Typical America
When the moment comes where frankly social Consciousness can be drastically altered.
Some People use the chance to riot and loot.
Rather than be condemned people are excused by left wing activists as it's seen as a form of legitimate protest.
However the general public are like "okay you're angry at the police but why you burning down your neighbours business?"
As a result of the focus will go away from the police killing to the breakdown in Law and Order and as a result nothing changes.
It's just sad...
1) While no doubt some people have participated in looting/riotous behavior; its worth noting an allegation (as yet unproven) has been made that a police officer (not in uniform); was the first to break store windows.
This is believable (whether or not its true in this case), because this has happened both in the U.S. and in Canada in the past where police have been 'provocateurs' trying to incite a group to engage in criminal behavior.
Story here:
https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020...-of-its-officers-incited-mpls-riots-is-false/
2) This all would have been diffused to a great degree, had the officer involved in the death simply been criminally charged. Its been several days, and no charges have been laid.
That looks terrible.
There's bloody video of the whole thing.!
The officer in question has had a dozen complaints laid against him over his career, a rather spotty record.
Even if you chose to believe that his action was somehow defensible; or that perhaps a charge should be manslaughter as opposed to murder.........you let the courts handle that.
The officer is entitled to a trial.
But to not lay charges, immediately, is baffling and arguably incited, or at the least, exacerbated the problem.
3) What makes you think this is the tide-turner? Black people, particularly in the U.S. for purposes of this discussion, have seen documented police excessive force resulting in death before.
As an example, of such a case, one with good evidence on video, see the Eric Garner killing in NYC which looked extremely similar in many ways.
That was a few years ago now; the officer involved in that death; was never charged.
Can you even begin to imagine what that must be like?
Does frustrating do any justice at all to describe how a community that has been repeatedly abused in so many ways must feel at yet another senseless death, and once more the appearance that there will be no justice?
That doesn't make rioting legal or a wise idea; nor does it make it sensible to do so in your own neighbourhood. Without excusing violence in anyway, it might have made more sense to protest in the community where the officer lives (not Minneapolis btw); and perhaps the community where the Prosecutor lives.
Though, I strongly suspect that if that attempt were made; that the level of repressive force employed to stop it would have been more shocking that what we've seen thus far.
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I will point out here, that Canada is not at all immune from these issues here.
They are, fortunately, lesser here for the most part.
But we dare not hold ourselves out as epitomes of virtue.
The U.S., unfortunately, has a level of segregation, and a level of classism and inequality that is utterly staggering.
It also has a polarized political culture; and a relatively violent one, both in the streets and involving police, the two forever being fed by one another.
I don't know if 'America' is capable of addressing this issue; one would certainly like to think so; but so much disappointment, so often, for so long, leaves one's hopes a tad frayed.
www.cnn.com
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