It isn't just Kaepernick, it's literally decades of people asking why they are being killed, only to be ignored. Frankly these riots are a product of white ignorance, not a cause of it.

If people are afraid to act because of how white supremacists might respond, then white supremacists have already won.

@Rufus_Maximus It is more like centuries than decades, but you don't know what your talking about. I live 3 blocks from where they're looting stores as we speak. 90% of African Americans I talk to don't agree with what your saying. I was talking with some today, they're my friends and neighbors and they're frightened and disgusted by what happened in our neighborhood today. They also have expressed their fear of police, but every one of them would argue with you. Many of these stores are minority owned and those black and Latino owners are calling for the National Guard. We're going to have martial law. You see this from across the pond on your "telly". We have to live it.

@barjoe

They've tried fighting the peaceful legal way and they get nowhere. This is what happens when aggressive overly militarized law enforcement wages war on the citizens they are meant to protect and the justice system refuses to hold killer cops accountable. It's not ideal, of course peaceful protest is preferable but if society is not responsive to those protests and the repression continues, the anger and fury of the people is bound to boil over into violence. Had something been done about this, we wouldn't be in this mess but they made peaceful reforms impossible so now here we are.

The people you have talked to, that's just anecdotal. To get an idea of how people actually feel, look at the millions in the streets risking a pandemic to express their frustrations. Have a look at twitter and see the solidarity of people with the protesters. Try conversing with the actual protesters and not just your friends and neighbors.

It's a shame that people have to fear for their homes and businesses. It's also a shame that an entire segment of society has to fear for their lives every time they encounter police. It shouldn't have gotten to this point. If law enforcement did their job properly, protect and serve the citizens rather than use these aggressive deadly tactics, these riots wouldn't be happening. If we didn't have a drug war and mass incarceration, these riots wouldn't be happening. But thanks to immoral policy makers on both sides of the aisle, these issues are systemic and so ingrained that drastic measures will be needed to pressure leaders into enacting the obvious reforms that should have been done long ago.

The response of law enforcement to this crisis has been abysmal. The people are protesting police brutality so the police respond with more brutality. They actively provoke and escalate the violence. Our police culture is so corrupted with violence and militarism that they have no alternative. All they know is brute force and this will make things worse. The protests will spread in response to the brutality of the cops.

@RoboGraham Some of my friends and neighbors did go to City Hall to peacefully protest. They came back disappointed by the turn of events that followed. You don't live here, I do. The looting hurt the black community in my city. You can write a book on this thread is you want to. That will only make you feel better about yourself, it won't help black owned stores and those who lost their livelihood. It won't help the first black female PC of a major city, only months in the job, who people are calling to step down, blaming her for the police response. It's not helpful at all. BTW it's not millions in the streets doing this. It's enough that they out number the cops who responded. This was driven by gangs and by social media among gang members. It was driven by the opioid crisis as well in my city.