It’s no secret that blending in with others, shopping, driving, or otherwise going about mundane daily responsibilities is not a privilege many Black people enjoy without punishment. We stand out when just being ourselves, particularly to law enforcement. That doesn’t exactly change when you add a protest movement fueled by rightful outrage over the unjust killing of a Black man.
So while Black and white protesters have marched, screamed, and in some cases even destroyed public property in pursuit of justice for George Floyd, Black people are the ones painted as violent distracters—ironically from the very movement we started.
That was made very clear to a Los Angeles resident identified only as Monet by Fox 11. She is one of a few Black residents who were trying to help owners of a liquor store protect their property from looters when police detained the volunteers. "I was handcuffed, thrown up against a wall with my husband and brother-in-law, and I'm like, 'What the hell,'" Monet told the local news station.
A Black protester was trying to prevent a similar occurrence in Los Angeles when she begged two white women spray painting “BLM” on the side of a Starbucks building to stop. "If we wanted you to do it we would've asked," the woman could be heard telling the vandals. "They not gon’ show y'all faces when they see that on their building. They gon’ blame that on us.”
She’s not the only person of color who worries the numerous incidents of violence, looting, and vandalism will be laid at the feet of Black protesters. Forbes contributor Maia Niguel Hoskin wrote: “Unquestionably, these protests will be a significant fixture in American history. But what narrative will be used to describe the intensity and anguish that has surrounded these events? Will the last five days and counting be recorded within its authentic context— the result of systemic racism and black people feeling unheard—systemic racism— or will it be minimized as blacks behaving badly?”
They are troubling but necessary questions, especially considering that in several cases white people—and sometimes white supremacists—have been the ones inciting violence.
In the majority-white southwest Chicago suburb of Naperville, witnesses reported white people looting downtown following a peaceful protest earlier Monday. Similarly, a witness captured footage of white people looting stores in Atlantic City over the weekend. They could be seen in the video running outside of a Vans shoe store when authorities arrived.
ProPublica reporter Jessica Huseman shot video of protesters spray painting a light post in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. “Every person I have seen spray painting tonight has been white,” she tweeted Sunday.
White supremacists have even been accused of infiltrating peaceful protests and intentionally using violence and destruction to counteract the protest movement’s goal of fighting police brutality. Such was the case when white supremacists posed as representatives of “antifa,” an anti-fascist movement President Donald Trump recently accused of being a “terrorist organization,” CNN reported.
The fake Twitter account, @ANTIFA_US, reportedly tweeted Sunday: "ALERT Tonight's the night, Comrades Tonight we say "F**k The City" and we move into the residential areas... the white hoods.... and we take what's ours #BlacklivesMaters #F**kAmerica."
The account was created by a well-known white supremacist group, CNN reported. "This account violated our platform manipulation and spam policy, specifically the creation of fake accounts," a Twitter spokesperson told the news network. "We took action after the account sent a Tweet inciting violence and broke the Twitter Rules."
Donald Trump Jr., however, used the tweet to back his father’s unsubstantiated claim about antifa. "Absolutely insane," he reportedly wrote on Instagram. "Just remember what ANTIFA really is. A Terrorist Organization! They're not even pretending anymore."
Neither is his father, who defended white supremacists and leads an administration that had federal police clear out a peaceful protest for George Floyd with tear gas and rubber bullets. Both examples aren’t exactly discreet signals that Trump’s allegiance may not lie with Black people.
This is the same president who called Colin Kaepernick—the free-agent quarterback practically banned from the NFL for taking a knee during the national anthem to protest police brutality—a “son of a b---h.” The president has, however, prioritized defending white supremacists repeatedly.
He called white nationalists "very fine people" when they fought the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville in 2017, and just on Monday, he tried to protect “white supremest” accused of committing crimes in the name of George Floyd protests.
Again, Trump’s position is hardly unexpected. He all but ran on being a president for racists and bigots. I can only hope those faced with the decision to continue supporting him or opt out in November remember that this is what a Trump presidency looks like: chaos, destruction, and hate.
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