Revolution is a core American value. Since the birth of this country, people have taken a stand against corrupt and malicious authorities. When the system in place abuses, neglects, or takes advantage of a group of people, revolution becomes inevitable. Social progression, more often than not, has come due to revolution, where flawed systems are fixed, or destroyed altogether and replaced with something new. George Floyd has become the latest symbol of a corrupt system, having been murdered by police in broad daylight. Floyd’s death has brought a new wave of momentum to the Black Lives Matter movement, inspiring numerous protests across the country, and even abroad, seeking justice for what was indisputably a murder. The manner in which protesters express their frustration has varied greatly, and has become a major point of contention in the media.
Originally, the two sides of the political spectrum seemed to finally agree on something: the police officer responsible for Floyd’s death, Derek Chauvin, was a murderer. There were few taken seriously who believed anything else. For once, true social progression seemed to be possible, as both a large portion of left wingers and right wingers recognized that there was a problem.
That unity fell apart however, as the protests gave way to a series of destructive riots. Small businesses were looted and burned down, people’s cars destroyed, and countless other examples of chaos gave a bad reputation for the protesters, despite the majority of them remaining peaceful. Incidents such as a homeless man’s belongings being set on fire, at least 11 people being killed across the nation, and firemen being prevented from entering a burning building with children inside, all contributed to the Black Lives Matter movement’s bad press, though to reiterate, most of the protesters remained peaceful. Still, to ignore the examples of pointless violence that contribute nothing to the actual cause, does no one any justice.
To make matters worse, the identities and allegiances of those responsible for causing all that destruction is unclear. There have been both sightings of rioters as well as police officers breaking in windows and causing chaos. Misinformation has spread rapidly regarding who was responsible for what. The only definitive truth behind the matter is the destruction left behind.
What was originally unity between left wingers and right wingers became a heated conflict, as usual. Both sides would go on to muddle the actual issue with their own political agendas, distracting from the original issue. Some right wingers began to ignore Floyd’s death and the problems that exist in the police, and instead treat the protesters as the real threat. President Trump would even declare Antifa, a left-wing activist group, as domestic terrorists, to justify sending the National Guard into the riots. Some left wingers, just as contentiously, have argued that the endangerment of so many innocent people as a result of the riots is justified; if the police cannot protect them, then that is evident of the police’s failure.
I would argue that neither of those assessments are purely correct. The peaceful protesters and the miscellaneous rioters should be treated as two separate things, because they undeniably are. To consider the Black Lives Matter movement and the chaos caused by the riots one in the same is a gross generalization of the situation. Riots are, as MLK put it, “the language of the unheard.” If the criminal justice system in the US wasn’t so flawed, there would never have been any protests or disturbances of the peace. Protests, and consequential revolts, are at times necessary. All the same, that is no justification for the examples of pointless violence caused by rioters. Committing what are inexcusably moral atrocities for the sake of causing chaos, has no relevance in helping the cause. And to deny responsibility for those atrocities, and to instead blame the system, is unfair and dishonest.
Notably, the police have not made the situation any better. In most cases, they have actually initiated and escalated situations. Policemen in some instances seem almost eager to engage with protesters. Police have been seen to harass protesters with tear gas and rubber bullets, peaceful or not.
Change often comes about as a result of revolution. The Black Lives Matter movement understands that disrupting the order of society means forcing about a change in society. Yet, the ways of which people go about that disruption is important. Destroying people’s livelihoods, murdering, and endangering the innocent does not further any call for social change. It’s not only counter-productive, but ideologically frivolous. The police are just as responsible for the destruction caused by the riots, their escalations of violence leading to more anger and more resentment of the current system. And more importantly, the ends do not always justify the means. The Bolsheviks, Mao, Castro, the Reign of Terror, all examples of revolutions defined not by their effectiveness in defeating the system, but rather by the unnecessary violence they relied on to get there.
What was at one point a unified voice calling for change, has once again fallen victim to the bipartisanship that has plagued the United States for the past few years. Floyd’s impact has greatly changed the direction of this country. Politicizing social issues in such a way as it has and resorting to pointless violence just to cause chaos, prevents the changes that need to be made, to fix the system that is so broken.