The first thing I noticed last night was that all the police scanners went dark.

The second thing I noticed were some loud booms that shook the neighborhood. I assumed the usual knuckleheads were shooting off M-80s.

Living in some of the neighborhoods I have, I've been playing "fireworks or gunshot?" for years. Tonight, it's been "fireworks or explosives?" Reading reports of it in literally every part of town right now. Truly surreal. Be safe, all. #phillyexplosions

— The Sacred Jedi Sexts (@ChrisIsHCFest) June 2, 2020

Hey #westphilly this seems to be the only semi-reasonable explanation I’ve seen so far? No confirmation, but. . . #phillyexplosions pic.twitter.com/xlU27rWuiQ

— becks (@Heyy_Its_Becca_) June 2, 2020

Paranoia was not helpful but it was everywhere:

The Philly "explosions" you're hearing are sonic booms from jets. More than likely psychological warfare tactics.

It's the military, not the police. #phillyexplosions pic.twitter.com/P52r3QjZOU

— Anonymous ™ (@Anonymous4usall) June 2, 2020

Wild that people think the #phillyexplosions are *just* psychological warfare. Yesterday was the anniversary of the Tulsa Bombings. Police scanners silent, media blackout,curfew. Y’all obviously can’t recognize a police state when it’s bombing you over the head

— ♡Ana Lucasta♡ (@EarthaKitten_) June 2, 2020

For the people who has been hearing explosions in the philly area, this is one of them. This happened earlier. That is the view from my home. #phillyexplosions pic.twitter.com/3zURj9Bg10

— Yolanda Lopez (@Nikthecreator97) June 2, 2020

It’s 2am, just heard 5 more big booms in the last 10 mins. With roaring helicopters overhead. Loud helicopters flying overhead and @PhillyPolice scanners went private a couple hours ago. What the fvck is happening?? #PhillyExplosions @6abc @NBCPhiladelphia

— TACO CAT (@only4tacos) June 2, 2020

Local news is reporting that ATMs were being blown up in several parts of the city. Seems likely, there were at least a dozen.

And last night, some of the locals from the heavily-gentrified area of Fishtown that I'll describe as stereotypical Eagles fans decided they were going to "protect" the local police station from protesters i.e. black people:

There are now two all white armed vigilante groups roaming Fishtown with the blessing of the @phillypolice pic.twitter.com/csGWCDZ6Nw

— Josh Albert (@jpegjoshua) June 1, 2020

this is just insane: there’s a curfew in philly right now, and there’s a gang of white people with bats and other weapons roving around fishtown. the police kindly asked them to disperse and then arrested a black person who had a bat thrown at him. pic.twitter.com/3JaipH1VVq

— mindy🌷 #DSA4USPS (@lil_yenta) June 2, 2020

Police in Fishtown stand idly by as these goons threaten peaceful protesters with bodily injury.

This sound like terrorist threats to me. White supremacist terrorist threats. #FascistCops overlook fascist terrorists. #FishtownProtestspic.twitter.com/WuCMZRd5cX

— Johnny Akzam (@JohnnyAkzam) June 2, 2020

But they did find an NPR reporter to beat up:

reporter just got fucked up in fishtown, where the armed white vigilante group is being allowed to roam the streeets https://t.co/y4enyAZHAy

— Josh Albert (@jpegjoshua) June 2, 2020

Philadelphia is so segregated that it's almost comical how this is all playing out. White people in South Philly and Fishtown are protecting Target and cops; police are making arrests and firing tear gas in West Philly and Kensington;

— Fabiola Cineas (@FabiolaCineas) June 2, 2020

And as it turns out, the scanners went dark last night so they could trap these protesters and start gassing them:

Philly police brutalize protesters after trapping and teargassing them on the embankment. #phillyprotests #GeorgeFloydProtests #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/zZsvZVPKHS

— John (@johnwworth) June 2, 2020

this didn’t send until i was literally back from the protest so i’ll add this video here. this was just minutes before philly PD cattle drove us into the 95 and then dropped tear gas on us from helicopters #phillyprotests pic.twitter.com/lKajAatyFA

— totalitarian leisure goon (@tru_jhop) June 1, 2020

#BREAKING: Police fire tear gas to clear hundreds of protesters from a Philadelphia highway, Pennsylvania. #protests2020 #Riot2020 #Philadelphia #phillyprotests pic.twitter.com/wzNlhsBbI7

— Akshit Bisht AB (@AkshitB20) June 2, 2020

I warned my friend @SusieMadrak that Outlaw was bad news, that Philly didn't need her. https://t.co/fq1lBFNOph

— Mary Beth "physical distancing works" Williams (@wampumpeag) June 2, 2020

Hey, MaryBeth: YOU WERE RIGHT.