The simple point I’m making is that riots don’t happen on their own.
We’ve seen it time and again over the last few years. There is a spark (typically, gruesome footage of police brutality), and tinder (underlying social inequities). Without those ingredients, you don’t have a flame.
Here is what MLK had to say about this.
No, “black folks” don’t only do the rioting. Footage of the protests shows that people of all races and backgrounds have joined in, as they should. Because the video was that bad, and the underlying inequities it epitomizes affect us all.
The race of the abused suspect matters. If police abuse of white suspects doesn’t generally instigate rioting, ask yourself why that might be.
MLK’s comments offer a clue.
Caption this Meme
