Table of Contents — This Is Not a Riot!

This Unrest Came Out of Nowhere

These uprisings are NOT in response to a singular event. This section grounds the current protests within the history of transgressions minority communities have endured for centuries in this country. It expands on the hopelessness and devastation so many Black people have experienced with respect to police brutality and the over-policing of their communities, which have ultimately led us up to this point.

This is a Riot and These People Are Out of Control

This section explores the role violence plays in protest, taking a closer look at the ways in which media terminology is used to frame Black “riot” versus white protest, and how property damage is often conflated with violence. It asks the question: Does perceived “violence” invalidate these efforts?

But The Looters….How Can You Condone Violence?

This section explores the delineation that is often made between good protesters and bad rioters, between nonviolent protesters and supposedly violent looters—a narrative which often works to perpetuate the criminalization of Black youth. It also covers how the media’s fixation on looting and property damage overshadows the goals of the protest, effectively moving the discussion away from the underlying causes that led to this point.

Aren’t The Police Just Trying to Keep the Protests Peaceful?

This section explores how police presence often heightens violence as opposed to keeping the peace, with officers using flash bangs and rubber bullets, and spraying tear gas indiscriminately into crowds. While we’ve seen officers kneel in solidarity with protesters and don’t deny the fact that there are good people who may be police officers, this section is concerned with the flawed structure, training, and system of policing as it exists across the U.S. today.

Weren’t These Just A Few Bad Apples?

This section forces us to refute the narrative that these are just “bad cops” operating outside of the criminal justice system. Instead, we take a look at the entire flawed system that not only allows these bad apples to exist, but also creates, encourages, and rewards them.

But What About Outside Agitators?

This section looks at the myth of outside agitators from the Far Left and Right, who some believe may deter from the original goals.

Didn’t the Civil Rights Movement Win Because It was Non-Violent?

This section asks the question WWMD (What Would Martin Do)? Many people, from elected officials to family members, have invoked the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., to denounce their perceived notions of recent protests, arguing that Black Lives Matter protests are very different from the civil rights movements of the 1950s and ’60s. These readings will illustrate the continuities and similarities between the two movements.

So What Do The Protestors Want?

What are protestors asking for? Here we investigate the various policies and platforms that Black activist groups, such as Black Lives Matter and 8ToAbolition, have put forth.

Aren’t the Police Our Only Option?

This section looks at alternatives beyond our current criminal justice system and the militarization of our local police force. Can we really abolish police? Prisons?

If Everything’s So Bad, Why Will This Time Be Any Different?

In this section, we explore the feelings of despondence many of us have experienced. We’ve seen this before. How is this time different?

So… What Have These Protests Achieved?

In this section, we lay out the victories that protestors have already won across the United States, and how they have galvanized a global movement against injustice in solidarity with Black Americans.

Why Are They Destroying Our History? Monuments, Statues, and Symbols

This section addresses the calls for public symbols of slave owners and the Confederacy, such as the Confederate flag and monuments to confederate figures, to be removed. Arguments for their removal state that these relics glorify and memorialize slavery, while perpetuating America’s revisionist history. In this section we examine the origins of these monuments, and the applied values and psychological attachment ascribed to their existence, while offering alternatives to recording history.

What Does Housing Justice Have to Do With the Uprising?

This section addresses the longstanding issues of discriminatory housing and lending practices in the United States and how they tie directly to lack of economic opportunities and reduced upward mobility for people of color. In particular, it shows how the pandemic has exacerbated the inequality wrought by decades of racist policies and stagnating economic opportunity. The months of lost wages and high rates of unemployment created by COVID-19 have the potential to trigger an eviction and housing crisis of historically unprecedented proportions in Black and Latinx communities.

So… What Can I Do?

A call to action, this section includes a list of practical things you can do right now to support protest efforts. It also covers how to become an informed ally and actively combat racism in your everyday life. If you’ve made it this far, then you have already made great first steps. Keep going!