It was one of the those snippets of history that my 9 year old caught sight of on the news. The images of burning cars, a CVS on fire, people gathering in rowdy crowds so the fire trucks couldn’t do their jobs and watching people throw bricks and rocks at the police officers really impacted all of us. My son, a cop’s child, curled up in my lap and watched the mayhem.
Ike: Why are they acting so mean?
Me: Honey, this is just an example of groups of people acting foolishly.
Ike: What does that say on the screen?
Me: Rocks and bricks are thrown at cops in protest.
Ike: What is a protest?
Me: Let me see if I can explain…. the law says you can gather together in a peaceful way and protest when you don’t agree with something. For instance, if your school said NO MORE RECESS for any kid that wears braces, glasses or has special needs, you would be mad right? (We went through why he would hate that idea) If all the students and parents banned together and surrounded the playground chanting “We want recess for all.” That is an example of a peaceful demonstration. The news might cover it and the school would have to consider changing their minds the longer parents and kids stood out there. It gets attention.
Ike: Was this (pointing to the tv) because of something important?
Me: Yes, a man was killed when he was arrested. We don’t know exactly what happened but it sounds like the officers made a big mistake in the way they handled his arrest. The young man had a criminal record but he didn’t deserve to die like that.
Ike: I don’t get it. Is this a protest?
Me: No this is a riot. People try to mix those words up but it is different. Remember I gave you the recess example? Well what if they didn’t just assemble peacefully? What if someone chose to throw bricks at your principal’s car window or through the library windows, beat up one of your teachers because she asked them to stop and then broke in and stole all the books from your library? Or maybe someone really stupid threw a fire bomb into the cafeteria? Would that help the principals or teachers decide to give back recess? No, they would call the police, fire department, etc. The people that did those things only made it worse and would need to go to jail.
Ike: My principal wouldn’t put up with that mess. They would all get ISS or even worse, AEP! (It struck me as funny that he knew what those consequences meant:)
Me: Sometimes leaders of the community don’t really know what to do or can’t control the people in the crowds. That is why the police are called in and if it doesn’t settle down, they call the National Guard in too.
Ike: But aren’t these people mad at the police? This is confusing. Martin Luther King Jr. protested and didn’t throw bricks. (I was impressed he knew about this!)
Me: No. He did it correctly. He knew violence only made all the sides mad.
Ike: I don’t want them to hurt police officers. There are some good people there right?
Me: Lots of protestors are good. They are doing it to make a change. But many times criminals pretend to be mad about something and just use it as an excuse to break stuff and make a mess.
Ike: There will be more riots?
Me: Sadly, until Jesus comes there will be lots of hatred going around. Love always wins. Remember that. If you love, you will win in the end.
Ike looked very sad. He just curled up in my lap and watched more chaos. I finally turned off the news. It was a terrible lesson for him. I wish we all saw the world through a nine year old’s eyes. Maybe we would see a lot more peace and a lot less hate.
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