I have more faith in the accuracy of your account of things than of anything I saw through the media.
This situation is an example of what happens during extraordinary circumstances. As a society, we're pretty well prepared to handle most every-day situations, but we flounder when something unusual happens. The truth is, the unthinkable does happen.
We, as a society, have collectively given up many of our responsibilities and handed them over to others who we trust will act appropriately on our behalf. We trust the appropriate civil authorities to enforce those laws we all agree, as citizens, to follow. At times, individuals find themselves in disagreement over how those transferred responsibilities are carried out. This is the basis of much friction between the public and police, educators, politicians, ...
What you witnessed in Seattle stems from a fundamental misunderstanding: There's no consequences resulting from participation in a riot. This simple idea explains why those seeking excitement join in a looting and destroying mob. If apprehension, trial, conviction, and above all, severe punishment was a certainty, the protest you witnessed would be been quite different as any rational person would not wish such a fate upon themselves.
Unfortunately, when a net is cast, both those who are sought and those who aren't get caught. We can only hope that once those who had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time will be dealt with fairly, and released expediently. We can also hope that those who broke the law, looted, and vandalized, will be dealt with severely, but I won't be holding my breath waiting on this.
Cheers, PW. |
