I wish people would stop trying to glamorize or valorize the riots. They& #39;re riots. Acknowledging that doesn& #39;t mean you& #39;re siding with the police.

The problem is that you say "riot" and people immediately assign collective guilt to a community for it. A riot is a tragedy for a community, akin to a natural disaster. It& #39;s produced by outside conditions and triggers, not the moral shortcomings of the members.

But that doesn& #39;t mean the destruction a riot produces isn& #39;t largely senseless and directed inward towards the community itself. It& #39;s almost always something that causes significant suffering with very little benefit.

One of the reasons that you can know what& #39;s happening in Minneapolis right now is rioting is that it& #39;s impossible to have any confidence that there is anything anyone can do that will stop it. That& #39;s why it& #39;s crushing - there& #39;s a sense it will just burn on until it burns out.