www.zerohedge.com With a labor market in freefall, ten million Americans have lost their jobs in two weeks. CNN reported Thursday afternoon that stimulus checks for households could take up to 20 weeks, which is creating a perfect storm of possible social unrest.
The Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies recently warned that a “social bomb could explode at any moment” over Western cities. That is because the evolution of the pandemic, which has crashed the American economy into a depression, could result in social unraveling in major metros, specifically in low-income areas.
We’ve noted in the last several weeks that Americans are panic hoarding guns as the fear of social unrest could be imminent. President Trump signed an executive order last Friday that allows for up to one million National Guard and reservists to be called up to fight the virus or be used to maintain social order.
With lockdowns across the country, the National Guard has been deployed across many states. Here are some sights from Baltimore:
Baltimore pic.twitter.com/Am0hEO6ZxB
— Peter R. Quinones (@PeterRQuinones) March 20, 2020
Signs of social unrest are already starting to develop this week. Law enforcement agencies in South Carolina and California have charged people with looting businesses during the shutdowns, reported The Sun.
Police in Santa Cruz, California, arrested five people who were robbing businesses in the city, despite a “shelter-in-place” public health order enforced by the state government.