Small businesses try to pick up the pieces after being destroyed by rampagers; one victim is a small black-owned business that had kept employees on during the pandemic

How about we just like totally not destroy anything. Those big stores employ black and brown people too. Those clothing stores and jewelry stores are employed by commission sales people, many are people of color and now just around the time they were supposed to go back in it is all shut down. They already missed prom season and now wedding season is upon us and while there may not be big weddings , people still want to look nice and buy rings etc. Guess who will not be getting those dollars!

For those who say, but they will get unemployment! Keep in mind their income quarters may be low because the big season for them often is the spring into the summer. So the averages may be lower than they normally would be.

So in closing. Don't destroy anything.

Look, I'm no fan of CVS or Target, but you know what I do? I don't shop there. Well..not entirely true, as I have made 2 or 3 purchases at both places out of convenience in the last year..but whenever possible, I try to support local, small business. Marching around and saying this or that does not add up to change as much as your dollars do.
Your post seems to indicate you feel it's okay to loot CVS and Target because they'll be fine. I find that position to be reprehensible in terms of personal accountability. We should all strive to be decent individuals. If you don't like CVS and Target, please stop supporting them! Tell others to stop supporting them! Looting just promotes more racism.

"Destroying our neighbors' property, while of course is for the most part recoverable"

Like you (assuming), I assume you're speaking from years of experience?

Probably not.

You were doing so well with that comment too.

Better luck next time.

Part of being an adult is controlling rage and not throwing tantrums like a child.

That's part of the criticism towards President Trump and it applies equally to the looters taking advantage of legit protests to excuse being immoral miscreants.

Destroying small minority owned businesses already disproportionately hurting from the plague isn't helping the community.

With respect to rioting and looting, two wrongs don’t make a right. Ever. What is and has long happened to the African American community is shameful and change needs to happen yesterday, but no one gets a pass for the violence that’s occuring.

If you honestly think the looting had to do with people's "rage" you are naive. The looters were opportunists pure and simple. They had no political agenda beyond walking around today wearing that merchandise. Or selling it.

I don't believe the posts that I'm reading

I know you love Kennedy's and hate Trump -- fine that is your prerogative

But this is our [your, mine and everyone else's] country which is being attacked by people whose stated goals is the total destruction of society -- you can go to their website and look for yourself

These kinds of nihilist views are not new -- they've been around for many many centuries. Most of the time they smolder in the deep dark recesses -- with an occasional outburst

Every once and a while the smoldering embers of hate for all -- suddenly burst into flame. Thanks to the industrial revolution's ability to mass produce things like AK-47s and radio receivers --- the middle of the 20th Century and on was a particularly bad period of this kind of mental conflagration. And the 21st has started out even worse because of the 2nd & 3rd industrial revolutions' ability to mass produce Cellphones and Social Media.

But just go back a few hundred years and many thousands perished because the egalitarian ideals of the French Revolution turned into the Guillotine and the Terror.

Or consider the Millions who died during the early 20th C because some small bunch thought that the Czar or the Emperor was oppressive. Later a small bunch convinced some others that the previous Communist government in Cambodia wasn't radical enough, or that Communist China wasn't Red enough! or that Islam was pure enough -- and well anyway everybody but us has to die to purify things.

Well --0 -- it looks like the minor flair-up which happened with the SDS and such in the 1960's and 1970's continued to spread while still smoldering inside the walls for a generation [e.g. Bill Ayers, etc.]. Today they call themselves Occupy something, or Antifa -- but they are the same -- Hate Everyone except us -- and as we've seen countless times -- if these groups get into power -- the first thing that they do is to start settling their own pecking-order using the AK-47 as the tool.

There is really only one way for this to end well for us here in Greater Boston, New England, the USA -- Everyone should put aside the political and other "tribal" differences to denounce and enforce the rejection of nihilists and their anti-everyone not just not just AntiFa.

Perhaps we should take some lessons from Detroit -- which you might note: that despite a history of violence, burning and looting -- has not had the looting and burning this time.

Apparently AntiFa was told in no uncertain terms by the people of Detroit -- Go Home! -- if there is to be any burning, shooting or looting -- the people of Detroit will do it for themselves -- to paraphrase the Treasure of the Sierra Madre -- "We don Need no steenkeen FA"

Or maybe we should adopt the approach of South Philly where the local community rose-up and surrounded the entrances to the local Target to keep the Fa away

All the responsibility for the riots belongs to the idiots who threw rocks, broke windows and rampaged. I hope they are tried & convicted.

The peaceful protestors concerned about George Floyd didn't loot convenience stores or burn cop cars. (Which we pay for)

Here is the composition & dynamics of the "Demonstration" over time as observed in now many hundreds of examples across the country from small cities to the major metropoli:

Note while what follows is currently happening in real-time -- triggered by the killing of Mr. Floyd -- almost all of the following has happened for other "causes" previously -- going back to the Pink Ladies harassing President G.W. Bush over Iraq and WMD.

T=0
It begins with people who have a legitimate right to express themselves as per the 1st Amendment -- they gather, speak, shout, cheer, sing, dance, kneel, lie down, wave sign and banners, chant rhythmically, do whatever they want do as individuals or as a group -- which qualifies "generically as speech and gathering" Note that most of the people involved at this point are sincere in their protest -- aka the Peaceful Protest
t=0 to t=1 - no issues

t=1
The group marches to some location to continue the demonstration -- while they do they are joined by some individuals who have other intents -- but who want to use the legitimate protest for their own purposes. Some of the other individuals are just there to observe, take selfies, etc. -- again no major issues.

