As I progress with this module, I'm seeing different social media posts as well. One stood out was one of the looting case in NY. It was a shop owned by Asian family. The mom was attacked and sent to ICU. Some comments are made saying looting has nothing to do with BLM. Some commented on the race of the looters. (In the photo they looked POC) Some said the looters are the reason they cannot support BLM.
The family who was attacked still are in support of protests and BLM.
Generally I would wish there were no violence. But now learning the mass incarceration and how the education is funded, I just wonder why those folks were in the condition to engage in looting. I understand that there are white folks looting too.
With the learning material we have here, when Black folks get arrested in any ways, the law enforcement has to give so much more attention to what, how, and why the arrest happened. And that's not happening because the system was not built for safety and protection to begin with.
I have trouble understanding why protests often lead to looting. How does stealing things from a store prove a point? I do understand why people would destroy items and businesses as the effect would be to upset their perceived oppressors.
Hi Robyn. Yeah I wonder that too. But protest is happening. Riot is happening and also looting is happening. That’s the reality now. I’m just trying to understand the reality without having a snap judgement that stemmed from biases.
@Kei Tsuruharatani Trevor Noah from the Daily Show also gave a good point of view on looting as a response to violation of social contract. Definitely worth a listen. As a history teacher, I am confronted with the reality that the Boston Tea Party is an example of looting and destruction of property that also had overtly racist elements in the looters dressing up as indigenous peoples. This is a piece of American history we tend to look to positively, and reminds me that where and when we look at these events matters a great deal.
@Michael Borge Hey Michael! Thanks for sharing the video and your comment. I agree with Trevor‘s point of view on looting. I understand that there will be violence and looting in the current situation. But I still do want wonder and be curious about if the violence takes it somewhere wholesome. Again I’m not condemning the looters. And I don’t want to settle with one point of view being right. I know it sounds paradoxical.
I’m a bit confused about the comment on Boston Tea Party.
Why do you feel confronted?
Hi Robyn and Kei,
James Baldwin spoke about the signficance of looters with a lot of insight. Check this out. https://longreads.com/2015/06/01/looter-to-who-james-baldwin-on-racism-in-america/
He basically talks about how black folks loot to express their frustration at inequality.
Thanks for sharing. Yeah I‘ve come across his statement before. I know that the anger is valid. I’m not condemning the looters. I’m just curious where any violence would take us. Just like how white people has been violating all non-white people. I don’t need one point of view to be right.
Thank you. James Baldwin's article was very informative.
Wow - great discussion! Thank you to everyone involved for this dialogue. I had written something much longer but I clicked on the James Baldwin article and somehow my comments were erased before I posted. Ultimately, I don't condone theft or destruction, but I completely understand the anger that may be driving it. Also, playing devil's advocate here, I do believe in dark forces at work who pay folks handsomely to cause some kind of disruption at events that start as peaceful protests. call me a conspiracy theorist, but the more I learn about how much information we as the public are intentionally kept in the dark about, the more I tend to believe that these forces are at work in a far greater capacity than anyone could understand.
That being said, as a person of privilege, it angers me when I hear people in my neighborhood and sometimes people I consider friends, talk or post about the "riots" and "looting." I like that Baldwin explained not condoning that term altogether. I think language drives a lot of the beliefs behind these ideas and discussions. Without actually being there, a person can read one article or see one photo about an instance that may have been one act of destruction during a protest, and then instantly it becomes a "riot." Everything turns into a snap judgment and is easily skewed in one direction over another, and ultimately, these things detract from the bigger issue here - systemic racism (this is why I believe that at least some of these acts of destruction or violence in reaction to the murders could be planted and conspiracy worthy. the whole point is to take attention away from the bigger issue at hand, and this benefits corporations and those in the 1% class.)
I'm kind of ranting here, but I've been noticing that words and the way I hear people speak or write about these matters quite telling. We all have implicit bias, so please understand I am not saying this to condone anyone. A family member of mine reached out to me on FB recently expressing his anger over a George Washington statue coming down. This is another telling example of racial bias. I replied that I was more angry about the murders going on daily without any justice. I mean a statue? It's literally an inanimate object, and George's image isn't disappearing on us anytime soon, considering it's on every dollar bill. The hypocrisy of our Founding Fathers. liberty and freedom and equality for all - but only if you're white. It's absurd and it is about time we replace those monuments with something else. on that note, "happy" 4th of July everyone. I know Im blessed to be an American citizen, with all my white privilege, freedom and free passes that comes with it. But I cannot say I'm proud to be an American, because I feel a profound sense of shame.
Again, thank you for sharing the article, and the Trevor Noah video - he explains his thoughts so eloquently. It's late, so I'm sorry if this came out as a nonsensical rant. I'm learning a lot from these modules and even more from the discussions. Goodnight all. Thanks for reading.