Why do protesters loot and burn

[Bigworldoutthere]

Disclaimer: not a comment on the awful event leading up to it but on rots/ protest in general. Watching the situation in Minneapolis it struck me that in almost all protest situations there are people —young men— who burn things that are useful to them and there community, loot shops that are useful for them and their community and damage/smash the same. I can understand anger s as d shouting but why actually damage the area you live in?

If someone you know lost a child and you went to the funeral. There, their other child (the sibling of the child) is acting out in a violent way, would you take that moment to start up a wee psychological discussion amongst other friends there about why children act out in anger or why some children can't express their pain any other way? Is it the time to offer your behavioural solutions and strategies to the parent of the child?
Tbf, if the child started setting the funeral place on fire and taking their TVs, yes...

The problem is that the looting imo distracts from the important message which needs to be heard.

"A viral and incendiary social media accusation against a St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer is false, the police department said in a statement.The situation shows how quickly information can spread on social media, ricocheting around the web, especially in a fast-moving situation like the unrest in the Twin Cities"

An important point right there. Some of the alleged "facts" being spread on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, etc, are getting downright dangerous, and there's rarely any real proof for any of them - ask for this, and the filthy abuse follows as surely as night follows day

Our justice systems may be imperfect, but at least they don't operate like this

Clav post your source please. All LBC shows are online

Yes, but the particular show will take me some hours to locate - it might have been August last year;

www.channel4.com/news/momentums-michael-chessum-its-vital-that-a-protest-movement-forms-that-can-challenge-the-power-of-the-government

I definitely remember that the spokesperson being criticised at the time was a woman but Momentum's Michael Chessum from the Channel 4 link above is described here;

"In 2010, he was a prominent leader of student protests which culminated in the Conservative Party offices at Millbank being smashed up and looted, rioting in Parliament Square and the ambush of the Prince of Wales’s car."

^"Mr Chessum told the BBC at the time: “I don’t think I’m going to wade in and condemn violence from protesters,” explaining that the “vandalism we’re seeing from the Government outweighs 10 times the vandalism that we saw on famous public buildings, on statues”."

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/30/brexit-momentum-protests-led-hard-left-student-union-activist/

NotAgainNo

Thank you for your kind words.

Like I said, previously, this happened when I was a young teenager. What was more shocking was that no one was charged and my brother was painted as the villain.

The looting IMO distracts from the important message which needs to be heard

It does, yes, but actually it's even worse than that because it hands the deliberately deaf a very handy excuse not to listen
"What's the point in trying", they cry, "when you see how these people behave"

Awful

Some of the alleged "facts" being spread on the likes of Facebook, Twitter, etc, are getting downright dangerous, and there's rarely any real proof for any of them - ask for this, and the filthy abuse follows as surely as night follows day

Yeah, I have family who live in Minneapolis so have been following events quite closely and watching livestreams on the ground, there has been a lot of opportunists jump on the back of the protests and there is a lot of misinformation being pushed in all directions.

However as someone linked to the anachists sub from reddit as proof, the only sub promoting and cheering on the looting for the past couple of nights have been the quarantined sub Chapo (hard left).

You can watch the on the ground livestreams from people like Unicorn Riot and Regg Inkagnedo on youtube, they still have them up

A question like this is a clear example as to why black peoples continue to be treated like shit.
If you have to ask this question, you are also part of the problem.
This is not the question you should be asking at all.
Educate yourself, please

@Thesamethingkeepshappening Not surprised. I can't imagine just how horrible. Again, my condolences.

I've seen how the media digs into the past records of victims (to justify their killing?) and makes sure to state over and over again that this person "wasn't an upstanding citizen" or "they stole sneakers from a shop 15 years ago" or try to create a story when there's none (eg: "The victim had a pending court case. It is alleged there's an incident involving his ex too". Meanwhile, the incident was 2 years prior and was found to be a false report and the court case is a class action about being unfairly fired. They just leave the viewer to form their opinion based on open-ended statements. Once it's a black person, it's not difficult to imagine the worst).

They'll never mention if the person volunteered in a charity shop/soup kitchen or something. Anything to cause a diversion, I'm ashamed to have bought into that tactic in the past.

Nothing justifies killing an unarmed man, especially as a police officer and it's a crying shame they get to walk free.

@Clavinova Anything Michael Chessum did in 2010 has nothing whatsoever to do with Momentum.

Momentum wasn't founded until 2015.

Chessum has probably calmed down a lot since his student days. Most of us do.

Because peaceful protesting doesn’t work. Ask Colin Kaepernick who was blasted by Trump for silently protesting by bending a knee during the anthem. America is currently basket case under Trump, look at the handling of the Coronavirus.

The angry, poor and disenfranchised need to channel their anger into ensuring they’re registered to vote in November.

@ Bigworldoutthere maybe you should have expressed that instead of what you wrote in you OP.
Also, just because your not white, doesn’t mean you understand.
Again, if you did, you wouldn’t be asking the question you did.
Like many posters have said, people are fed up, people have emotions, there are opportunists waiting at a chance to cause more trouble.
And to be honest,if you really did care, you would be focus on bigger issues
Property gets damaged, gets repaired but lives are being lost. F* innocent lives.
My brother is a black man. Best believe I would not be sitting down and peacefully protesting if something this disgusting happened to him. I would be angry, I would be emotional and maybe not so logical.
I’d be out trying to get my voice heard. If it bloody takes destroying property do him justice, I would.
It seems that there’s one law for white police officers and there’s others for black citizens

@ Tellmetruth4
What you have said,
Only those living under their privilege cannot see that.
Thanks to Trump, America has now become a place for racists to what they what without consequences.
It’s so sad that these things have to be said.