However, there are some who join typically as the main group is moving who are involved in planning and prep work for their later purposes -- they may be stashing tools used for B&E or arson or general mayhem. They might just be doing reconnaissance on the opportunities for escape routes, and targets of opportunity.
t=1 to t=2 issues are starting to develop

t=2
The augmented group arrives at its primary demonstration target [e.g. the State House on Beacon Hill] after some amount of demonstrating and protesting -- some of the original group begins to leave [typically young families with young kids] or people who just joined in to "try it out"
Typically by now the main group has encountered the Police and perhaps some mechanical barrier. Usually, there is a soft contact -- there may be some even pleasant conversation and exchanges of fist-bumps, However hidden within the mass of people there are individuals whose express purpose is to incite and disrupt. Typically they begin by trying to get close to the police and use words to stir-up the police.

t=2 to t=3 -- issues are rapidly developing -- Their [call them "Fa"] goal in this phase is to both stir-up the crowd to something approaching a frenzy of emotional response and at the same time to provoke some initial response from the police.

t=3
Darkness usually is happening as the main body mostly starts to dissipate -- this is the point that the media starts to pay attention and the "Peaceful Protest" becomes less so:
More black-clad, be-masked "stealthy" operatives begin to become active both in the front and in the back of the crowd.

The confrontation with the police becomes more aggressive at the primary demonstration site. Meanwhile, at some one or more remote sites -- the final prep work is being completed for B&E and looting and vandalism to be triggered by a disturbance at the main demonstration.
t=3 to t=4 All of this is carefully coordinated by the primary leaders of Fa

t=4
The Main Body is in direct confrontation with the police -- more police are called in to handle the incipient riot -- lots of shouting, direct confrontation with the police in the front and objects get thrown at the police, some include explosives from behind. With some pushing and showing and the police falling back -- Fa is in temporary control of the main demonstration site. Innocents swept up in earlier phases may leave while others not quite so innocent are employed without their full knowledge by FA operatives who make available a stockpile of rocks and other objects to throw -- didn't you wonder how the peaceful demonstration always found some handy rocks or bricks?
More police arrive to try to control the riot which is rapidly developing
t=4 to t=5

t=5
Vandalism, and trashing of available buildings, monuments, street signs, etc. is unleashed by FA. Some of the trashing includes the direct attack on certain targeted buildings with tools useful to clear obstacles to B&E activities and arson -- such as the removal of plywood and anti-theft gratings
FA -- provides the initial access and then as soon as the police are starting to arrive or the looting is well underway -- Fa leaves the scene for another target area. B&E and arson mostly is done by local Street Gangs. Once the buildings are open and the Street Gangs have their "fill" of watches, high-end cell phones, etc. -- lower-level general looting begins
FA has moved on to the next block or across town
By now the police have taken back control of the primary demonstration site and after some further tense stand-offs with some more rocks being hurled the primary demonstration remnants disperse

FA has triggered another round of trashing, vandalism, B&E and arson
Street gangs are well at work in serious stealing while lesser criminal activity goes on in the wake
t=5 to t=6 == the peaceful and less peaceful demonstration is over, the riot is dissipating
FA is clearing out of town
The street gangs are finishing their thievery and preparing to leave with their loot
random looting, spray painting and general vandalism is continuing but with no clear direction is beginning to peter-out

t=6 the Sun comes up and things settle down
Neighbors and Shop Owners start to arrive to survey the damage and start some clean-up of the broken glass, etc.

Aftermath:

For a big enough city -- everyone will have gotten something they wanted out of the process and it is likely to begin again the following afternoon with new specific missions and locations

For the Brockton's and Manchester NH -- it just might be One and Done

Obviously the Street Gangs and the Minor Looters are motivated by the financial return on the investment of the their time and limited risk of being caught [and in some jurisdictions immediately being released with the equivalent of a parking ticket]

For the hanger's-on who might enjoy having their "tag" on a famous building or statue being displayed on the Network [even if its a small network] -- they have what they want

For the petty arsonist -- well the risk is higher -- but the chance to burn that DD that fired them 3 years ago for stealing might be irresistible

for FA -- the "Brains behind the operation" -- up to now there has been almost no significant risk -- if they are caught -- well their parents might be embarrassed and they might even have to drop out of college for a semester.
Note that they typically work outside their home states and also they ["come-from-somewhere else"] than the site of the Riot -- just in case that they are caught -- they can just ditch the rent-a-car and disappear into the background noise of society.

Things however may be changing in favor of a Lawful and Orderly Society -- Fa can now be prosecuted under Federal Statues such as 18 U.S. Code CHAPTER 96— RACKETEER INFLUENCED AND CORRUPT ORGANIZATIONS [alka RICO] and other tools applied to ISIS and Organized Crime -- i.e. across the state lines.

The real opportunity for positive change will come if the money behind Fa can be followed through the maze of organizations all the way to the top-level of the George Soros web of organizations -- and perhaps a even a perp walk for George Soros himself.