Supporting the rioters in the Philadelphia protests and condemning the actions of the opportunistic looters are not mutually exclusive, writes Sandy Smith, Philadelphia Magazine’s Home and Real Estate editor.

The protests that have erupted all over the nation because of George Floyd’s death are a reaction to decades of police’s mistreatment of people of color.

Some of them have turned violent, because “violence is the last, not the first, resort of most people who face oppression, subjugation, or mere discrimination,” wrote Smith.

But there are also those who are taking advantage of the situation and show up to push their own agenda.

These can be anarchists wanting to overturn the entire system, white nationalists who want to hasten the race war, or looters who simply want to “get paid” by stealing from nearby stores.

However these people are not part of the message that is being transmitted by protestors with shouts that sometimes escalate into flying bricks and flames.

And knowing and recognizing the difference between the two groups is of crucial importance right now.

“Most of us African-Americans can make the distinction between the protesters and the looters,” wrote Smith. “Why can’t everyone else?”

Read more about the protests at the Philadelphia Magazine by clicking here.

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