Holy shit man. Just stop already. These f***ing people DON'T CARE ABOUT GEORGE FLOYD. These are crimes of opportunity. They are using the legitimate protesters as a smokescreen to steal shit, and generally just behave like the pieces of shit they are. Nothing more. And to add to that, they are destroying the neighborhoods of the very people that the protests are fighting for. Every small business destroyed in a poor neighborhood is a huge setback. It's already almost impossible to get businesses to open up in poverty stricken neighborhoods. These business owners will probably take their insurance money, and leave. If people continue to destroy their own neighborhoods and drive off business, those neighborhoods will NEVER improve. It's a perpetual cycle of insanity. Not to mention, those business owners are your f***ing neighbors most of the time. You aren't "sticking it to the man". You're shooting yourself in the foot. Most of the people that these protests are targeted at are literally laughing at what's going on. They don't live in these neighborhoods, and they really don't give a shit if you burn it to the ground. Did you happen to notice where most of the focus was this evening, as far as police presence was concerned? It sure as hell wasn't the poor neighborhoods they were protecting.
I respect your opinion, but let's agree to disagree... Are there some opportunists who dgaf about George Floyd? Absolutely. Ask yourselves why they're out there....they're there to incite the exact reaction that you're having....to distract from the outrage of a man being lynched by police officers. Again, it's not my place to judge. I've said multiple times that it's counterproductive. I can't read every person's mind and know their exact motive for being out there, and neither can you. There are people there who are trying to prevent looting, there are videos on social media showing so.
I suggest you read one of my earlier posts.
I support freedom of assembly.
I don't believe every cop is bad(far from it)
This will end eventually.
Do I wish that the protests were more constructive? Absolutely....but it's not my place to judge how people deal with centuries of trauma.
My attitude is that while I do believe that the looting and property destruction is counterproductive, I accept it as a legit form of protest. I don't have to necessarily agree with it, but I do accept it.
I like both you and your bro.....like I said I'm an unapologetic political lefty and it's ok to agree to disagree...I respect your opinion.
My opinion is that the value of property never exceeds that of human life, and that looting after an unjust murder is a legit form of protest that is symbolic in that way. I don't think it's a necessarily smart tactic in order to create the change we all want....but the people out there looting that do care about George Floyd are doing it because they're enraged and frustrated that black lives are valued less than property. It's acceptable because of the symbolism behind it, not the act itself.
Where I really disagree with you guys is acting like you're morally superior to those people when you don't deal with the bullshit that they do on a daily basis. Put yourself in their shoes...how'd you feel?
The American Revolution was founded over petty shit compared to this.
While there are legit intellectual arguments for why looting is counterproductive....realize that by judging people for doing it, you're perpetuating the injustices that you're out to change. Do you really want to change what's happening to POC or not?
In the grand scheme of things, creating change through peaceful protest is a lie. No real, lasting change has ever been accomplished without bloodshed. The goal is to minimize the loss of life and property during the process. Just realize that some of this is part of the process of creating lasting, permanent change in attitudes and behaviors.