Zerlina Maxwell “Please stop calling this a riot. There are other words to describe this”

written by Paul Goldberg May 30, 2020

Multiple progressives on Twitter are asking that the chaotic protests in Minneapolis over George Floyd’s death not be called “riots.”

Frequent MSNBC guest and podcast host Zerlina Maxwell tweeted:

Please stop calling this a riot. There are other words to describe this. Use them.

Zerlina Maxwell

✔@ZerlinaMaxwell

Please stop calling this a riot. There are other words to describe this. Use them.

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7:33 AM - May 29, 2020

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MNSBC Anchor Craig Melvin tweeted what appears to be a network-wide guideline.

This will guide our reporting in MN. “While the situation on the ground in Minneapolis is fluid, and there has been violence, it is most accurate at this time to describe what is happening there as “protests”–not riots.”

This will guide our reporting in MN. “While the situation on the ground in Minneapolis is fluid, and there has been violence, it is most accurate at this time to describe what is happening there as "protests"–not riots.”

— Craig Melvin (@craigmelvin) May 28, 2020

Writer for “The Atlantic” Amanda Mull wrote:

Riots are, at their core, a choice made by those in power, not people who participate in them. If you build a society that exhausts and abuses people and privilege capital over human life, I’m not sure which other imaginary “civil” options you expect people to exercise

Amanda Mull

✔@amandamull

Riots are, at their core, a choice made by those in power, not people who participate in them. If you build a society that exhausts and abuses people and privilege capital over human life, I’m not sure which other imaginary “civil” options you expect people to exercise

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7:28 AM - May 29, 2020

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Marc Lamont Hill published a video called “These are Not Riots.”

Hill writes:

In my latest video for @thegrio, I break down the reasons for the rebellions that are currently taking place in Minnesota. Instead of blaming those who are participating, we should understand the circumstances that force our hands. Instead of being outraged over the destruction of property, we should be devastated at the ways that Black life is extinguished in this country. Riots are the language of the unheard. If you want peace, justice must come first. Please watch, share, and comment.