My country is on fire tonight. Again.
I was talking with Liz about that while we were walking the pups tonight, just before a curfew was ordered in effect for all of Los Angeles. The last time I can remember protesting and rioting like this across the country was Ferguson. That was 2014. And here we are again.
So much in this country needs to change. We fought a war over slavery. The racism, fear, and anger in the US is deep. On nights like tonight, I fear we’re never going to get there, we’re never going to progress.
Rioting is ugly and dangerous and scary, yes. There is no doubt about this. But, let’s all be clear about something: property damage, theft, and screaming are not even in the same ballpark as choking the life out of someone. My heart goes out to a business owner who loses their store because of a riot, I’d never want that to happen to me…but if it did, I’d have a way forward to rebuild. A dead person has no such thing. It’s over. There is no rebuild. There is no insurance. They’ve been deprived of the one thing that can never be given back.
Let’s not get that twisted.
Things feel precarious here, once again. Oof.
I’m scared for my country.