One of the biggest issues that have come out of the George Floyd protests is the looting and destruction that has caused havoc across the nation. People were rioting and looting, all in the name of George Floyd, yet they did nothing to actually help spark the conversation about police reforms. But attorney and rapper Gysai Ross believes the looters did something good.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness — you know, people, looters got a bad name during the George Floyd protests. But thank goodness for the looters, man. You have a place called Target, you have a store called Target, you’re going to be a target," he explained during a 4th of July segment on MSNBC. "You know, these places have absolutely contributed to the oppression, these retail places have contributed to the oppression of our people. There’s over-policing of brown and black bodies within retail spaces. I think that a good portion of the people, white people that otherwise would not be activated this time, are realizing, 'No, this is going to affect me. This is going to affect my pocketbook. This is going to affect my community. So perhaps I should give a damn.' I think that’s going to be the difference in this new era."
What good came out of people rioting and looting? Is it the black-owned businesses that were destroyed, all in the name of Black Lives Matter? Or destroying the homes, stores and communities of black disabled women?
Targets, Walmarts and other big box store chains weren't the only ones who were impacted. And saying that looting a Target store somehow moves the conversation about police reform and racism forward is ignorant. It doesn't do anything other than create a cycle of poverty. People in poor neighborhoods that rely on these jobs are suddenly jobless because their employer was looted and destroyed. Now they're having to figure out how to find a new job or keep the one they have. And these are the same people who were disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.
If you want to talk about helping people of color, you would be encouraging people to be peaceful, not destructive. All this chaos does is hurt the people it's supposed to help.
MSNBC: "Looters got a bad name during the George Floyd protests but thank goodness for the looters.
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) July 4, 2020
"You have a store called Target, you're going to be a target... These retail places have contributed to the oppression of our people." pic.twitter.com/bcfWmj3u4p