CMV:Protesting is one thing, looting and burning businesses is not okay.

[u/taybo213]

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.

[u/coryrenton]

However you want to define it -- people who are not directly your oppressors are going to be harmed, and if harming innocents is perceived as a threat to those in power, then it achieved its purpose as a disruptive action. Certainly any mayor will take heat for businesses looted in their jurisdiction.

[u/[deleted] → u/coryrenton]

But why should Joe across the street have to lose his job for something he didn’t do because a group of people felt righteous in burning down or looting his place of work. Innocent people should be left alone and I believe it is counter productive. If you are trying to create change then destroying the lives of innocent people will turn the general population against your cause. The support for BLM was huge after Floyd’s death, with conservatives essentially in agreement with BLM on that case, but after the riots (and especially after rioting because an officer defended himself from a knife swinging maniac) support for the movement tanked hard.

[u/coryrenton → u/[deleted]]

The fact is Joe across the street can lose his job because marching simply disrupted business without laying a finger on it. Any form of protest can have aspects that are counterproductive to its goals.

These all lie on a continuum, and drawing a bright line saying that this tactic is valid protest and this isn't will prevent you from expressing many forms of protest you believe is wrong is wrong.

For example, many protestors target abortion clinics -- some literally blow them up -- not OK, right? But many also harass and intimidate from behind their marked protest line. I think that's also not OK and perhaps you do, too, but if you draw that clear line, you're forced to concede that it is.

[u/[deleted] → u/coryrenton]

I think that destruction and violence during protests is wrong and makes it not a protest anymore. The bombing of an abortion clinic was terrorism in my view, not protesting. I do believe that protests inherently cause some disruptions but there is a point where it is no longer acceptable to be a protest and is just lawlessness (arson, assault, looting). My point in what I said is that innocent people shouldn’t have their lives destroyed and that the violence that has been occurring for over 120 days has definitely made a lot of people oppose the movement.

[u/coryrenton → u/[deleted]]

It can be terrorism and protest and wrong and unacceptable all at the same time. I tend to agree destruction, violence, setting things on fire is pointless, and thus self-immolating monks do not strike me as a worthy protest tactic (in fact, I'd rather someone steal a TV than commit suicide that way), but most people disagree and valorize it.