Wed, 16:34: If you are spending more time decrying property damage on the part of protesters than you are decrying the murder of unarmed civilains by the police—or hell, even *as much* time, as these crimes are not equal—you might want to consider the racist implications of your position, the white supremacy into which you are actively feeding.
Police across this country are waging war against the people they are sworn to protect. If one half of the country goes ballistic over the patently peaceful action of merely kneeling during the National Anthem, and the other half either does little to nothing about the police brutality said action was meant to bring attention to, or is given no power or opportunity to do anything about it, what the fuck do you expect is going to happen? The oppressed can only take the boot of the oppressor on their necks for so long, and so they fight back.
And, it is messy. You can't expect any of this to go smoothly, especially when police across the country continue committing these heinous murders, countless people blindly defend them, police unions are effectively designed to protect them, and the so-called justice system so rarely holds them accountable in any concrete way.
Many of these same people blithely accept collateral damage in countries abroad as an acceptable consequence of necessary wars and battles. Well, I see very little difference here: damaged property, even a few injured police officers—none of this is anything I would actively encourage, or call "right," or explicitly support. What I do understand, however, is how they are consequences of a systemic problem that needs to be addressed at the source (the police themselves!), not at how protest against the problem is not being handled "the right way." It's collateral damage. You don't heal a wound by telling the wounded they are not screaming in agony properly. You take away the fucking weapon from the perpetrator, so they can't keep using it.
Now. All that is just a preamble to getting back to the damaged property itself. Nothing I just said changes the fact that many independent businesses caught in the crossfire—many of which actively support the protests—still need help. Just to be clear, I would still assert that places like the ACLU (https://bit.ly/2EGUJv6) or the BLM Bail Funds (https://bit.ly/3gtDH0L) are of highest priority, in the event any of you have the means to donate anywhere. BUT, on the off chance you have anything further to spare, there are also funds set up to help businesses damaged in protests, a second hit for business owners already struggling in the face of coronavirus restrictions.
This is a blog post listing several such funds to support from around the country. The writer expresses something I already intended to mention: I could give two shits about Amazon Go stores, or even Starbucks, or any other major corporation that is swimming in so much cash they need no sympathy. This is about small businesses.
Unfortunately, that link does not reference any fundraisers specific to the Pacific Northwest. I prefer to donate locally, and although I cannot find any local funds specific to protest damage, I have found a couple of funds, already created in the face of losses in the pandemic, specific to neighborhoods where Seattle protests have caused the most damage: Capitol Hill / Central District (further contextualization here), and the International District.
Because my aim is to put my money where my mouth is, I have made small donations to both funds, and I encourage others to do the same, if they have the means.
Wed, 20:28: Okay fine, I guess I'll check out that Wet Ass Pussy.
THE SONG. THE SONG!!
Wed, 20:33: Okay, I did it. I listened to Wet Ass Pussy.
