Authorities have duty to protect people, property

I'm listening to our governor today railing about the president's call to the governors urging them to use all the force necessary to control the mobs who are looting and destroying property. Instead our Governor wanted our President go speak calm and peace to our country. How naive. Does our governor not realize that the criminals who are causing all the trouble are not watching TV or listening to any such peaceful messages?

We must keep some perspective about the recent violence partially caused by the George Floyd incident. Since the beginning of time there have been rouge elements in every society. They are almost always a very small percentage of the population and generate a disproportionate amount of attention. The treatment of George Floyd, no matter how horrific and unjustified, does not justify the violence that followed.

It is the responsibility of civil authorities to protect not only our lives and property, but also the rule of law and order. If that requires a significant show and use of police force, then these authorities have a duty to marshall such force and use it as necessary. Civil authorities who call for a curfew and then do not enforce it are not doing their job and worse.

This violence cannot be allowed as a legitimate means of protesting whatever grievances and injustices these rogue groups claim to represent. There are injustices of many kinds, that is simply the human condition, in every society since the beginning of time. We can and have used civil remedies to address virtually all of these matters to a fairly effective degree and should continue to do so. Leaders who do not understand the realistic nature of the human condition are not doing their job of protecting us.

Roland G. Ley

Arlington Heights