Washington Post opinion writer Radley Balko tweeted that he didn’t quite get why some people were so worried about “inadvertently driving near a protest, getting stuck in front of a wall of protesters, then getting pulled out of their car and beaten.”

A quick thought on these bills: Since Ferguson, I’ve heard many, many older white people voice their fear of inadvertently driving near a protest, getting stuck in front of a wall of protesters, then getting pulled out of their car and beaten.https://t.co/eA6gBsIGNB

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 25, 2021

In his tweet, he referenced a ridiculous article from “The New Republic” which claimed Republicans wanted the “right to crash cars into people” and that Republicans were endorsing a “terroristic tactic” against “protesters.”

Can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard it. It’s usually followed by an admission that if this happens, they’d have no choice but to run people over to save themselves or their families. It’s an oddly specific fear. And one some people apparently think about a lot.

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 25, 2021

I’ve heard it enough, especially from older white men — including some who might otherwise agree with much of the protesters’ message — that I’ve come to assume it’s common. Given the age of the people from whom I’ve heard it, my hunch is the Reginald Denny video…

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 25, 2021

… has something to do with it.

Such incidents are of course extremely rare. But when they have happened, they inevitably get posted over and over in the far right/law-and-order ecosystem.

The notable thing here is how quickly this irrational but potent …

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 25, 2021

… fear among older white people has resulted in (terrible) legislation.

It’s quite a contrast with how little interest state legislatures have shown in the far more rational fears black people have expressed for decades about, for example, police abuse during traffic stops.

— Radley Balko (@radleybalko) April 25, 2021

As I’ve covered the protests/riots over the past year, I’ve seen many encounters that have ranged from minor harassment to someone ending up dead. I’m not sure what Balko has been watching over the past year, but BLM/Antifa people are constantly blocking cars in the street and getting into encounters with drivers. “Whose streets? Our streets,” they chant. They really believe that; they seem to think they have the right to block your car. Now, not every instance deteriorates to violence. But many have and it’s a recipe for more disaster. It’s not “protesting” to surround people’s cars, to prevent them from moving, and to harass or threaten them.

Here are a few examples.

A motorist was shot in the head in Alamosa, Colorado, then the protesters falsely claimed the motorist tried to run into them, which the video showed was a lie.

That wasn’t even the only one in Colorado, as we observed. Here’s another one in Provo, Utah, where the motorist was shot in the arm. You may recognize someone who the local media interviews. John Sullivan, who was later arrested for actions at the Capitol riot, reportedly helped plan this protest in Provo.

There was this incident in Los Angeles, where they chased him down with their cars, attacked his car, and tried to pull him out.

Prius driver plows through crowd, gets run down by a pickup truck, gets car smashed up, crashes into another car, speeds away (📹 KCAL) pic.twitter.com/QVoK2l4kP9

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) September 25, 2020

UPDATE: LAPD tells @RobertNBCLA live on @NBCLA that the Prius driver was DETAINED not arrested in this incident. pic.twitter.com/uNX7knDprS

— Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) September 25, 2020

Perhaps one of the saddest stories was that of little 8-year-old Secoriea Turner. Her family made a wrong turn off the highway and were just trying to turn around in a parking lot near a local Wendy’s in Atlanta. Unfortunately, that was an area protesters had taken over. Secoriea was shot and killed in that encounter. Secoriea and her mother were just trying to get home.

"They say Black Lives Matter. You killed your own." Secoriya Williamson, father of 8-year-old Secoriea Turner, addressed the public during a press conf. today after his daughter was shot and killed last night while riding in a car w/ her mother in Southeast Atlanta. @11AliveNews pic.twitter.com/odowRbSXsq

— Natisha Lance (@NatishaLance) July 5, 2020

No, it’s not just a fear of “old white men.” That’s an attempt to diminish it. It’s something that’s affected ordinary motorists of all races.

Last week, after the Chauvin verdict, there was an incident in Minneapolis that involved a crowd stopping a semi-truck. They then surrounded it, banged on the truck, pulled out the lines connected to the trailer, and jumped on the hood. Fortunately, it appears the truck was able to move away without further incident.

Another Angle Of The Incident #Minnesota | #Minneapolis pic.twitter.com/gtlAG8HWlc

— J̵̟̦̲̞̭̱̀̈́͑̄̇̈́̚͝ustice (@The_Justice7) April 20, 2021

So you can try to diminish it like Balko, or you can say there’s an obvious continuing issue that places motorists (and BLM people) in danger. That you can protest without harassing and surrounding motorists; that no one should have been shot like the men in Utah or little Secoriea in Atlanta; that none of the multiple other assaults and shootings should have happened.