by Ken Vincent, Featured Contributor
THE RECENT protesters seem to have a common theme or cry. “We want justice.” I have to wonder about that though. Do the organizers of these marches and sit ins really want justice or do they want vengeance? Are they trying to make things better or just gain notoriety?
It seems to me that if justice is really the objective then the activities would be peaceful. They would be having more news conferences explaining their position. They would get parade permits, not block traffic on an interstate. They would be publicly asking for meetings with officials to find resolutions to what they see as problems.
Are the looting and burning of businesses and the stoning of cops simply an indication that the organizers have lost control of the participants? It seems to me that if you are going to organize such an even then you should have certain safety valves in place to see to it that innocent people are not damaged or hurt.
I’m sure that someone is going to tell me that it is the backlash of anger and frustration of being poor, being a minority, being down trodden, being profiled and harassed by cops, etc. Bunk. Anyone with a brain would know that burning a hair salon does nothing to change any of those things. What it does do is put some other minorities out of work and make the owner poorer. It also solidifies negative feelings toward the group that is being violent and does nothing to help race relations.
Justice or vengeance, which is it? If it is justice then go about it in the right way. If it is vengeance then don’t be surprised when law enforcement and public sentiment turns against you and pushes back.