Why I don't care about looters,people breaking shop windows etc.

[undergroundpanther]

Our culture puts value in property . As in property over people. This is sick.

Property can be rebuilt,remade,redone.

A human being however once they die there will never be another person like that person.
There is no rebuilding,remaking or redoing it is a life lost forever.

Property is not alive,it cannot feel pain ,fear,hunger,loss,or love, it does not get ground down by poverty and it does not feel powerless and helpless,humiliated and it does not care that it is abused ,locked away,ignored rejected and neglected and deemed inferior.


However if people around that person,and people with authority do those things to a human being they just might become desperate and hopeless enough to say fuck it ,fuck the rich,fuck authority,and fuck the property I need to exist! Fuck these shitheads who want to use me ,hurt me ignore me,call me a thug,and deny me a way of life I can live.

And remember when people are treated as property they are slaves.

What is more important people or property.really.

Are we people or do we rather Identify ourselves with t he poor burning cvs or the broken glass or that missing stuff from the precious mondawmin mall,are we fucking property?

Or NOT!

[still_one]

1. except the shops being vandalized had NOTHING to do with the police brutality. The protesters were

peaceful, it was a few that couldn't care less about Freddie that attacked and looted some merchants. They were just looking for an excuse

[SickOfTheOnePct]

4. +10000 n/t

[SoLeftIAmRight]

23. A huge company that sells drugs has nothing to do with the problems in america?

you are kidding - right?

[still_one]

25. what the hell are you talking about. McDonalds, 7/11, Dunkin Donuts, Urban Outfitters, H&M, etc.

What do they have to do with selling drugs?

and if you are blaming it on the pharmacies that were vandalized, pharmacies are NOT drug suppliers as you conveniently characterized. They dispense prescriptions. You have really twisted things pretty well to justify the vandals. Not surprisingly, Freddie Gray's family doesn't agree with your twisted assessment

http://www.wbaltv.com/news/baltimore-store-owners-clean-up-after-vandals/32582144

[SoLeftIAmRight]

26. You have listen my favorite places to eat

we could not live without them

[still_one]

27. Have a good day, I have no idea where you are coming from

[Luminous Animal]

36. All who are silent are complicit.

[kysrsoze]

28. Yeah, tell that to the shop owners. WTF???

Yes, property can be replaced, but the loss impacts inner city shop owners HARD. most of the aren't rolling in dough... Just making a living. When their stores are looted, they lose big time. Insurance probably doesn't cover all their stock... If they even carry it for the stock.

I'm all for protesting, but looting is bullshit.

[still_one]

31. Are you addressing me, because I was criticizing the vandals and looters?

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

35. I don't think anyone condones the vandalism etc.

But here's the thing; in my opinion, the black community in Baltimore, Ferguson, Los Angeles, etc etc etc, doesn't believe in the system, has no hope of being heard, is ignored and policed like they are animals. Why should they give a fuck about some shops? This behavior isn't so much about looting as it is about expressing outrage at life in America, if you are a person of color.........

[still_one]

37. Read post 28 and post 11 they sum it up very well.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

92. They sum up what very well?

It's like saying to the Black community, 'you're not playing very nicely!'

[840high]

44. +10

[phil89]

2. There's more to it than that.

They are destroying resources in the community. There may be aging seniors and others who needed to use those pharmacies. As far as the liquor and check cashing stores...well I could care less, but this is harming the community.

[okaawhatever]

11. One of the fires was a senior citizens home being built by a local church $60 Million dollars. That

is going to hurt a lot of seniors. No, it's not as bad as being killed by a cop, but these property crimes have a very real effect on people's lives. Some smaller businesses may not have enough insurance to re-open (minority owned businesses).

Anyone who is sick or injured may not be able to get an ambulance in time and may die. (they started attacking fire trucks that came to put the car fires out).

People who are one paycheck away from being homeless may now miss that paycheck due to a business being closed/looted/burned. Not to mention that all the agencies that offer help to those in need will now be overwhelmed.

People who have respiratory problems will be seriously bothered, to include ER visits and worse, due to the smoke from the fires.

This isn't about one CVS. It is about rioters and looters affecting the quality of life for a lot of people. The tax base will lose a lot of money from the businesses that are going to be closed. (money for local schools), everyone will get fewer services because the overtime for police, fire & medical will use up a lot of tax dollars.

