The riots, protests and unrest are very predictable reactions when one considers the context and how biased historical knowledge actually is in this country. Recalling the unending names of Black men and women murdered by the paramilitary forces that we call police fills me with rage.

I also remember the countless remarks and responses by persons within the dominant white culture pleading for civility and saying, “But I wonder what was going on before the body camera was turned on?” Even the statement, “We have to reform policing now,” is inane.

It is insane to say the same thing over and over, make no changes and expect a different outcome. When persons react with criticism to these protests without a full understanding of the generational pain and suffering of persons of color, more violence and less understanding will be the results. From Rodney King  to George Floyd, there has been a continuous chain of abuse and murder of persons of color by police visually and audibly documented for everyone to see. The violence of these armed occupiers within our communities should be a horror for all of us.

The destruction of property is simply a reaction by human beings who are tired of waiting and are conveying the same rage I feel. They have given up on those who spout the same tired explanations condoning blue murder and violence. 

Joshua Wrolstad

Eugene