I feel conflicted about the violent part of the protests that continue to erupt in response to the murder of George Floyd by police (and to so very many murders of black people by police before Mr. Floyd). Violence is always wrong, yes? Violence begets violence. War only brings more war. An eye for an eye leaves . . . you know what.

I believe all that. And yet.

How long have people been protesting peacefully, writing letters, making calls, sending texts, and all the while hurting over this endless nightmare? How much difference has all that made?

Anger and grief come and go throughout our lives. We cope with these powerful emotions as well as we can while they’re with us, devastating us and breaking us and changing us, and we try to put ourselves back together when they’re gone. But if the anger and grief just keep coming and coming and coming, how can we continue to cope? They become too heavy to keep carrying around.

And so it is now. So many people have tried peaceful ways to make this anger and grief stop coming. None of them have worked. And the weight must be set down or it will crush them. So they burn, they smash, they steal, and they scream. Maybe the people in power will finally listen. Maybe those who are suffering will finally have a little extra room to carry some happier feelings around. If that happens, I can’t say the rioting won’t have been worth it.