No Justice, No Peace
Why is anyone surprised there is violence?
Our government is genocidal. Meat-packing plants that do not protect their poor and POC workforce from a deadly virus are required to stay open while billionaires are not required to do anything. Why aren’t hotels requisitioned for the homeless? Instead, they’re put in an events center where we’re protected from them but they are not protected from each other. Why is Amazon allowed to continue not to provide adequate PPE? Why don’t home care workers, who are predominantly poor and POCs, get adequate protection?
I know, I know. The people who trashed City Hall mostly were white and were not part of the protest organizing group. High respect to the actual organizers for such a well-organized and well-attended event (despite the many older people who are still self-isolating due to COVID).
But the chant “No Justice, No Peace” is right. People can endure suffering. It’s unjust suffering they cannot endure. And it’s simply everywhere now. We are not pulling together to face the virus. Instead, the virus is being used as an occasion to make huge profits for billionaires by letting poor people and POCs die and by, frankly, killing them.
When you live in a situation like this, there’s going to be violence. It’s just going to happen–because, as virtually every important political philosopher has said in one way or another–when there is no justice, there is no peace.
Wake up, everyone. This ain’t no party. This ain’t no disco. This ain’t no foolin’ around.