White people run amok downtown, battle police, loot stores

I’m sympathetic to the plight of George Floyd and to the cause of the protests, but the kid making this video seems out of his element. Apart from not being a Boston resident talking about the “Boston State House” and thinking Chinatown was Roxbury, he’s not about to get any awards for hard-hitting citizen journalism. That’s an opportunistic young guy with a smartphone.

Anyhow, I have some notes:

• The looters shown on TV seemed young and I have little doubt that the fact their faces were caught by cameras will go unchecked.
• Stolen stuff is likely insured and nobody died in Boston last night, so far.
• I would have been a lot more upset if they’ve broken into the BPL and started burning books: they looted high-end stores. We saw a park bench and some trash cans on fire. That’s all replaceable.
• The main message seems to still fall on tone-deaf ears: black people are being given far more scrutiny for misdeeds than white counterparts and that is some bullshit and you know that’s true. The value of black lives are seen as being less-than by white people with the ability to end them and/or obtain justice for those lives lost. Check out the cries of racism here against Adam for his headline because of white fragility (and you know that’s true: dig deep).

White folks should have some self-reckoning to do about personal values if they haven’t already.

I saw that video of the police "destroying their own car" and I had to almost morbidly laugh. As if they would go destroy their own cruiser in open air in front of a million cell phones. If they were setting up protestors they would smash it up off site, tow it in and then unveal it after a few big flash bangs and smoke bombs. Like a magic trick.

They were clearly trying to prep the car for transport out of the zone and the shattered windshield and other items hanging off get in the way. I've seen enough wrecks removed to know the drill.

I am outraged that Derek Chauvin was allowed to be a cop in the first place. He had previous violent incidents. Which Amy Klobuchar refused to prosecute.

I am outraged that police culture creates an echo chamber where cops have convinced themselves that the dangers of their job are far beyond reality.

I am outraged that our police force has become overly militarized since 9-11.

I am outraged that Alan Grayson's 2014 bill to reverse this was overwhelming opposed by both parties.

I am outraged that the police, who are supposed to be public servants, treat regular people as the enemy.

And I am outraged that the policies instituted by politicians (mostly Democrats in extraordinarily safe mayorships and governships) encourage militaristic policing.

But if you think any of this justifies what we saw last night then you can fuck right off.

That looting isn't about George Floyd. It doesn't help anyone's cause. Just as the police officers who abuse their power and hurt people needs to be punished and held accountable, so do people who incite violence, steal, cause bodily harm to innocent people, and destroy; in the name of a cause that is exactly what the cause is opposing.