To acknowledge that riots occur because of prior actions by police, and more widely due to the oppression of black america for the benefit of white, is to open a floodgate of admission. How long has the atonement for the most egregious atrocities been ignored by white society, and trampled on/doubled up on by the white authority? The stakes are so high because moral admission of guilt and wrongdoing of the highest imaginable degree has been put off for so many hundreds of years. What this would mean is actual change, and actually giving up power in a meaningful way. Not only do most whites have a subconscious fear of what will happen to them if the power to oppress is compromised, many are so numb to the humanity of others that they don't give a damn that their greed for power and control kills and tortures entire portions of humanity. In my opinion, white fear is often the cause of white callousness and cruelty. Some are afraid of living consciously with what has been perpetrated in our name and the shame and guilt entailed, some are afraid of what an empowered and equal black community with the power to defend themselves would do to those of us who have been the cause of so much suffering. Much of my family has almost 0 contact with black folks, but they have this queer preoccupation, and all I feel from the uncalled for remarks and offensive jokes is poorly hidden fear and maybe a bit of guilt for being so willfully cruel. I would like to hope that one day we can get beyond this, and begin the long process of healing, but another part of me feels like this madness will only stop when there are no more people who identify with white "culture."