I’ll be blunt. Rioting, destruction of property and the harming of innocent people have no place in a democracy. Period. However, simply ignoring the underlying reasons behind these riots is naïve and wrong. Blaming it solely on a little-known leftist group known as Antifa (for anti-fascist), as Trump has done, is ridiculous on its face and just another way for Trump to avoid answering for the negative, divisive atmosphere that he has created in our nation.

  The SPLC, the premier group tracking racist and anti-Semitic incidents, has documented the dramatic increase in hate crimes over the last few years (see www.the guardian.com/world/2020/mar/18/white-nationalist-hate-groups-southern-poverty-law-center). Why has hatred and the white supremacy movement grown in the last 4 years? Trump is the direct cause, lending a veneer of acceptance to ideologies once outside of the mainstream. Here is a brief chronological history of Trump and bigotry:

  Housing discrimination: In the early ’70s, Trump’s company was sued by the federal government for violations of the Fair Housing Act. Trump ended up settling with the government. In 1978 the Department of Justice alleged that Trump had ignored his pledge to let black people rent apartments and was still violating the law.

  Central Park Five: Trump buys ads implying that five black men charged with raping a white jogger should be executed. Years later, it is conclusively shown that they did not commit the crime. Trump does not accept the findings.

  Birther movement: Stating that President Obama was born in Kenya, the movement is started by Trump in 2011.

  Mexican rapists: Trump stated (2015) that Mexico was exporting rapists and criminals to the U.S.

  Mexican American judge: In the Trump University case, Trump asked that a judge born in Indiana recuse himself due to his Hispanic heritage.

  Racism in campaign: Trump encourages and accepts support from racists. “Voting against Donald Trump at this point is really treason to your heritage,” stated white supremacist David Duke.

  Charlottesville: Trump equates anti-racist protesters with violent white supremacists and neo-Nazis, calling them “fine people.” White power leaders openly rejoice at the President’s vocal support of their movement.

  Holocaust remembrance: Trump issues a commemorative statement which excluded any mention of the six million Jews who died in Nazi extermination camps, including my father’s four grandparents and the uncle for whom I’m named.

  National Football League: Trump purposefully twists NFL players taking a knee to protest police violence against blacks into disrespect for America, the rule of law and first responders. Kaepernick, the SF quarterback who began the protests, is blackballed and still can’t find a job.

  Other countries: Trump says we should have immigration from Norway versus non-white nations.

A million and one other racist statements and acts by President Trump, too numerous to list, clearly demeaning the office he holds.

  I’m from a law enforcement family. My favorite Uncle ran an NYPD precinct. My two closest cousins were in the FBI and Corrections. I understand that law enforcement is a tough job. Most police officers are fine people. And, I believe officers should be treated with respect.

  But respect goes both ways. Not all law enforcement personnel are blameless. We cannot simply assume a police officer is in the right if all the evidence shows him to be wrong. And, that seems to be the case in the Minneapolis case. And it’s not only there.

  NYPD officers choked a peaceful black man to death a few years back for selling video tapes. Here in Georgia, a recently retired investigator for the Glynn County DA shot an innocent black jogger, apparently for no reason other than his color. And, nothing was done about it locally until the state AG became directly involved. There is a good reason why only 35% of black respondents believe that police are doing a good job compared to 75% of whites (Pew poll, 2016).

  None of the above excuses the rioting. As shown in the 60s, burning down your own neighborhood out of frustration did nothing positive for the minority communities in Detroit, LA and elsewhere. In fact, the rioting caused many neighborhood mom-and-pop stores to close down for good.

  Nevertheless, white Americans must make a sincere attempt to understand the cause behind the rioting: discrimination and bigotry. Only by aggressively addressing these issues can we have a viable long-term solution.