washington was protecting American cities or overstepping its authority.
The situation appeared increasingly surreal. Federal agents were defending government buildings under siege while local officials criticized the very forces trying to restore order. At the same time, the phrase "defund the police" began spreading across the country. Activists and elected officials, including Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, voiced support for reducing or fundamentally restructuring police departments. That sent a devastating message to officers already overwhelmed by riots and political pressure. Meanwhile, in Seattle, activists seized several city blocks and declared an autonomous protest zone known as CHAZ, later renamed CHOP, under Democratic Governor Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan.
Several blocks of an American city had effectively been seized. Barricades went up. Police abandoned the East Precinct and withdrew from the area entirely. Armed patrols began appearing in the streets. While politicians and sections of the media described the occupation as peaceful, historic, and even a summer of love. pedal in those few blocks looks like this. I don't know. We could have a summer of love. Well, tell that to the police who were supposed to be in that precinct though, but I And somehow in the United States of America, activists had declared an autonomous zone where normal law enforcement no longer
operated. Then the violence escalated. On June 20th, 2020, a shooting inside CHOP left one man dead and another critically injured. Days later, another shooting killed a 16-year-old boy and seriously wounded a 14-year-old. Emergency responders struggled to access victims quickly because police presence inside the area had effectively collapsed. Meanwhile, city leaders and sections of the media still spoke about CHOP in almost romantic terms. But for nearby residents and business owners, there was nothing romantic about it.
They were living besides an armed barricade in the middle of an American city while officials appeared to be paralyzed. To people watching this unfold on television, the question was simple. Who gave anyone the right to create their own autonomous territory inside the United States? This appeared to be a complete failure of local government. At the same time, many Americans began to think pressure far beyond the streets themselves. Across workspaces, universities, social media, and even private conversations, people increasingly feared being publicly shamed, fired, or labeled a racist simply for questioning the riots, criticizing activist movements, or supporting law enforcement.
Employees lost jobs over social media posts. Businesses rushed to issue political statements. Public figures were pressured to conform or remain silent. And online, dissenting opinions were often met with censorship, coordinated outrage campaigns, or threats of cancellation. The country was developing a climate of ideological intimidation, where Americans kept quiet even as cities burned around them. Meanwhile, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, riots erupted after the police shooting of Jacob Blake on August 23rd, 2020. Police had responded to a domestic disturbance call involving Blake, who had an active felony warrant at the time.
Officers attempted to arrest him, but video footage later showed Blake resisting police commands and walking around to the front of the vehicle while officers followed closely behind with weapons drawn. Investigators later stated that officers had attempted to use a Taser on Blake unsuccessfully, that Blake admitted he possessed a knife during the encounter. As Blake opened the driver's side door of an SUV and leaned inside, Officer Rusten Sheskey fired seven shots into Blake's back at close range. The footage exploded across social media almost instantly.
Months later, investigators concluded the shooting was legally justified under Wisconsin law, citing Blake's resistance, the knife recovered at the scene, and the officer's believe that he posed an immediate threat. But by then, the damage is already done. Kenosha ignited almost overnight under Democrat Governor Tony Evers and Mayor John Antaramian. Businesses burned across the city. Car dealerships were set ablaze. Looters smashed through storefronts while crowds flooded the streets after dark. For seeing Laura, what you're seeing behind me is one of multiple locations that have been burning in Kenosha, Wisconsin over the course of the night,
a second night since Jacob Blake was seen shot in the back seven times by a police officer. And what you are seeing now, these images came and come in stark contrast to what we saw over the course of the daytime hours in Kenosha and into the early evening, which were largely peaceful demonstrations in the face As the riots escalated, armed civilians began appearing throughout Kenosha to defend businesses and private property cuz they no longer trusted in the authorities to maintain order. Among them was Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year-old from nearby Illinois carrying an AR-15. Rittenhouse said he'd come to Kenosha to help protect businesses, clean graffiti, and provide medical aid during the unrest. On the night of August 25th, 2020, the
situation exploded. As chaos engulfed the streets, Rittenhouse became separated from others nearby and was chased through Kenosha by multiple individuals. The entire incident was captured on multiple videos from different angles and immediately became national he shot three men, killing two and wounding a third. America appeared to be descending into complete madness. People chasing each other through burning city blocks while police struggled to regain control.
The video shown during the trial later revealed Rittenhouse being pursued, struck with a skateboard, knocked to the ground, and confronted by another armed man, Gaige Grosskreutz, who pointed a handgun toward him moments before Rittenhouse fired. In November of 2021, a jury found Rittenhouse not guilty on all charges after his defense team successfully argued he acted in lawful self-defense. But by then, the riots, the destruction, and the political divide surrounding Kenosha had already become part of a much larger national crisis. By the time the riots finally began fading, the damage was staggering. At least 25 people were killed during the unrest.
Thousands of police officers were injured, and more than 14,000 people were arrested nationwide. Entire business districts were destroyed. Small family-owned stores vanished overnight. Restaurants, apartment buildings, and local shops were burned to the ground in cities across America. And much of the destruction hit ordinary people who had absolutely nothing to do with George Floyd's death. That's the part many Americans never forgot. Ordinary citizens caught in the middle while their cities collapsed around them. That failure falls directly on leadership because public safety is one of the most basic responsibilities of government.
Mayors, governors, police leadership, their job is to protect citizens and maintain order. And for Americans watching in 2020, it looked like many of those leaders lost control or were too afraid politically to stop the chaos before it spiraled out of control. The financial cost alone exceeded an estimated one to two billion dollars in insured damages, making it one of the most expensive periods of civil unrest in American history. But the deeper damage can't be measured in dollars. Trust in institutions, the media, and the government collapsed. And perhaps most dangerously of all, Americans stopped trusting each other. To many, the riots were never just about George Floyd or police misconduct alone.
They believed 2020 exposed something far deeper, an ideological movement growing inside America's institutions themselves. In universities, corporate media, big tech platforms, activist organizations, and even part of the government. The influence of radical left-wing and openly Marxist ideas inside activist movements, particularly after several Black Lives Matter founders publicly identified themselves as trained Marxists, showing that this was not simply a protest movement demanding reform. It was part of a broader ideological push that viewed America itself as fundamentally corrupt, oppressive, and in need of radical transformation.
It was the growing belief that part of the country's leadership and cultural elite no longer saw order, tradition, or even America itself as something worth defending. A summer where businesses were burned to the ground while television anchors called the riots mostly peaceful. A summer where police officers were told to stand down while city blocks were surrendered to activists declaring autonomous zones inside the United States. A summer where people who questioned the chaos risked being labeled a racist, extremist, or dangerous simply for asking why their neighborhoods were being destroyed.
No amount of media spin could make them unsee it. So, if the government cannot protect innocent citizens from days of open violence, what exactly is the government for? Let us know your thoughts about the summer of love in the comments below. Thank you for watching Forgotten History. Please like, share, and subscribe. If you have any comments or show ideas, we'd love to hear from you. Thanks again.
