Outrage Surrounding Police Violence and Protesters: You Can Be Here

My mom and I had a phone conversation last evening during which she asked me how I could justify the actions of protesters who loot stores and burn buildings.  I can’t, and I don’t.

But I pointed out that we’ve had nearly identical discussions every few years since the deadly riot at the New York State prison Attica in 1971, when I told her, “When people are treated like animals, they can be counted on to respond to stressful situations as animals.”

Fast-forward almost exactly 50 years to the murder of George Floyd.  During our talk, I wish I had texted her the Venn diagram here, and told her, “I’m in the middle here, and you can be too.”

The only correction I would make here is to the blurb at the bottom right, to which I’d add, “…but serve far shorter sentences than the murderers themselves.”