Protesters mischaracterized

Though I typically refrain from addressing the letters of others, today I’m forced to thank God that Ray Anderson (“An excuse to loot, destroy,” – May 9) no longer works in law enforcement.

“There are some demonstrators who obey the law, but the majority do not,” Anderson wrote in a dishonest rant. That statement is simply false, as should be obvious even to someone who apparently relies on Fox News and talk radio for his information.

In fact, thousands of people demonstrated in Baltimore (and elsewhere around the nation). Many Baltimore residents worked to clean up the mess, while, in fact, very few damaged property or stole anything.

Apparently, though, someone absconded with the reasoning capabilities of some conservatives.

Every time a school wins a college hockey championship, similar rioting occurs. Two differences: Most of the rioters are white, and the police don’t show up in riot gear.

Note that I don’t say all conservative ex-cops are like Anderson, though he might seem to fit in with the police whose actions have led to recent protests. One wonders how many unarmed black men were beaten or shot by cops in Watts in the 1960s, before people had cell phone cameras.

James McPherson

Spokane