Why!!

Why!! are there riots across America? When an African-American is killed, who is unarmed, by police in one city the whole country turns violent. From Ferguson to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Watching the violence on TV following the murder of George Floyd the past 2 weeks makes me wonder. What does it really do? What is solved by burning down a police station, burning part of a church? Rioting is pure raw hate and violence.No changes yet to come from riots ever. I am old enough to remember a lot of them. I can only remember the loss of life, property damage, people burning their own homes, business the looting of local business by the rioters.

“Why”, is a question that I do not like to ask as it can keep you stuck in the problem. How do you ask the major question then. In fact what is the “Major” question here anyway? How do we discern what is the facts and where do we find them. Riots are a “mob” rule action. A single person will not riot, however a large group and you decide what a “large group” is in your mind.

Anger, fear and hate are the start and in most cases the anger and fear are righteous hate is not. When groups of people gather to protest that is a Constitutional Right, when it turns to violence it is a crime. It does not matter what the cause if the gathering is about it is a “Right” to gather peacefully and protest an injustice of any kind. When hate enters the equation, that is the issue here, is Hate.

When a crowd gathers and there are a few who are hateful it can turn to a Mob, which can turn to the few starting a riot with the rest who are close to hating and are angry or in fear of their safety into a mob run riot, taking over a peaceful demonstration and turning it into a full blown riot with all that entails.

Going back to the topic here what does a riot solve, anything? Or is it just way to get out anger, at an unjust system? There is no doubt in my mind that there is a decided lack of equal justice in America today. I will be doing a Podcast soon on that topic soon. However destroying property, people getting injured, and or worse killed is also not just. Burning down business, police stations, damaging churches does nothing to help your “cause”. I remember the Watts riots in 1965, I could not understand that than nor the recent riots. I understand the Fear, the Anger, and can get some of the Hate, however I don’t think that rioting is the answer to the problems we face in America including Racism. Why!!