I think it's a mixture.
The main body of protesters maybe violent and that's because of the murder of George Floyd by this policeman.
Then in that crowd, a few people don't understand or give a crap and they loot and steal. Then unfortunately... The crowd that ruins every single protest... Turns people off, distracts from the main issues and turn it into a right /left thing are the far left and far right activitists who just want to cause trouble and destroy any government.

Such a shame. They piggy back on any cause, violate vulnerable people, use people and their pain to their own ends.
It's this crowd who revile me.

I do think, this is it, in terms of this protest... This video is so shocking... I don't think it will go away..

I hope something happens from it, what I don't know..

Just hope the anarchy loons, the professional rioters, don't ruin it.

I think laying the blame at trumps door is also misplaced.

Black people died in avoidable circumstances in Obama time too. The problems and issues are far more long term than a couple of years under one president.

I sincerely hope that someone in the white house is right now, penning and coming up with positive, solid resolutions to many issues faced by minorities in the US...something ground breaking and the revolutionary.... What I don't know..

Otherwise I do feel this could turn into a sort of civil war...

Re the property comment, there was good article on how black people have not been able to amass wealth through property and pass it down through the generations like white people. In the 1950s they were actively stopped from buying.

So in that sense it does make me feel sad if people have got '' property '' and now it's ruined.

LakieLady
Chessum has probably calmed down a lot since his student days.

Probably - although 31st August 2019:

"Speaking yesterday in the wake of today's anti-Brexit protests, he [Chessum] said "disruption is the only form of leverage protesters can rely on"."

"He added:"We would go further than anticipate (civil disobedience). We would defend it."

"There will be disruption and I'm sorry for that but in the face of what Boris is planning, it will be worth it.The suffragettes burnt down the home of David Lloyd George, the chancellor of the exchequer—I'm sure that was disruptive for him." ...

"However, the foundation in memory of Labour MP Jo Cox,"
"has called on protesters not to let their anger turn to violence."

www.thesun.co.uk/news/9834347/remainer-protest-leftist-remembrance-sunday-michael-chessum/

The spokesperson mentioned by LBC may have been Laura Parker.

I don't believe the people looting and burning really care about a cause. They see an excuse to steal and destruct, which they enjoy, so they take advantage of that opportunity.

It's horrible and takes attention away from the problem they are supposedly protesting. It doesn't nothing but inflict more damage-- not only to property but to the public image and legitimacy of protests in general. Looting and burning have happened in the past. Did they change anything? Even if they're not just the mindless acts of selfishness that I believe, they're still ineffective at creating positive change.

And yes, it also hurts the communities that relied upon those shops for daily needs. Even if the shop reopens (which they may not do in a hurry), it takes time to rebuild. In the meantime, there's nothing there. That doesn't help anyone.

It's not people crying over TVs. This is people shaking their heads over needless self-inflicted harm.

Of course the police will deny it was one of their officers. They claim he had an alibi yet there is no proof

Uhuh. I dont get why people find the idea of a police officer inciting a riot so unbelievable.

A police officer murdered a man in public.

But theres no way a police officer would ever incite a riot, no way!

I don't get why people find the idea of a police officer inciting a riot so unbelievable.

Because a lot of people own guns in the US;

"Two Federal Protective Service officers suffered gunshot wounds amid protests Friday night in Oakland, California, police said."

"One of the officers died from his injury."

"At least 7,500 protesters took to the streets of the city to demonstrate over the death of George Floyd, the Oakland Police Department told CNN."

"Protesters caused damage across the city.There were reports of vandalism, theft of businesses, fires set and assaults on police officers, according to the police statement."

edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/george-floyd-protests-05-30-20/h_e9837e22d597b46b3562f2e9281edaad

I dont see how that answers my question?

@NeutrinoWrangler

I don't believe the people looting and burning really care about a cause. They see an excuse to steal and destruct, which they enjoy, so they take advantage of that opportunity.

It's horrible and takes attention away from the problem they are supposedly protesting. It doesn't nothing but inflict more damage-- not only to property but to the public image and legitimacy of protests in general. Looting and burning have happened in the past. Did they change anything? Even if they're not just the mindless acts of selfishness that I believe, they're still ineffective at creating positive change.

And yes, it also hurts the communities that relied upon those shops for daily needs. Even if the shop reopens (which they may not do in a hurry), it takes time to rebuild. In the meantime, there's nothing there. That doesn't help anyone.

It's not people crying over TVs. This is people shaking their heads over needless self-inflicted harm.

Well said.

Because people who aren’t white have so little value in society peaceful action means absolutely nothing

A kind of double o Licence to Steal? Gosh, I wish I were lucky enough to have such an pathetic excuse.
Stacking up the wrongs will never make a right.

I read that more value is put on the looted items than black peoples lives.

I do not condone this.

But they have to. Have you seen the film Queen and Slim? It was like dejavu all over again.

The killing of black men, in the United States. Have been going on for toooo long now, this their chance to make a stand. No more will they be killing our brother, sisters, neighbours and friends.

"A viral and incendiary social media accusation against a St. Paul, Minnesota, police officer is false, the police department said in a statement.

The police also said that George Floyd was physically resisting arrest and only realised he was in medical distress after cuffing him. Yeah, a grown mans full weight on your fucking neck might cause that They would have likely gotten away with that lie, if not for the video emerging.

I'm struggling right now to believe a single word that comes out of their mouths.

@Clavinova, I think anyone who is involved in any sort of protest is causing disruption, and defending civil disobedience doesn't make someone a rioter.

Civil disobedience doesn't mean violence, rioting or looting. It's peaceful law breaking, like blocking roads, or baring your arse in the Strangers' Gallery in parliament.