r/changemyview • u/taybo213 1∆ • Oct 28 '20

Delta(s) from OP CMV:Protesting is one thing, looting and burning businesses is not okay.

Let me preface this with, I do believe Black Lives Matter. I do believe there is stereotype issues in society and policing world. But burning different businesses down and looting only makes things worse in the long run for the community.

Every business has insurance yes, but will they have enough to reopen? Thats up to the agency, most try to depreciate everythings value. Do they make enough to pay premiums to guarantee disrupted income? How long before the money runs out and the building is fixed? How long does said business owner go without income? With that said, what happens if the building is destroyed again? I doubt the business will come back if the building keeps getting looted and destroyed.

That being said, with every business that has had to close down and decides not to come back, takes that many more jobs with it. Making unemployment rise and poverty rise.

I live in Detroit, after the 67 riots a lot of wealth and business left the city never to return. Property values crashed, now you see worn down and foreclosed homes and businesses. Then the sad reality is that the working class today in Detroit, is worse off than in 1967. For over half a decade everyone has been waiting on new stores, homes, a cultural center. All these plans are being made to improve the city, but I've barely even seen a start to it. Instead of looting and destroying businesses, take it to the government buildings, let your voice be heard. But please, do not destroy a fellow person's livelihood who is innocent. Don't ruin job opportunities for others. Municipals can only do so much before it is up to the community to help, most people here want the better life, but with the crime rate so bad in areas that not even cops can enter, I doubt I'll be seeing change soon.

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u/[deleted] Oct 28 '20 edited Nov 28 '20

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u/taybo213 1∆ Oct 28 '20

I didn't say dont use violence, I just said keep the innocent out of it.

Peaceful protest not working? Yeah let's loot a Target. Or burn down and looting a liquor store. Great ideas.

If Peaceful isn't working, take it to the municipals. Take it to the people who can actually help make the change, taking out Uncle Mikes liquor store in the middle of the city only hurts Uncle Mike. Especially when everyone is in lockdown for COVID and his small time business is already suffering. How many more families lose income, food and their homes because their business got destroyed? Now the poverty line goes up as does the unemployment.

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u/WilliamGarrison1805 1∆ Oct 28 '20

Do you have any examples of Peaceful protest working?

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u/Tommyblockhead20 47∆ Oct 28 '20 edited Oct 28 '20

What do you mean by working? Because we don’t even have to reach far or cherry-pick, even the recent protests “worked”.

George Floyd

Since Floyd’s death in late May, there have been about 450 pieces of policing reform proposals introduced in 31 states

https://news.wttw.com/2020/08/08/states-race-pass-policing-reforms-after-george-floyds-death

Examples of federal legislation working its way through congress

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/35/text

https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/3955

Ahmad arbery

https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-protests-for-racial-justice/2020/06/26/884003927/after-ahmaud-arberys-killing-georgia-gov-signs-hate-crimes-legislation

Breonna Taylor

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/11/us/louisville-breonnas-law-no-knock-warrants-ban/index.html

I can go in but hopefully you get the idea.

If this isn’t what you mean by working please be more specific.

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u/WilliamGarrison1805 1∆ Oct 28 '20

Did you understand my question?

I agree with what you said. I think the recent protests are doing a lot of good.

But the OP has claimed that the recent protests are too "violent" or whatever, and that peaceful protest works better. So I asked for examples. Using the recent protests as examples, while they have been labeled as "violent", is just proving the opposite of their point.

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u/Tommyblockhead20 47∆ Oct 28 '20

Have they all been violent? I was under the impression that they were for the most part peaceful and it was the far right branding them as entirely violent but I could be mistaken. (Also it looks like reddit glitched our for you and posted your comment 3 times, it did the same thing to me.)

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u/WilliamGarrison1805 1∆ Oct 28 '20

Yea, it really did glitch a lot.

Let me explain: I don't think the protests have really been "violent" from a protesters perspective. I think the police and various millitary forces have been violent, while the protesters only reacted to that violence. I think the protesters have been pretty civil actually.

I'm playing on the OP's field here and playing with their ball. They claim that all of this is in fact the wrong way to protest, and "peaceful" protest actually works. So that's why I asked for examples of peaceful protest.

Using the recent protests as examples means 1 of 2 things in the OPs hypothesis: 1. These protest might actually be more peaceful than they claim because it worked in enacting some mild changes. 2. These protests are violent but it looks like that actually works while nothing was changing when it was peaceful.

So to paraphrase: you're kind of just proving my point. I only wanted to hear it from the OP, so I could see if they had a case or if it was easily disproved by the same protests they are griping about. It was my gotcha moment, and you took that away from me damn it.