The violence of the left -- and they were the initiators both in this and past incidents -- is giving Trump an excuse to become more authoritarian, but let's not ignore the fact that since at least the Clinton White House, the government has grown in authoritarianism with each and every Presidency. Violence in the streets by whatever group is wielding the bats works well for justifying a crackdown on civil liberties. It doesn't matter which part of the political spectrum you stand on, that's going to affect all of us negatively.