This is bad, but the States has the potential to get much much worse before 2020 is out.
The rule of law is underpinned - ultimately - by the state's ability to exercise overwhelming force. Usually it doesn't have to, because people comply/capitulate/cooperate before things get to the point where that force has to be brought to bear. This is, in part, because people have trust in the system, and belief in the power of the state (usually in the form of the police). When that trust is gone, and the amount of force the state can (or is willing to) deploy is overwhelmed, things can snowball very, very quickly.
That's where things seem to be at right now. Add into the mix the division in the US, and the distrust in the media that prevents people from agreeing even on simple truths, and you've got a really explosive mix.
I think tonight is going to get really ugly. If there are counterprotests at some point, it's going to get even worse.
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