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The Left’s Failed Uprising

The Left’s “George Floyd 2.0” Play Burns Out

The Kurgan (Clancy Brown) defiles a church in Highlander (1986, 20th Century Fox)

Let’s cut straight through the noise. The activists trying to turn the January 7 ICE shooting of Renee Nicole Good into a nationwide uprising—the so-called “George Floyd 2.0”—are watching their playbook collapse in real time. They’re hoping for the same spontaneous, multi-city, months-long firestorm we saw in 2020. It’s not happening. And the proof is overwhelming when you look at the three pillars that bury this effort for good.

First, Batya Ungar-Sargon has already delivered the rhetorical kill shot. On her NewsNation segment last night, she tore apart the Democrats’ latest framing: ICE is the new Gestapo, deportations are the next great civil rights struggle, and every good American must stand between federal agents and “our neighbors of color.” Batya’s response was brutal and precise: when they call ICE the Gestapo, they’re calling everyday Americans Nazis. That kind of language doesn’t rally the country—it repels it. The protests she’s watching aren’t growing; they’re getting more desperate and more extreme, confined to a committed activist core that refuses to see how badly the rhetoric lands with normal people.

Second, the numbers don’t lie. Rasmussen’s flash poll released today shows 62% of likely voters approve of the Trump administration’s program to find and deport immigrants here illegally. Read that again: 62%. With crossover you’re not supposed to see—42% of Democrats, 63% of Hispanics, 59% of Black voters. This isn’t a fringe position; it’s mainstream. While the left screams “civil rights crisis,” the public keeps saying “common sense.” No polling swing toward outrage, no collapse in support for enforcement, even as the Twin Cities see daily disruptions. The data alone proves the activist narrative has zero broad traction.

“Touch me again and see what happens. You are a fake Christian.”

Demon possessed.

Video: dawokefarmer2 / tt

Third—and this is the one that should end the debate—the church attack on January 18 crossed every red line and invited the exact federal hammer we’ve been demanding. A coalition including BLM Minnesota, the Racial Justice Network, Rev. Nekima Levy Armstrong, and Don Lemon livestreaming stormed Cities Church in St. Paul during Sunday worship. They shouted down the service, accused Pastor David Easterwood (who allegedly holds a dual ICE leadership role) of hypocrisy, called congregants “fake Christians,” terrified families and children, and refused to leave until the whole thing was shut down. This wasn’t a march. This was an invasion of a sacred space, a deliberate desecration in front of kids. It’s the moment the “peaceful protest” mask fell off completely.

The response has been swift, public, and appropriately severe. Within hours, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon announced the DOJ Civil Rights Division is investigating potential violations of the FACE Act—the federal statute that protects access to places of worship from force, threats, or obstruction. The FBI is already activated, video evidence is everywhere (including participant livestreams), and the door is wide open for stacked charges: fines, prison time up to a decade if violence or conspiracy is proven, even hate-crime enhancements if anti-Christian motive holds up. We need to see mugshots, perp walks in bracelets, and decades of federal time piled high. Anything less sends the wrong message at exactly the wrong moment.

Put the three pillars together and the conclusion is inescapable. Batya exposes the alienating rhetoric. Rasmussen quantifies the unmoved public. The church attack and its swift federal reckoning prove the tactics are not only failing—they’re actively self-destructing. No viral national wave. No sustained momentum. Just contained unrest in Minneapolis, growing condemnation, and a federal government that’s done playing games.

The “George Floyd 2.0” experiment is over. It never really started. And the country has already moved on.

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James K. Bishop

James K. Bishop is a conservative writer and raconteur hailing from Texas, known for his incisive and often provocative takes on political and cultural issues. With a staunch commitment to originalist constitutional principles, he emphasizes limited government, individual liberties, and traditional American values. Active on X under the handle @James_K_Bishop, he frequently engages his audience with sharp critiques of progressive policies, media narratives, and overreaches by the federal government. His style is direct, often laced with humor and wit, which resonates strongly with his conservative followers.