link to original reddit post by /u/anomaloustreasure
I've posted here before about my own feelings of Black Lives Matter - that I'd have supported them at every step if only they didnt attack civilians and private property. I've actually expelled from most of my "friend" group because of my lack of support for that organization. But also, this post is not about me.
I have a very good friend, more like a little sister. Let's call her Annie for the sake of having a name. I've known her family since before she was born. Well, annie has supported everything black lives matter did. When I showed her images of the damage caused by riots her excuse was that it should be considered "reparations". And she's even gone as far as to say it's okay for Black Lives Matter to assault, rob and murder white people, because slavery is the past and yadda yadda. She participated in their protests but never stayed to see what happens when the sun sets. When I tried to show her videos of what they had done, it started out with "those are all right wing white people", and moved on pretty quickly to simply defending everything the rioters did. And eventually to refusing to see it at all, only getting her "news" from her favorite media outlets, MSNBC and The Young Turks.
Well, that changed last weekend. Annie isonly in her second year of university currently, and came back to our home state to take a semester off and help care for her ill grandmother. A respectable reason, if you ask me.
Without her college echo chamber she was able to see what these rioters did to her hometown. She still defended it but she was starting to get the picture. Then they came through her neighborhood. They were marching in front of her family home and setting off fireworks, even set a car on fire from what I hear. They threw a brick through the window of someone's front door because they had a Trump flag. The damage to annie's house was fairly minimal, but the damage to other homes not so much.
Now she understands. She's gone from "I hate cops, I hope they die" and "it's just a nike store, why do you care?" to now asking why they are going after regular people.
I want to tell her "I told ya so" but instead I just welcomed her to the real world. Welcome to the fight baby sis, it's not pretty but at least you're willing to see the truth now.
TL;DR good friend supported the riots, and all the violence and robbery that encompassed it. Now the rioters came to her street and she sees it for what it is.