How does looting make a statement about racial injustice? How does arson shine a spotlight on the inequalities among our citizens? We’re supposed to make such statements by peaceably protesting. We organize, we stand, we march, we hold signs, we lock arms, we shout. We’re not violent, we’re not threatening, we’re not law breakers. And yet our protests haven’t given way to the change we seek. So what do we do about it?
I have so many more questions. I think , at the end of that list, I keep coming to the same conclusion. The question isn’t have we expelled all racism from this country? The answer to that question, sadly, has always been, and will always be, no. Racism, like so many of the other -isms in this world, is not something you completely tamp out; there will always be bad people that highlight the worst of us. The question is actually have we removed the systemic failures that let racists walk free when their actions break the law? That’s a question that can one day be answered by yes. The answer isn’t yes yet but I have hope that it will be, one day.
The murder of George Floyd was heartbreaking. The protests that followed have been heartening. The lootings are saddening. The arsons are terrifying. At face value, lootings and arson aren’t reasonable responses to police violence. How does stealing shoes from Foot Locker, TVs from Target and cigarettes from 7-11 have anything to do with police violence? It doesn’t. And it does. It’s a shock to the system and it’s eye-opening and it’s attention-grabbing in a way that even thousands of protesters isn’t. I don’t condone violence and, even as I write these words, I shake my head and I wonder why I think the way I do. And yet, sometimes feelings of raw outrage and guttural discomfort and pure dread are the only way officials are forced to do something more than talk and tweet and walk away.
I don’t know what comes next. I know I support protests and protestors. I condeme violence, by police officers and by citizens destroying their own neighborhoods. But I understand why the groundswell of outrage has taken us to the brink. All of it makes no sense. And it also makes complete sense.
-Niral
misterniral@gmail.com
Mr. Niral Rambles 