Every time I've been at a protest that eventually turned "violent," the people initiating the destructive behavior have fallen into one of the following categories:

1) White anarchists who aren't at all connected to the movement, who jump at the chance to be part of some chaos;

2) Other (white) outsider randos who don't even subscribe to anarchy as a political position, but literally just enjoy smashing things and watching things burn;

3) Very, very suspicious characters (see "umbrella man") who don't engage w/other protesters except to encourage destruction — and many were later outed as undercover police officers (remember the 2014 undercover cop who pulled a gun on Oakland protesters after being discovered?)

The actual organizers always had consistent messaging about not getting caught up in it, protecting local-owned businesses, and watching out for agent provocateurs.

The official demonstration winded down at a certain point, while others continued the chaos through the night.

Now, I'm not saying that destruction *never* happens among protesters. And property matters far less than human lives. When frustration with injustice spills over into chaos and "looting," that's ENTIRELY understandable.

But still. Please don't fall for the false narratives.

This kind of sabotage has been targeting justice movements for YEARS. The whole point is to discredit the movement and justify use of force against peaceful protesters, and when you buy into it, you make it way way way too easy for them. https://twitter.com/Selena_Adera/status/1266707305158017029