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.