It's Not Okay

I'm sure people know: London is burning. Fires, riots, looting; it's a scene from dystopian novels, and there are no police around to stop any of this going on. I'm hearing on the news that it's not just the people living in the areas: people are coming in from different areas of London and acting up. Buildings are burning, both homes and businesses.

One of the people I follow on Twitter retweeted something important: Europe is just coming out of a recession. Money is still tight. And no one can afford to pay for all of this damage. These places will remain burned for a while. That's an unfortunate truth London may have to face.

And here's the thing: it's not okay.

It's not okay for people to loot and steal and take everything of value in buildings.

It's not okay for people to burn down these buildings.

It's not okay to do it in the name of a man who was shot by the police.

It's not okay to put people's lives in danger in the name of false justice.

It's not okay for London to suffer.

It's not okay to blame all of London's youth.

This is a strange situation. There's no denying that. People are acting out and I don't see how they can excuse themselves of it when they're caught. Rioting is not cool, no matter what these people think. Bored? Angry? Annoyed at the government? None of those are reasons to endanger lives and damage the financial futures of so many people. Can't get a job? Don't steal from shops. Not in school? Don't make it so people can't afford to go.

Don't just talk about the events going on, contributing to the mass of information filling the Internet: spread the word that it's not okay. And whatever you do, remember that it's not every teenager and young adult in London that's doing this. There are limited groups of people doing this damage.

Hopefully the people of London can get through this. The next great fire that city should see if the Olympic flame coming in. How the guilty youth can forget that their city has so much to offer in the next year is beyond me. Good luck, London.