A Democratic mayor is blaming “white men” for the destruction in major U.S. cities as protests turned to riots over the weekend following George Floyd’s death.
After looting broke out across her city on Sunday night, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan tweeted that white people had co-opted “peaceful demonstrations” that became violent as the weekend wore on.
“I want to acknowledge that much of the violence and destruction, both here in Seattle and across the country, has been instigated and perpetuated by white men,” she said.
These individuals experience the height of privilege and are co-opting peaceful demonstrations that were organized by and meant to center people of color, particularly Black Americans.
— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) May 31, 2020
In a follow-up tweet, Durkan asserted that white protesters were utilizing their “privilege” to divert the purpose of the demonstrations, which began as a response to Floyd’s death while in the custody of Minneapolis police last week.
“These individuals experience the height of privilege and are co-opting peaceful demonstrations that were organized by and meant to center people of color, particularly Black Americans,” she said.
Durkan’s comments came after Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety John Harrington blamed the riots in Minneapolis on “white supremacist organizers.”
The Seattle mayor joined a chorus of media outlets who have alleged the nationwide protests are being enabled by white supremacist groups opportunistically taking advantage of civil unrest. On Friday, MSNBC host Joy Reid reported that St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said over “80%” of arrested protesters were from out of state and that “white nationalist groups” were partly to blame.
Jail records taken after Thursday’s mayhem in Minneapolis contradicted Carter’s figures.
