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?

Property can be repaired. Dead people can’t.

This. Peaceful protests do absolutely nothing. Black people are literally being killed on camera and people are whining about the looting and rioting that is a response to the murders. It took this for that low life Derek Chauvin to even be arrested.

And bingo, there we go, it didn’t take long for someone to blame black people for white people being racist.

I would have thought there’d be more uproar at the fact that modern day lynching is happening, rather than damage to shops, but I guess everyone has different priorities

But you know, who cares because OMG someone stole a TV

Anger in a reasonable response in the face of injustice. Those in power don’t listen to nice. You don’t get justice after centuries of oppression by being polite.

Because it puts black people back in the 'bad' box.

Quite. I’ve seen lots of clips on twitter of people showing white people just showing up at stores and looting. Nothing to do with the protest, just chancers. But they won’t get shown as it doesn’t fit the narrative.

The protests start with good reason. The protests become violent with good reason. Then hangers on show up and start looting.

And any section of society who use the execution in the street of a male as an excuse for violence and to steal a new TV are scum. They're not protesting, they're adding fuel to racism.

An excuse for violence? What violence?
Destroying shops and looting isn’t violent.

They aren’t adding fuel to racism. They are REACTING to racism.

Pure rage
If they don’t give a fuck about the rules why should we
Feeling like you’re already labelled a scum bag so you may as well act like one
Living with a sense that society’s laws don’t apply to you because you can be murdered by someone who is supposed to be keeping the law for no reason at all. Would you abide by the law in these circumstances?

When your dignity has been taken away you have noting left to lose. Your user name is very telling. There is a big world out there with lots of voices. Listen to them op.

Peaceful protest get you nowhere, you can be ignored. As a white woman if I lived there I'd be burning the world down with them. Black lives matter have been peacefully protesting for years and Black people are still getting murdered.

Look into the case of Breonna Taylor if you don't know of her already.

It's not questioning the looting though, it's questioning the targeting of the looting as OP said. Attacking the places where you and your neighbours live and work seems counterproductive. Attacking the police stations where these disgusting officers worked and the places where those with political power to make changes seems much more worthwhile from an outsider's perspective.

And any section of society who use the execution in the street of a male as an excuse for violence and to steal a new TV are scum. They're not protesting, they're adding fuel to racism.

Derek Chauvin is scum! It is not up to black people to change their behaviour to stop police officers murdering them. They are not fueling racism, however posts like this are.

They didn't sack and charge those policemen because they murdered George Floyd, they did it because it's on camera. Why don't you understand that?

Who cares about TVs FFS.

NotTerfNorCis is right to remind us of 2011. Many of the looters were opportunists who had plenty of money and nipped in for some free shopping. Remember the well-heeled idiots posting images of their haul on social media and crying in court later, shaming their appalled families?

Civil unrest turns to this sort of chaos. It always has and always will. The US has a lot of work to do to get to the sweet spot where policing by consent of the general population is established, but that is the only way policing can work in a democracy.

All societies need policing but they need policing well. The answer to civil unrest in the US has always been more policing, more weapons, more incarceration; never better policing.

I myself never saw a better behaved, more laid-back city than Copenhagen, and I was struck by the way police officers there mingled with the morning and evening crowds, chatting and smiling. US police forces are so stressy and edgy and when those ghastly over-reactions happen, they tend all to yell conflicting orders at the same time, making it impossible for their target to hear and co-operate. Have you noticed how no officer ever seems to be in charge of the others? It's a comprehensive failure of purpose, leadership, training and practice. They seem to be on a hair trigger the whole time.

I know when I travel in the US I keep a clear plastic envelope on the dash of my hire car with passport, UK licence, car hire papers etc in full view. And I rehearse my response in case I'm stopped by police. " Yes, officer, everything is right there in that packet. I'm going to keep my hands still right here on the wheel while you reach in for it." It would never occur to me to plan like that in Australia or Europe. My US-based DD laughs at me and says, "Mum you needn't worry, you're not the demographic!" which tells you all you need to know.

Attacking the police stations where these disgusting officers worked and the places where those with political power to make changes seems much more worthwhile from an outsider's perspective.

Maybe go down there and explain to black people how to react to racism with more dignity?

You couldn't make it up.

@FlatCheese

It's not questioning the looting though, it's questioning the targeting of the looting as OP said. Attacking the places where you and your neighbours live and work seems counterproductive. Attacking the police stations where these disgusting officers worked and the places where those with political power to make changes seems much more worthwhile from an outsider's perspective.

Attacking police stations may as well be suicide

And the most telling thing of all in the Minneapolis debacle is the official focus on protection of property above preservation of life. Trump's looting/shooting tweet. 🙄

Trevor Noah gave an excellent commentary on exactly this topic a few hours ago - it's worth a watch.
Basically he says that society is a like a contract (from about 8'40" in the video)

I don't know, why do white policeman feel perfectly justified in murdering an unarmed black man in broad daylight in front of witnesses? Why do white people continually deny that racism exists / isn't that bad? Why haven't changes been made when there have been protests and campaigns for years on the subject of police brutality? I'm sorry but unless you have experienced what they have, how fucking dare you judge them? Pursing your lips at the young black men expressing their outrage and grief through violence and aggression. Of course they are angry and irrational and wanting to make as much fuss as possible to get people to sit up and take fucking notice. But no, I guess we should just expect them to STFU and lie down quietly when they are being deliberately and brutally targeted. Try to have some empathy for christ's sake.

If was the knee of a police office, but really it was been supported by the society no amount of protesting to date has brought about a civil society. The out and out racists to the unconscious bias, the stereotypes to the president. What’s left to lose?

Because no one is listening.

Why was this man even on the force? He had murdered before but it took a video for action. How many racist acts (not just in America) go undocumented and why aren’t people listening? Why did the president not support then?

I know it's a response to a breakdown in society. The police officers are the lawless ones. I can't see how it changes anything until those in power are prepared to reform the whole system and train those who interact with the public not to treat black people as the enemy.

@RubieRose - it's not about dignity. Honestly I'm not criticising those who are desperately trying to make themselves heard. I just hope those who can make the changes are the ones who get impacted, not bystanders.

I do find it interesting that people are more willing to speak about the 'looting' and express upset/ anger about that, then black men being murdered by the police.

EXACTLY. There is so much ignorance on threads like this, it's so sad.

I've name-changed.

My brother was killed by the police, but this was pre Facebook & Twitter. It still gained a lot of attention (through the newspapers, news, protests).

Even all of those years ago, certain people were making certain excuses for the cop's behaviour. No charges were brought against the department, either.

Meanwhile, my mother was going through Hell and my family was heartbroken. She died not long after. I'm pretty sure it was of a broken heart.

Oh, and my brother did f_ck all wrong.. although the newspaper said he was a tearaway, troublemaker, theif. He was none of those things, but it suited the narrative.

@RubieRose @Monkeynuts18 completely agree

Martin Luther King said it: “Rioting is the language of the unheard.”