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?

[TanteRose]

Thesamething so sorry to hear that

And as your name suggests, it keeps happening

[anicebag]

Rage against the machine about injustice? You know I liken the shit people of colour (sorry for folk who hate that phrase) have to put up with to what women have to unconsciously do to feel safe. Women have to watch what they do/ where they go/ how they act. I imagine for people experiencing rascism it’s like that. Potentially deadly and part of every day life. It’s not right.

[Aretheystillasleepbob]

Why do white police keep murdering their black citizens and get away with it or have it justified by the authorities is the more important question isn’t it?

[LemonSqueezy0]

Your disclaimer isnt going to work - it's literally the reason it is happening. I don't think anyone could ever adequately explain to you the reasons for this, as it isn't within your range of comprehension. This is 100s of years of systematic abuse and slavery.
Look at how the white protestors were treated, when they wanted their haircuts and nails done, compared to the attacks on the protestors who were complaining about the death of yet another black man. The tweets from Trump labelling one set Good people, and the other set Thugs. Guess which is which.

If you genuinely want to know, join pages on Facebook, blogs, newspapers that will show you and highlight the disparities, that will educate and inform you from the point of view of someone living that experience.

[Aretheystillasleepbob]

And if you honestly don’t understand how it can escalate there’s hundreds of articles you can find about it, from riots in Northern Ireland to the London riots to the latest ones in the US.

[MaeDanvers]

It's insane that there have been countless peaceful protests - like the sports stars taking a knee - that led to nothing but criticism and censure of the peaceful protestors. People have their limits. Eventually, when peaceful protest is ignored time and time again and people are heavily criticised for it, even having their ability to stay in the sport taken away - there will seem like no other option.

I really hate all this apparent outrage over property being damaged yet it's the same sort of outrage that was shown to peaceful protestors. No matter what people do they can't win.

To me it's state-sanctioned abuse. It's like any abusive relationship - the victims are pushed time and time and time again, and any attempt to protest and ask for it to stop peacefully is met with fake outrage and censure. Then eventually the victim lashes out because no other option is available to them - and the abuser smugly says 'see - you're terrible.'

As for looting, there will always be opportunists in these sorts of situations.

As for the 'destroying the community' argument - this Twitter thread is extremely illuminating -

twitter.com/Trillharmonic/status/1266021538819645440

First tweet n the thread:

"Quick Thread on rioting and looting:

One of the most sophistic talking points consistently trotted out in situations like these, “they’re destroying their own community.”

Ghettos and hoods are not communities except by the loosest and laziest definitions of the word."


Well worth a read.

[Anotherlovelybitofsquirrel]

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

Never fail do they. Sickening.

[letsghostdance]

There are undercover police in the crowd inciting people to loot so that people ask this question.

[Aretheystillasleepbob]

OP your disclaimer is bull, you can’t separate the two things. People would not be protesting, rioting or anything else if it wasn’t for the appalling police brutality against the black communities.
A police office suffocated that man to earth over NOTHING for nearly 10 minutes, wit fellow officers standing by, while being filmed and with witnesses calling on him to stop. What kind of world do you think he lives in that he knows he can do that to a black man because of the uniform he wears? And more importantly what kind of world was that black man living in to have thy at happen to him?
This isn’t a one off - police brutality and racism is systematic and the police are militarised and armed to the death.

[Hingeandbracket]

"Why don’t riots attack central government rather than their home shops?"

In the USA certainly, that would be a quick way to get shot by the police/army.

[Nottherealslimshady]

I think its anger at the community and about flipping power.

The african American community have been fighting in different ways for so long and nothing works.
It's awful what's happening but there's so much anger at their constant mistreatment I dont blame them for it.

[SerendipityJane]

Generally because people in power care more about money than lives.

Look how long the UK was happy to let us be brave when the IRA was targeting people and how quickly peace became possible when they targeted the moneymen of the city.

[womaninatightspot]

I'm sure I read somewhere it's not the locals who're looting it's the out of towners. It does detract from the death of yet another black man killed by the police (although it shouldn't).

I can't help but think the situation will be seized upon by Trump to distract from covid 19 response and possibly win an election on the back of it. A PP said they wouldn't be surprised if outside agitators were sent in to start the looting. Neither would I be tbh.

[OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow]

Peaceful protests may do fuck all, but burning down your own neighborhood including small business of BAME people as well is not the best way forward, is it.
The abomination calling themselves police in US needs to be dealt with. There is no way murders like this should be tolerated! But by looting and burning down their own neighborhood the looters are now creating what will become and stay a pocket of nothing and deprivation. Worse than now. As with our riots here, it started peacefuly, few fucked up and then many joined to loot and burn not for the cause, but just because they could...

World IS with the protesters, not the looters. The world is disgusted at the state of the US.

[TwilightPeace]

Blacks killing blacks is a far bigger problem in the US but no protesting for that....

🙄

[OmgThereAreNoPlanesAboveMeNow]

I can't help but think the situation will be seized upon by Trump to distract from covid 19 response and possibly win an election on the back of it.

I don't know... It was just yesterday he tweeted "CHINA!".... He may try to use the virus to distract from this shame more likely. Or the twitter thing.

[Thesamethingkeepshappening]

I've never looked into the validity of this but apparently unarmed white men are killed at the same rate by police.

Well, perhaps you need to look into the validity. It would only take a quick Google search.

[Aretheystillasleepbob]

‘ 've never looked into the validity of this but apparently unarmed white men are killed at the same rate by police.’

No, clearly you haven’t, because they areN’t.

[FlatCheese]

Watching the CNN reporter being arrested live on air for doing nothing (while a white reporter was left alone round the corner) by police dressed for a riot was incredibly sinister. Suppressing reporters is frightening and people are trying to make sense of it. I'm truly horrified by these events that are authorised by those in power (including the president. His shooting/looting comment shows his true colours). I don't think he cares if the city burns down because it doesn't hurt him.

@MaeDanvers - thank you for that. Good info. As an outsider, I see the local area as somewhere where people make their livelihoods (not "stuff" but jobs, life etc.) but you're right - if the people living there don't really have a stake in their environment then why would they care about it.

[bee222]

I've never looked into the validity of this but

Have you ever considered not being part of the problem by sharing conspiracy theories?

[Aretheystillasleepbob]

mappingpoliceviolence.org/

Last year 24% of people killed by the police were black, despite being only 13% of the population. So the rate is not the same.

[bee222]

Apparently BLM and antifa are funded by George Soros
you might want to do some fact checking on Snopes. It’s a quick google search. It’s not difficult.

[Thesamethingkeepshappening]

Blacks killing blacks is a far bigger problem in the US but no protesting for that....

Can you explain how it is a 'bigger problem'? But, before you do, why is 'blacks killing blacks' even a 'thing' in the context of recent events?

And what has that got to do with white police officers killing unarmed black men?

I'm pretty sure whites kill whites. Again, it's irrelevant, isn't it, in the context of recent events?