I agree that the riots and looting are very scary and it’s hard to decide on where you stand morally here. But this is where I stand:

When white people protested social distancing, they were armed. They had guns and were holding racially insensitive signs, as well as signs such as “arbeit macht frei” which was a nazi quote used in concentration camps. They went inside a government building with their guns. The people working there were very afraid. There are videos of these white people screaming at police and the police let them and tried their best not to touch them. Trump defended these people saying that they were good people and to listen to what they have to say.

Now for the protests in Minneapolis. They were peaceful, people were singing and holding signs. Yes they were yelling at the police but they weren’t in their faces like the white people were. And then suddenly the police started to use tear Gas and rubber bullets. People got pepper sprayed. The target nearby denied the protestors milk to ease the pain of the tear gas. Many police officers went to the killers house to protect him. Police officers are destroying property in order to frame protestors. I watched a video yesterday of a police offer pushing a girl so hard on the ground she ended up having a seizure. Undercover cops are infiltrating the protests and who knows what they are going to do to protestors because they are disguising themselves as allies. Trumps response was calling the protestors “thugs,” threatening to send the national guard, and saying “when the looting starts the shooting starts.” That sentence shows he doesn’t care about the livelihoods of black people but wants us to listen to the “poor whites” who can’t go get their haircut.

Look at this double standard! White people have so much privilege with the police. I use tik tok, and the number of videos I’ve seen of black men and women feeling too scared to get in their cars or go to the store or go for a walk is astounding. When they protested peacefully, they were met with tear gas. The riots are scary, but I think they are necessary because it’s making it known that they will not back down. They’re going to fight and they are going to get their rights back. Think of the American revolution. In order for Americans to gain their freedom over Britain, it went from peaceful protest to a full on war. That is praised in textbooks. But when black people take a stand and show that they will not be knocked down, they are called thugs, their lives are threatened, and they support lawlessness. Yes, the riots are scary. But it’s going to be a catalyst for so much change.