Nobody wins with rioting and looting. Worse, the people it hurts the most are the ones in their own neighborhood. The PR war is lost. The rioters and looters have completely co-opted Mr. Gray's funeral. They have stolen his spotlight, his moment, and the light being shone on systematic police abuse. The rioters have set the cause back, any way you look at it.

[NobodyHere]

16. Very well put!

[ChazII]

53. Seconding post #16 and your

observations. A small business owner of a grocery story said that the looters broke the windows of the store and had stolen merchandise in his store.

Your remarks are spot on.

[romanic]

57. I wish I could give you a million likes

Because that's what your post deserves.

[okaawhatever]

62. Thank you. nt

[AuntPatsy]

3. well said Panther!

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

5. Plus a million, we need to drown out the fake concern about CVS stores and jobs...

[undergroundpanther]

12. It's all about what they identify with

A cvs will return .rebuilt redone etc.

People unlike a cvs can help one another, that senior could Get help by another person if they wanted to ,to drive them to a different cvs and get them their meds there. The loss of 1 cvs should bring people together get them out of their self centered tunnel vision and out helping others.

But if people decide to identify as property they'll need their owner (authority figure)to tell them to do it,and that it is safe. And the job demands must become less so there is time for people doing busywork to get out and help.jobs have consumed people's every free moment,so there is no time for family let alone community, work demands set by the idle rich is part of why the community is dying.

[Adrahil]

15. Are you so sure?

After the riots of the 60's, many businesses never rebuilt, leaving neighborhoods barren.

This kind of behavior defines cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.

[Purveyor]

78. i.e. Detroit. eom

[Politicalboi]

42. What!!!!!!!

"People unlike a cvs can help one another, that senior could Get help by another person if they wanted to ,to drive them to a different cvs and get them their meds there."

Yes cause the poor seniors have all kinds of friends that will help them out and take them to the store. I'm glad you think they'll get the help they need. I guess we'll never know will we. But I'm guessing they will have to go without. Because the rioters are so self centered, I doubt they'll help anyone except themselves.

Rainbows and lollipops.

"The loss of 1 cvs should bring people together get them out of their self centered tunnel vision and out helping others."

[Daemonaquila]

24. Alas, it's not fake.

Some people can't seem to fathom that the brutal murder of a young man, randomly chosen by cops for harassment, means far more than than the loss of some random store filled with random crap. Yes, losing neighborhood stores or jobs sucks. But it doesn't compare to how much it sucks to lose a friend, a son, a neighbor... and the hope for a nation of young men who are taught that they are worth less than a cut fire hose.

[undergroundpanther]

77. Wish I could rec your post a billion times

You got it.

[Chan790]

90. +1 more. n/t :)

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

94. I get really pissed when I see white privileged people sit back and lecture about

how valuable the CVS store in a situation like this, they are either willfully expressing the ULTIMATE white privilege (in which case it doesnt belong on DU) or are quite ignorant.

[GGJohn]

33. Fake concern?

Tell that to the employee that now can't pay their mortgage/rent, can't put food on the table for their family, can't find another job.
And how about the business owners who are now out hundreds of thousands of dollars, and probably insurance won't cover every thing, including the stock items.
Fake concern my ass.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

39. who did you pull for in the ben hur movie?

the romans?

[GGJohn]

40. Never watched it,

so how about answering my post?

[SoLeftIAmRight]

46. sad - very sad

yes - it is a bad situation

Do you have any understanding of what drives people?

[GGJohn]

52. More so than you do. eom.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

56. Care to share so of your wisdom?

no joke - you have something real to say about the human condition I would be thankful for you thoughts.

[GGJohn]

65. 2 years in Vietnam fighting the NVA and VC who just wanted to unite their country.

I saw and participated in some pretty bad treatment of the people there, not something I'm proud of in my later years.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

67. Dear John

may you find peace - I can not begin to imagine your mind - I will you well

and I wish the looters well - I hope they can find some peace -

compassion is good.

be well

[GGJohn]

69. Thank you.

I have found my peace on our little farm here in AZ.

[still_one]

74. you wish the looters well, says everything about you, and your bullshit about peace

[SoLeftIAmRight]

76. yes - that one post sums up every aspect of my being

I even wish you well

be well

[romanic]

59. Considering how much the Romans destroyed

I think i know who you'd be pulling for.

