1. “If you oppose the riots, you don’t care about George Floyd” is the liberal version of “if you oppose the Iraq War, you don’t care about 9/11”.

The tragedy and the proper response to the tragedy are DIFFERENT issues.

2. In MN, it appears the majority of arrests have been people from other states. This is a feature of almost ALL riots, including Ferguson in 2014. Anarchists and trouble-makers come in, destroy the city, and then leave the residents to deal with the fall out.

3. Riots exacerbate the very economic circumstances that create them. If you see a row of abandoned buildings in a major city, very often it’s because of a riot that happened five, ten, or even fifty years ago. The economic consequences are long-lasting.

4. Many business, some black-owned, have still not returned to Ferguson to this day. No one has purchased the property. The buildings are just abandoned.

Children grow up with a sense of hopelessness and despair because the life has been sucked out of the neighborhood.

5. I would be willing to public bet that, if polled, over 50% of black residents of MN and ATL would NOT support the riots. This has often been true of riots in the past.

6. If there is nothing the rioters *could* do that would get you to condemn their behavior, then you do not view them as full human beings, but as animals who can’t help themselves.

We’re not trained to think of that as racism, but that’s exactly what it is.

7. If you’re mad, I feel you! I really do.

But channel your rage productively. Demand change at the ballot box or peacefully on the streets.

And remember: the first responsibility is always to educate YOURSELF.