I Wish Joe Biden Would Address the Real Looting.
By: Lauren Elizabeth
Tags: Justice, Society, Democrats, Government, Politics

I Wish Joe Biden Would Address the Real Looting.

A response to the Democratic Nominee’s comments on the unrest in Philadelphia following the death of Walter Wallace Jr.

Photo by Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images

After video surfaced of Walter Wallace Jr. — in the midst of a mental health crisis — being shot by the police, the city of Philadelphia has dealt with protests and unrest in the nights that have followed the shooting.

When looking for a comment on the matter, a reporter asked Democratic nominee Joe Biden:

“What do you say to Philadelphia residents that are outraged by yet another unarmed black man shot by police?”

In response, Joe Biden said:

“What I say is there is no excuse whatsoever for the looting and the violence. None whatsoever. I think to be able to protest is totally legitimate. It’s totally reasonable. But I think that the looting is just as the victim’s father said, ‘Do not do this…You’re not helping. You’re hurting. You’re not helping my son’. And there are certain things we’re going to have to do as we move along…And that is how we deal with how you diminish the prospect of lethal shooting in circumstances like the one we saw. That’s going to be part of the commission I set up to determine how we deal with these…But there’s no excuse for the looting.”

In a comment where he didn’t even mention the victim’s name, Joe Biden had the unmitigated gall to quote his father in an attempt to get them to stop the unrest, as opposed to offering words of comfort and attempted understanding for a grieving family and city as the reporter had looked for. Personally, I can’t say I’m surprised at all. That’s the thing with Biden. He just can’t help himself.

While Joe Biden seems to be expressing more concern with property damage and appearing “tough on crime” than he is about the life of Walter Wallace Jr., I can’t help wishing he would take the time to address the real looting that’s been taking place in the United States for decades.

Between the years 1974 through 2018, fifty trillion dollars worth of wealth was stolen from the bottom 90% by the very richest among us. I find it telling to say the least that Mr. Biden is expressing more outrage about people running out of stores with a television than he ever showed in regards to tens of millions of people being out of work, slipping into poverty, and on the precipice of losing their homes, while billionaires have seen astronomical increases to their wealth as a direct result of the very same crisis that cost millions of jobs.

Maybe its just me, but I could not possibly care less about people running out of a Walmart with an armful of goods.

Given the haste of his response, it felt as though he couldn’t wait to be given the opportunity to lecture the city of Philadelphia’s unrest. It felt as though he couldn’t wait to remind the public of just how tough on crime he was, and would continue to be. But I can’t help wondering if he even meant any of it. Would it really be surprising to learn that a consultant had insisted that it would be in his best interest politically to come out strongly against the looting, even though the reporter appeared to only be looking to hear what he had to say to a city that mourns?

As I’ve said before, I’m trying very hard to keep things in perspective. I’ve been doing my best to bite back my anger for the next few days as the election between Donald Trump and Joe Biden approaches, and always keep in mind who it is I would rather fight. But there are some things that I cannot bring myself to ignore, and this was one of them. Evidently, polling seems to suggest that keeping Biden out of the limelight for the majority of the election has been a relatively good strategy. They should go back to it.