[jberryhill]

73. So sacking Rome was an advance?

[Yo_Mama]

6. Destroy enough property, and you destroy the lives of the people who live there

and work there.

Of COURSE, if I have to choose between running over a bicyclist or running into someone's building, I will run into the building.

But this is not a forced choice, and the "thugs" (mayor's term, not mine) who did this have attacked people (some overtly), but even the property destruction will destroy people's lives, and cause more poverty, and more hopelessness.

http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/04/27/umb-closes-early-due-to-potential-rallies-threats-in-baltimore/

“What we see going on tonight that is going on in our city is very disturbing. It is very clear there is a difference between what we saw over the past week with the peaceful protests, those who wish to seek justice, those who wish to be heard and want answers, and the difference between those protests and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city,” said Rawlings-Blake during a press conference Monday evening.

The mayor said the only exceptions for people to be on the streets during the curfew would be for medical emergencies or those going to work.

“I’m a life-long resident of Baltimore, and too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for,” she said. “We are deploying every resource possible to gain control of the situation and to ensure peace moving forward.”

[AuntPatsy]

7. Read

http://www.civilrights.org/archives/2009/06/449-stonewall.html

[Yo_Mama]

13. But this appears to be looting rather than much protesting.

Right now, that is.

I don't know what to make of it, but I am sure that the response will be very strong street enforcement by the police and a lot of arrests.

They are putting on an adult curfew all this week now.

[AuntPatsy]

30. It appears to be just looting because that's how they wanted you to see it..

Most of the morning and afternoon continued the same looped video scenes over and over again, you would not believe how blatant It was....,

There were protests peaceful ones completely ignored, if you view the beginning it was more than obvious people were set up today...

[AgingAmerican]

84. It appears to be looting

...because folks are looting.

It ain't rocket science.

[Yo_Mama]

88. No, people weren't set up. This was planned.

Apparently the police knew that it was going to be very violent from social media. Because the police contacted a bunch of places, including the mall, the CVS, the University of Baltimore and so forth and had them close early.

And the police gave them the 3:00 PM hour, so they all closed at 2.

Of course there are also people who wanted to protest peacefully out there.

[Historic NY]

8. If I was a shop owner I take the insurance money and leave.....

why would you expect them to rebuild. They provide good and services and finally jobs....nice going. Just look at places that burned in the 60's and as recent at Watts, rebuilding a lifes work isn't easy and many times never happens.....but by all means please proceed.

[Logical]

10. And you would be smart! nt

[SoLeftIAmRight]

38. did you pull for the romans

during the ben hur movie?

[GGJohn]

41. WTF does some movie have to do with the criminals looting and destroying

businesses?

[SoLeftIAmRight]

45. Ben Hur looted most of Italy

???

[GGJohn]

51. Oh, well that makes it all ok.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

54. we have much work to do berfore all is ok

what do you do?

[GGJohn]

58. What do I do?

I'm involved in our local Dem party, I write my Reps., attend rallies, donate to local and state candidates, etc.
All this while working our farm.
What do you do? I mean, other than sitting behind a keyboard and looking for property in FL.?

[Ex Lurker]

60. There wasn't any looting in Ben Hur

Perhaps you're thinking of Spartacus.

[SoLeftIAmRight]

63. wow

what a brain malfunction

[Yupster]

64. Confusing with Spartacus?

Maybe?

[SoLeftIAmRight]

70. yep

mom and grandmother died with Alzheimers - not looking so good for me

[brooklynite]

89. Are you perhaps thinking of Spartacus?

[Politicalboi]

48. Maybe these rioters should burn down

Their own home. Let the mob loot it, and burn it down. It's just a structure, what's the big deal. They want to make this riot about them, then be the first to loot and burn your own home down.

[Yo_Mama]

14. Well, if it gets bad enough you can't get ongoing insurance, so you are forced out.

That's one of the reasons why so many inner city commercial districts folded right up after the 60s.

[AuntPatsy]

32. Ah the simplicity of those who look no further than the end of their noses....

By all means, please proceed...

[rtw]

80. Unfortunately,

I doubt there will be much insurance money. Rioting is a typical exclusion in almost any policy.

[Logical]

9. Under your fucking logic we should not stop the looters or the arson? LOL, you are really not....

thinking.

