What Will Be the Outcome of the 2020 Riots?

            George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020, because Minneapolis police used excessive force to control him. Protests began almost immediately, and the peaceful protests quickly morphed into riots. Rioting, looting, burning of businesses, and killing of cops quickly spread nationwide. It appears that agitators joined the protests and were at the root of the riots. The riots continue even now, more than two weeks later. 


            There seems to be at least two “stories” to explain why Blacks are so angry towards Whites. The first story is that Whites have oppressed Blacks for 401 years and have not listened to their complaints. The second story is that Blacks are not as oppressed as they once were. Both stories cannot be true. If Blacks are not as oppressed as they were in the 1960s, it means that Whites have listened to the complaints and have made changes – making the first story a lie.


            I hope that you noticed the wording of the second story. It did not say that Blacks are no longer oppressed, but it said that Blacks are not as oppressed as much as they were previously. This means that we are making progress, but racism still exists. We can do better.


            I am not black, so I do not understand what it is like to be black. I am not a racist or an oppressor of other races, so I do not understand the mentality of such hard-hearted people. I am a child of God, and I know that He loves all His children. However, I do not understand why He created His children in different races. Because I know that He loves all His children and desires their happiness, I believe that He considers the various colors as necessary and possibly as blessings. However, I do not have any solid reason for my belief and am not privy to His ideas or planning. All I know is that all mortals are brothers and sisters, He expects me to treat all His children with love and respect, and He will hold me accountable for my words and actions.


            I do not blame Blacks for acting out their feelings, even though I do not have full understanding of what is happening or why. I blame the agitators who turned peaceful protests into riots, and I hope that they are brought to justice and forced to pay for the destruction caused in so many cities throughout our land. I have heard of a few arrests, and I hope that all those who committed crimes are caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no excuse for what they did. Rioting, looting, burning of businesses, and killing of cops and other citizens are all crimes against Americans.


            Hans von Spakovsky and Cully Stimson posted an article at The Daily Signal about the federal laws that can be used to bring the criminals to justice. The first law is the Federal Anti-Riot Act, which they explain in the following paragraphs.

The Federal Anti-Riot Act (18 U.S.C § 2101) allows the federal government to go after anyone who “travels in interstate or foreign commerce” or who uses “any facility of interstate or foreign commerce, including, but not limited to, the mail, telegraph, telephone, radio or television” to “incite a riot; or to organize, promote, encourage, participate in or carry on a riot; or to commit any act of violence in furtherance of a riot.”

So, anyone who travels from out of state or uses his phone or his computer with the specific intent to instigate and participate in riots is violating federal law. It also applies to those who “aid or abet” anyone else to carry out such acts. Someone found guilty can be fined, imprisoned for up to five years, or both for each violation.

The authors explained that Congress gave this law power because it “directs the attorney general, when he believes that any person has violated the law, to ‘proceed as speedily as possible with a prosecution … and with any appeal” that may result ‘from any decision adverse to the government resulting from such prosecution.’” They said that this law has been used as recently as 2017 to prosecute criminals who crossed state lines to cause riots. They added that the law was ruled constitutional in May 2019.

The second law is a criminal civil rights statute that can be used against “members of Antifa and other domestic terrorist groups who use face masks and disguises intended to hide their identity.”

The statute, 18 U.S.C. §241, prohibits conspiracies to “injure, oppress, threaten or intimidate any person … in the exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States.” 

It also prohibits individuals from going “in disguise on the highway or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured.”

These rioters are arguably violating the rights of peaceful protesters, business owners, and law enforcement officers to exercise their free speech rights, to own private property and protect their lives, and to carry out their duties to protect the public and enforce law and order.

Violating this statute is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Ironically, the disguise language was inserted into the statute to go after the Ku Klux Klan. It may be applicable here, as it seems obvious that Antifa and other radical groups have adopted the KKK’s tactics of violence and masking.

            I lived through the riots of the 1960s, through the Los Angeles riots, and numerous riots since that time. I hope that we are seeing the last of the riots in America. I hope that Americans learn the importance of treating all people with respect and justice. I believe that the required changes will be made as the hard-hearted, racist members of the older generations die and younger generations with more compassion and respect come along. 

Numerous parents of young children have indicated that they are actively teaching their children to be respectful of all people, especially those who are different. There has been too much hatred and violence between the races, and it is time for all of it to stop. This can be done as we get to know each other as friends and neighbors. We are all Americans and should start acting like we belong to one country.