I'm assuming every one else is also basing their understanding of this situation entirely on The Wire, right?

It is counterproductive. What's more counterproductive is when we keep murdering unarmed black people via our police forces.

Also lol "race war". Whatever "race war" is going on, we started it not the looters.

Don't you just love it when someone makes a political status on FB and they're totally cool with it and all the comments until you start posting a different opinion? Then they're all "get off my lawn!! rwrr"

I have tasted victory my friends and it is GLORIOUS.

I wonder what would have happened if the rioters attempted to set fire to Baltimore's Inner Harbor instead of their 3rd world ghetto.

Pretty big change from a month ago when you got the vapors and accused posters here of inciting rioters to real life violence for posting "they should have burnt down the courthouse not the quikmart"

Glad you backed off that nonsense, quite obvious now it was because of who posted it and belonged in your containment thread.

Take your noise to the containment thread please

Hey I'm glad you have changed your tune, just curious why the sudden change of viewpoint?

I have changed nothing. You are just trying to get your obsession into the conversation.

There's a containment thread for it if you really feel the need. Take it there.

Okay you are stating we'll see a lot of improvement in the socioeconomic status of the poor in Baltimore due to the rioting, got it. Like when has this actually happened in a city?

The most significant, recent developments in the civil rights movement inoccurred in the late 50's and early to mid 60's. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 being the most significant developments by far. There can be no doubt that the civil disobedience to Jim Crow laws led by Martin Luther King directly led to these developments.

Detroit is a disaster, Cleveland is a disaster, Watts is a disaster, hell even Baltimore which has had rioting in the 60's is a disaster. Again, please explain how rioting has improved the socioecomic status of the poor in America.

Btw, there have been many studies and papers written on the socioeconomic impacts of communities in the aftermath of rioting. I haven't found one that claims the socioecomic status of the community where the rioting occurred was improved. The message is pretty much the same, rioting is the most damaging to the communities where the riots occur.

Chez, claiming that even internet posts saying "the people of Ferguson should have burnt down the courthouse not the quikmart" were dangerous and inciting violence (posts made six months after the fact, mind you) is pretty different from your claims this morning in this thread.

Whether that's a change and why you might have posted your past nonsense we can leave as an exercise to regular readers.

There's a containment thread for your noise. Take it there.

Ah. So that was why you got the vapors before when you had a completely different view on this topic. Makes sense, thanks.

Good. Now take your noise to the containment thread.

Man, if only they had read the studies about the socioeconomic impacts of rioting. Bet they would have thought twice last night!

No violence in the gay rights movement? Hahahahahaha

Hahahahahahah

I'm fine with saying the rioting itself doesn't bring economic benefits because it by itself doesn't and riots aren't rational and organized attempts to effect change any more than burning a random car after a super bowl win is a rational celebration of a team victory. But when riots occur after a super bowl win we attribute it to the irrationality of crowds and shrug our shoulders and put responsibility on the city to act responsibly meanwhile we pretend racial rioters should have some kind of Martin Luther King hive mind that they are morally violating.

There were protests about police brutality for weeks before the riots though.

There will be protests about police brutality afterward as well.

I was wondering where the Gray thread was. Maybe we need another thread for black people killed by cops without the use of firearms?

That sounds about right. Political rioting isn't rational it's an emotional outburst due to frustration and anger. When such anger/frustration is understandable and sufficiently recognized than rioting can bring about political change (rioting can increase the understanding of the anger/frutration by drawing attention to it). Rioting can make a significant difference but is also highly destructive and dangerous for those involved.

Protest is the rational counterpart. Our minimal goal should be to get to the point that there is insufficient anger and frustration to cause rioting.

This is the containment thread for black people killed by cops that totally don't have anything to do with race.

Its also the thread for ignoring peaceful protests and chastising rioters for not peacefully protesting.

I'm on my phone so you'll have to grab then yourself, but the Baltimore Sun has put out in the last few months excellent reports both on police brutality generally and rough rides specifically.

I can certainly agree with the need to protest. I can even follow the need to riot to get your point across. But the second you start looting and stealing ****, you lose all right to claim that you care anything about the issue you're protesting. You're just a scumbag at that point. People that are upset about real issues and want change don't use it as an excuse to steal booze and electronics.

People smarter than you (most people) already know this and take it into account when figuring the stats out. When they compare blacks against whites it's not taking a guy from the hood and comparing him to a guy from the suburbs.

She learned the lesson of London even if her racist skull cracking douchebag cops didn't. Trying to stop looters and rioters is dumb. It is entirely counter productive and puts considerably more people at risk.