[X_Digger]

17. Except the property in this case provides jobs, goods, food, and resources to the community.

How about the community shop owner who employs ex-cons who otherwise would be violating parole and back in jail.. or the shop owner who makes sure that blankets and spare clothes just happen to end up at the back door on cold nights..

Yeah, umm. No. I care.

Let's make sure Baltimore doesn't become a food desert, a place where only payday lenders, pawn shops, bail bonds, and title loans are the only businesses left.

[TheKentuckian]

18. My biggest problem is bad targeting, take that shit to the burbs and fuck up the people who support

and encourage this state of affairs.

Purely transactional too. Straight up if you gun down one of our kids we are going to take it out of your ass until you insist that the street executions stop.

No justice, no peace...period. Put a leash on your attack dogs or get fucked up.

[Throd]

20. How would you know which ones are which?

[msongs]

19. one can be concerned about both lives and property, but lives take priority nt

[Throd]

21. That physical property is part of the fabric of a community that makes a place livable.

[alphafemale]

22. OK. We'll send them to break your windows and trash your property.

Glad you are so willing to have everything in your home stolen.

And burnt to the ground.

[Politicalboi]

50. LOL!

Yeah, it's just a structure, it can be rebuilt tomorrow. LOL!

[Ed Suspicious]

61. Well if I were to chose between my shit being trashed and having that young man alive neck intact

I'd choose the latter every time.

[Egnever]

71. Except that isn't the choice

The young mans neck is not unbroken from this.

[HipChick]

29. Broken windows can be replaced, broken necks not so much so...

[Politicalboi]

55. If they only stopped at the windows

This just makes life harder for EVERYONE in those neighborhood. And it does nothing to stop police brutality.

[undergroundpanther]

75. Exactly you understand my point

I choose to focus on all the people senselessly killed by law enforcement be they black,Native American,or mentally ill. These three subsets of people are being murdered by cops in droves. I am a member of two of those groups and I will never call a cop even if suicidal, because when I did they were abusive to me,I was not violent,was talking quietly,yet they were rough with me and humiliated me and had no regard my leg was in a brace. I do not trust what seeks my harm or death. I never trusted cops never will.

[Newest Reality]

34. Of course...

We tend to fixate and those who understand that use this as a way to manipulate us BIG TIME.

There is no such thing as a person without an environment, or a thing without a background, ever. Yet, we are on this trajectory where persona and drama trump the relationship of the two.

Many of us will find ourselves inside our heads projecting our ideas, (all based on the past and what we have been told or learned, one way or another) on a situation. It is very hard to see that objectively and we are often basing our reaction on our current situation, (which has to do with the context of our current environment) on other people and events.

When we can relax and open our minds, it might become more obvious to us that there is a direct and undeniable relationship between what we think of as the autonomous individual and the environment/society around them. That includes the most benevolent acts and the most ingenious, psychotic and deplorable behaviors. You really don't get one thing without the other, but there is a very clear-cut manipulation going on here that plays up one side to try to avoid the aspects of the rather abstract other. You can't have a society without individuals and, even though we would like to pretend otherwise, you can't have individuals without the society. We would have to speculate back into the past in order to try to imagine people who were removed from the social environment, yet no man is really an island as far as our species is concerned.

So, maybe we can expand our views to try to see the intrinsic relationship between an individual, or a group, and that larger scope we call culture and society. Maybe that perspective would help us to make better sense of what we are dealing with and bring the two together in a better form of harmony because we would then see that this is very essential to all we hold dear and value, in the end.

[demosincebirth]

43. You would sure care a whole lot if it was your shop or business.

[undergroundpanther]

79. I bet you'd care if it was your spine being broken.

Or should forget about your silly problem with cops and fret about the the new windows on your neighbors house possibly being broken by furious people outraged at how the police mistreated you?

[demosincebirth]

97. My backbone is in pretty good form not like those spineless punks who wait untill they can make a

peaceful demonstration into a self serving riot to loot and burn businesses in their own neighborhoods which employ many of their neighbors. If you support that, then why are you not down there with your own ilk.

It's pretty easy and safe to make remarks about a persons spine sitting behind a keyboard and screen.

[840high]

47. How about treating people and property with respect.

[Bonobo]

66. Start with treating PEOPLE with respect. nt

[bravenak]

68. Yes.nt

[Quantess]

49. There is such a thing as a franchise business.

Locally owned franchises. The sign says McDonalds, and yet it is a locally owned franchise. Do people not know this, or don't care?

