It should be noted that, for millennia, violence and destruction are considered perfectly acceptable means for accomplishing political objectives. But only when

It should be noted that, for millennia, violence and destruction are considered perfectly acceptable means for accomplishing political objectives. But only when performed by state actors, of course. IMO: the riots start out as protests. Then a minority of people choose to cause mayhem. Another minority are criminals and they do what criminals do, which is act opportunistically. And yes, agents provocateur do exist. But sure, I can understand why people who are directly affected would prefer to have no protests at all out of fear that a riot might happen. They love order more than justice, an attitude which, ironically, has helped to create the very same conditions that people are protesting.