State-endorsed violence is triumphing over left-aligned protests

I was in Florida in May 2021 when I saw a white Mini Cooper with two seemingly incongruous bumper stickers.

One said, “I WILL NOT COMPLY� — a then-vogue sentiment as governments sought to mandate vaccines to fight the coronavirus pandemic. In a rear window, though, the car displayed a monochromatic American flag with one of the stripes rendered in blue. This, of course, is the graphical representation of the “Blue Lives Matter� mantra, an expression of support for the police that emerged as law enforcement began facing new criticism about the killing of Black civilians a decade ago.