Why are we (whites, generally speaking) so quick to morally condemn riots as a vehicle for social change? Even if the police who killed George Floyd are prosecuted and convicted, inequality will persist without efforts for broader social change – a few “bad apples” will be plucked from a poisonous bunch and policing will continue per usual. Even minor reforms don’t do enough to address inequality.
While is it easy to view riots as senseless, they have acted, historically and today, as a response to systemic inequality that cannot be simply resolved in a legal system that ultimately upholds oppression. Kneeling during the national anthem, as Colin Kaepernick did in 2016, is still viewed by many as too confrontational.
For us (whites, generally), our anger at injustice is weak and fleeting. It seems to first require bearing witness to yet another video of a Black person killed and uploaded to social media, as though we forgot about previous videos and require an endless supply of bodies (with, on the other hand, a striking lack of visibility towards women of color and those in the LGBTQIA+ community, as #SayHerName addressed years ago). This desensitizes us to Black death, and it focuses on individual cases of police violence while ignoring broader social and economic conditions.
Then, once we hear of riots (assumed to be an irrational response to that single case), our anger, condemnation, and attention is so, so quickly redirected from police towards Black protesters – viewed, whether intentionally or not, as “thugs,” criminals, or even as animal-like. This is an all too easily accessible mental image promoted by media and politicians – and it is damaging.
We then quickly lose focus on the conditions of inequality and policing, blaming Black protesters, or certain Black protesters, for not responding in the “correct” way. This mentality, subsequently, sustains the very conditions protested against in the first place.
In whatever way you view the issue, it is important to at least consider the historical context of riots and social change, to view riots as something more than senseless acts or acts of random violence. It is also important to maintain focus and work against the socioeconomic conditions that drive people to riot in the first place.
And, when you are able, it is important to use whiteness as a way to protect those more vulnerable to police brutality in protest.
For more information on riots and social change, “Riots are Destructive, Dangerous, and Scary – But Can Lead to Serious Social Reforms,” is a good place to start.
