The death of George Floyd in the custody of armed government agents isn't the fault of businesses and they shouldn't pay the price at the hands of looters.

Based on what I have seen, it appears that George Floyd was horribly abused by at least one Minneapolis police officer as other officers were on scene and observing the situation.

As of now, four police officers have been terminated from the department based on the situation. I believe there will soon be grand jury indictments, arrests, and trials for at least some of those now-former police officers.

But the death of George Floyd doesn't entitle people to loot and destroy private property. If those particular police officers did something wrong, and it looks like they did, it doesn't entitle people to break into stores and steal liquor, tobacco, and television sets.

I have been watching the local helicopter live feed from over the chaos of the city. There are many more people looting Target, Cub, a small tobacco store, Dollar Tree, AutoZone, and of course the liquor stores than there are people protesting in front of the police station.

Do you think the people literally driving up to the smashed doors of Target to loot are concerned with racism and police brutality? If anything, they are profiting temporarily from the death of George Floyd. They aren't activists, they are vultures.

As I type this column, the fires have started in the area, too.

Urban areas don't generally recover from riots. The investors, the businesses, and the jobs all flee for greener pastures.

In the end, if the evidence shows the police were responsible for the death of George Floyd, it will be them and the looters who have destroyed that city.

Chris McCarthy is the host of The Chris McCarthy Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon. Contact him at chris.mccarthy@townsquaremedia.com and follow him on Twitter @Chris_topher_Mc. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

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