[romanic]

72. I care about police brutality

But i also care about the livelihood of black people and their communities; if you enjoy seeing another inner city being looted and burned piece by piece then you're no better than a crooked cop or a right winger in my eyes.

[gwheezie]

81. my heart goes out to the people of baltimore

I was in Newark in 1967. The arrest and beating of smith came after decades of corrupt government,racism and murdered black folks. In the end the myth of black snipers permitted the killing of more people in the community. This evening I am gathering reporting on Baltimore from overseas news sources because I remember Newark and the story being told was slanted. I hope the violence stops quickly because it is going to be young black men being killed and jailed. 26 people were killed in Newark. Over 1000 jailed with no charges. But no one arrested for the killing of 26 people.

[daredtowork]

83. Look into Detroit and L.A. around the same time. nt

[gwheezie]

85. I remember

I grew up on Newark and was there during the riots. The news reports were terribly inaccurate so I read about other riots mindful there was a different reality for the people living there.

[daredtowork]

87. I haven't regarded the news as a vehicle of truth for years. nt

[For Freddie]

82. Thug

The narrative on MSM is hijacked again to divide Black and White, Middle class and Poor, to assign blame and to keep things static.They are trying to scare white people like they did in 68. They are appealing to materialistic fears. They are afraid of the new generation coming up now. They should be.

Every time I hear a white person use the word "thug" I see that ass wipe as a not so closeted racist. It is a popular word for over stuffed white conservative males to use replacing the "N word".
Lee Atwood invented that diversion. He said" You can't say N word N word N word. But you can say Affirmative Action , Busing, "... I wouldn't be surprised if Karl Rove, his protege, came up with "thug" in the racist context for repugnican politicos.

When they care more for a CVS store(destruction of property) than lead paint exposures and the degrading of public schools. When they are willing to spend more money on prisons and incarceration(for profit) and quietly keep the "secret"of urban poverty, things explode eventually. If this is what it takes to make it right to put the attention, energy and funding into fixing it ,instead of privatizing the universe for more money and power for old white men, then maybe this is what is needed. These kids are invisible without this kind of event. They are telling all the adults in this country who dropped the ball that they need help, respect and
to do the work needed to improve this ghastly situation. It is not Rocket Surgery, grown ups.

Yeah violence and destruction sucks , ask anyone living in urban poverty.Why is violence and destruction so very bad when it is
Black folks finally not taking it anymore? But violence by white men with guns in schools in hospitals and campuses just another day of the home of the brave? Where ever the word "thug" is used it is a diversion from the core issues . The core issue is CHANGE.UNITY.And this new generation coming up.

Thug should not be used by white people in any context when Black communities are burning due to neglect, greed, corruption, abuse and murder by white police. It is a distraction from the core issue which is neglect, greed, racism and just plain hate.Watch, they are going to hang this on the Black mayor. Fox has been working on that one all night, CNN too. Ultimately it is of course" all Obama 's fault". He is the "King Thug". They are diverting the issue with the blame game. The Conservative Brain loves that one. It has to be someone's "fault" to distract from the core issue. Divisiveness to hold on to power. UNITY terrifies them.
Every time we see an image on our screens in the USA of Black and poor people suffering and the word "thug" comes up I think this is going to be a hot and long summer, guillotines and Winter Palace time all over again. I am still not over Malcolm, Martin, Katrina , and Billie.

One of the most terrifying images from the Bush Cheney regime was not the torture pictures,or war, but the images on our T.V. screens of people of color dead in the streets when Katrina hit . And the smugness of those responsible. The message being , stay in line
or we will do genocide on all of you. It was not that subtle. If you were a person of color.

The Fire Next Time is here now, again. And you know what they are running on TV lately? A Gone With the Wind marathon and a Dirty Harry marathon." Good Lawdy Miz Scarlett, they be doing Burn Baby Burn again." "Make my day, Thug". Time to dust off the old X baseball hat and my Malcolm buttons. How I wish Miles was here
with us. We need him now. Good writing undergroundpanther.

[Stardust]

86. So true. Welcome to DU.

[840high]

95. The poor pastor was almost crying on TV.

[Oktober]

93. ... Because it isn't yours.

FTFY...

[840high]

96. If it was your property

you would care. Easy to type words when ur not involved.