Perceived hypocrisy does not an excuse make for violent mob-driven riots

• The recent riots in Los Angeles cannot be excused by events like January 6th. Two wrongs don’t make a right and perceived hypocrisy does not justify violence and destruction of property.

The riots in Los Angeles, which started out as anti-ICE protests and quickly devolved, serve as yet another example of the current political violence problem.

This isn’t a one-time thing.

Already several times this year, violence has been meted out by those who believe force, destruction, bodily harm, and even death are the ways to bring about change.

It’s a deeply concerning trend. To compound the rise in violence, there is a growing appetite to excuse it through whataboutism.

The events of January 6th marked a dark day. Even now, more than four years later, the debate rages on about whether those events were necessary to take back the country after a “stolen election” or if it was an attack on democracy akin to 9/11 in terms of national damage.

The objective truth lies in neither of these extremes. A consistent ethic says that what happened in Washington, D.C. on January 6th was not only terribly misguided, but was wrong. The same applies to the riots in Los Angeles. Both are problematic and criminal in certain aspects. Neither is good. 

There is a perennial tendency to conclude behavior on one side of the political aisle should be permitted if it’s in service of some sort of righteous cause. The same logic is used to say similar acts taken by ideological opponents are bad. This inconsistency is a feature of the current political climate. 

It’s rather simple: illegal immigration is not allowed in our country, and if you’re violating the law, you may be arrested and deported. The mere fact that you, or your family member, want to be here means nothing.

You may believe ICE raids and arrests are wrong but it does not stop them. It should not stop them. Furthermore, feeling something is wrong isn’t license enough to turn protests into riots. The former is protected and should be. The latter is criminal. 

I and every other American should have no problem with peaceful protests. There is no requirement that says we must vocally support or participate. But protests are covered under the First Amendment. Riots are not.

What we’ve seen in Los Angeles the past few days – looting, burning cars, throwing rocks at police officers and vehicles, blocking traffic, and the like – is abhorrent and should be categorized as such, even by those who disagree with the ICE raids. And it is impossible to “but January 6th!” it all away. 

There is no room to excuse the delusional individuals who descended upon The Capitol that day in early 2021. It was the product of a false belief that the 2020 election had been stolen from Donald Trump. The goal was to stop the certification of the votes in Congress and reject Joe Biden’s victory.

Vice President Pence stood his ground and did not abide by the requests from his own boss and members of the mob. We all know what happened: the group stormed the building, some aggressively, others calmly, but still trespassing. Members of Congress and its staff had to hide, leave, or respond.

The George Floyd protests, some which turned into looting and other destructive acts the previous May and into the summer, did not excuse the events of January 6, 2021. And the existence of 1/6/21 does not excuse riots in L.A., no matter how bad some may think the Trump administration is.

There is more than enough room for both parties and their constituents to agree that violence and mob behavior are inexcusable. It doesn’t matter if you think your preferred politician was robbed of a consecutive term. It doesn’t matter if you believe cracking down on illegal immigrants is robbing them of a life in the greatest country on earth.

What ultimately matters, and always does, is an adherence to law, order, and the truth over emotion.

Whether or not one side will excuse behavior that they’d rightly condemn in their opponents in some unknown, future incident isn’t an “if” it’s a “when.” This is the pattern of things now.

Thankfully, it seems most Americans despise those attitudes no matter from which side they emanate. Unfortunately, proponents of this lopsided morality are usually the loudest in the bunch. So while cheerleaders or participants of these despicable events are the obvious minority, extremism is portrayed as representing the whole. 

There is no shortage of embarrassment and criticism such that we must ration it when discussing politics and its players. It requires nothing at all to condemn your adversaries. It takes a commitment to honesty to call out those closest to you when they engage in wrongdoing.

We can take inventory of what happened on 1/6/21 and what is currently happening in Los Angeles and compare both the figurative and literal costs. In terms of duration, destruction, and violence, the riots are worse. That doesn’t make January 6th less bad. It remains a stain on our country and both the actors and apologists should face some scorn. However, it doesn’t reduce the severity of the riots. Not even close. 

Inconsistency is glaringly apparent among the electorate. It is applied to most everything, including the worst acts of a select few. What is sorely lacking is shame in both word and deed, including the shame of allyship with those who partake in the wrong. We don’t need more excuses. There are plenty of those. What we need is more shame. It is in short supply.