I appreciated Betty Arenson’s column on Jan. 13. I, also, was appalled about the response regarding the demonstration in Washington, D.C., versus the lack of concern for riots last year in our major cities such as Seattle and Portland.
The reasons for demonstrations differed: concern over discrepancies in the presidential election versus police violence and discrimination against Black people. The weeks and months of demonstrations of the latter were aggravated by antifa and Black Lives Matter. In fact, police restraint was ordered as they (the police) were allowed to be spat upon, have feces thrown at them, and were beaten as they were on duty. In addition, peaceful demonstrators during the day were replaced by rioters at night, thus limiting local police resources. President Donald Trump’s offer of help from federal troops was refused. Interestingly, BLM did not rejoice that the Washington, D.C., police used “less brutality” in the one-day demonstration and again claimed discrimination! Mayors, city councils let their cities be destroyed and none of the hierarchy of government seem to care about citizen ruination.
Our legislators finally experienced some of what citizens of rioting cities experienced: fear, shutdown, hiding, hoping for police success, etc.; but I doubt our legislators have developed insights from their “riot” experience regarding the fear and devastation experienced by ordinary people whose businesses were robbed, burned, ruined and shut down forever, and as public buildings were desecrated and works of art ruined. So, now, Washington, D.C.. is again attending to business, blaming citizens and the president — forgetting or ignoring that professional rioters infiltrated the peaceful demonstration. Instead of blame and fear, Congress needs to develop self-responsibility to truth, service and care to we citizens.
Mary Smith
Valencia
