Rioting continues nightly in Portland. Criminals are arrested, immediately released, and return to the streets. It is hard to see how Portland has a viable future. Likewise with Seattle. A city that cannot maintain order will soon be vacated by normal people who are able to leave, leaving only criminals and those without the means to get away. Minneapolis, with its days of rioting followed by skyrocketing crime and parks turned into tent encampments, is not far behind. Panic is spreading among people who own houses and (worse) condominiums there.
Then there is Chicago, where mass looting took place last night. Thieves struck on Michigan Avenue, the premier shopping venue between the coasts. Andy Ngo, the prime chronicler of contemporary urban catastrophe, has the story in a series of tweets.
Looters walking around calmly with stolen merchandise in Chicago last night. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/EdRdLtQAr6
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
Looters broke into a Chicago mall and are looting the place clean tonight. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/wKJZbcvpoZ
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
Looter uses vehicle to break into a business at the Chicago BLM riot overnight. #BlackLivesMatter #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/9CaddwItYO
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
Mass chaos in downtown Chicago. Hundred of people looting stores. Looters broke into a bank and ripped out the atm. They are trying to break into it. This is at State and Lake. @cbschicago pic.twitter.com/oKGrMHGADP
— Vi Nguyen (@ViNguyen) August 10, 2020
Looters break into a grocery store during the #ChicagoRiots. #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/hZrYTPbeMg
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
Gunfire rings out on the streets of Chicago during the #BlackLivesMatter riot overnight. Looters scatter the street. #ChicagoRiots pic.twitter.com/RWhCDpvu5N
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) August 10, 2020
One notable feature of these videos is the absence of law enforcement. Police are hopelessly outnumbered, and looters, rioters and arsonists arrogantly assume that they can steal and burn to their hearts’ content with no interference.
Unfortunately, they are right. Few are arrested, those that are arrested are immediately set free, and the likelihood of criminal prosecution is negligible, especially in cities that have Soros-installed prosecutors who have pledged not to prosecute.
None of this is remotely viable, obviously. Through history, the normal practice has been to shoot looters. Rightly or wrongly, we are no longer willing to do that. The result, evidently, is that order cannot be maintained. Black Lives Matter sponsors riots and loot-fests, like the one last night in Chicago, with the apparently enthusiastic backing of big business and with not a word of criticism from any Democratic Party politician. What does Joe Biden think of Black Lives Matter-sponsored rioting, arson and looting? Maybe someday someone will ask him.
At some point, a society becomes too stupid to survive. I am not sure we have arrived at that point yet, but we may be getting close.
