Without conceding that this topic should be our main focus right now I feel like we should draw a clear distinction between, say, local businesses on one extreme and police precinct buildings on the other. I see voices on the right, such as this article, invoking the destruction black-owned businesses as their examples of property damage and I can't help but feel like they tactically know this is more likely to draw a reaction than the destruction of buildings that belong to racist government institutions -- the American right wasn't too concerned when the KKK (a precursor to many southern police departments) burned down black businesses, churches, and homes. I can totally agree that the destruction of local businesses is a shame, but I'm not really worried about the big boxerinos and I'm downright ecstatic about police stations going up in flames.
I've also never seen a source for the claim of black-owned businesses being destroyed during these riots, I've begun to believe it's just intentional misinformation.
Is it that far-fetched to you that with the number of black-owned businesses there are and the number of businesses that were destroyed, that at least one of them would have been destroyed in the riots? I personally know of a black-owned business in Cleveland that had to shut down after being looted. Either you're underestimating the number of black-owned businesses, the number of destroyed businesses, both, or are simply being disingenuous
I'm disappointed by how much sympathy for cops was expressed in the video I'm about to link, but when Killer Mike tells me that the destruction of black-owned businesses is a problem in his community while wearing a "kill your masters" shirt[0], I sort of tentatively take his word that this is a real issue. I just think that some people are using it as a substitute for the issue they really want to raise, and it feels very disingenuous to me. Let's talk about precinct buildings.
