One of Stu Bykofsky’s charming friends said to me on Facebook last night, “Are you blind?”’
Since laugh icons come easily to his friend and reasoned arguments come hard, I’m not exactly sure what he thinks I was blind to. But I suppose he thinks I’m blind to the random looting and torching of police cars in Center City.
I’m not. I don’t approve of crime of any kind. I don’t like seeing shops torn apart and businesses hurt, even if they are no doubt well insured. And I don’t think that random looting and attacks on police cars (or police officers) is a useful political tactic for those of us who care about putting an end to racist police violence.
But, unlike the hysterical old bedwetter Bykofsky and his friends, I don’t think it is the end of the civilized world. And I understand the anger with continuing police violence against Black people that leads some folks to express it in random ways and the frustration with extreme economic inequality that makes some opportunistic looting seem right to others.
And while I’m not blind to those things, I’m also not blind to others, like my Bykofsky and his friends are.
I’m not blind to the continued unjust violence on Black people by the police in America, violence that is rarely prosecuted and for which almost no one is convicted. I didn’t start talking about this in passing—in an essay or Facebook post mostly devoted to criticizing protestors against it.
I’m not blind to the unwillingness of white citizens, journalists, and politicians to push for prosecution of racist police violence or to call for changes in the racist culture that afflicts too many police departments. Bykofsky has probably written 300 pieces against Philadelphia’s sanctuary cities policy—which contributes to public safety—for each one he’s written on police violence. And the few times I recall him mentioning the subject, he downplayed the role of race in our city’s policing.
I’m not blind to the rabid criticism of peaceful protests of racist police violence by the very same people who are today complaining about riots. I remember how they carried on about Colin Kaepernick’s actions and those of other NFL players and called them un-American.
I’m not blind to the way Bykofsky’s fanboys and fangirls are using the rioting of Black people to justify continuing to ignore racist police violence or how they are putting all the blame for looting in the city on Black people when it is absolutely clear that young people, both white and Black, took part in it.
I’m not blind to how much of the violence we are seeing appears to be a response to police presence and overreaction. Here in Philly and, it seems in Harrisburg as well, as long as the police stayed back, demonstrations remained peaceful. Only when the police decided to make a show of force did they provide targets for angry people to confront them. And there are more than a few examples of some protestors discouraging others from confronting, throwing things at, or otherwise attacking the police.
I’m not blind to how Bykofsky’s call for a tougher response to looting and violence in the city is likely to inflame tensions and lead to more destruction and then to deaths of citizens and police officers. Unlike Byko and his minions, I understand that human life is infinitely more valuable than property. And, I know that once violence escalates it becomes incredibly difficult to contain it until shots ring out and people are dead.
I’m not blind to the increasing evidence that much of the looting and attacks on buildings and cars we are seeing around the country—and possibly in Philadelphia, too—is the product of organized alt-right groups that are aiming to provoke a police response and are escalating violence on all sides. I can see how that tactic is meant to heighten tension about race and quicken the turn to fascism on the part of Trump and his supporters.
And, of course, I’m not blind to how the hysteria of Bykofsky and his followers, and the aims of the fascist right reinforce one another. Once again.
P.S. While searching for something else I came across a column Bykofsky wrote with these lines in it:
“America’s fabric is pulling apart like a cheap sweater.
What would sew us back together?
Another 9/11 attack….
If it is to be, then let it be. It will take another attack on the homeland to quell the chattering of chipmunks and to restore America’s righteous rage and singular purpose to prevail.”
Bykofsky wishes for terrorist violence against American lives in order to unify us against foreign enemies but quakes at property destruction that’s a by-product of protest aiming to wake us up from complacency about the deadliness of racism in our society.