Chicago City Wire

Jeffrey Carter of West Loop Ventures recently shared his thoughts on rioting and looting, stating that it's OK in certain situations.

Following the death of George Floyd was a pursuit of racial justice. Thousands have been arrested in cities across the nation including Chicago, Minneapolis and Portland in the midst of protesting. Businesses have had their windows smashed and a standoff with police officers has taken place amid the civil unrest.

In a study from sociologists in 1968, they found that looters tend to focus on objects or buildings that are symbolic of other values such as the police precinct in Minneapolis. It is a “bid for redistribution of property," The Atlantic reported.

“Looting (is) OK in a dire situation like war (or a) natural disaster that puts the entirety of society out of commission. This would be for food, some basic clothing necessary to survive,” Carter told Chicago City Wire.

The type of situation that Carter speaks of can be seen in apocalyptic movies where citizens are cleaning off the shelves in grocery stores to survive. Citizens in Houston recently raided supermarkets amid Hurricane Harvey but were still called “looters” by some even when they were doing so to survive. When people have been looting out of necessity rather than the opportunity it tends to be less frowned upon.

Carter also had some strong words about who was to blame for the looting.

“The BLM Marxist rioters who were enabled by the Democratic machine had no business looting,” Carter told Chicago City Wire. “Arson (is) never appropriate. Business ethnicity should not matter.”

Carter completed his bachelor's degree in marketing at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and holds a master's degree in business administration from the University of Chicago. Carter’s work history includes being a trustee for the National World War II Museum and co-founder of Hyde Park Angels. Currently, he is a general partner for West Loop Ventures in Chicago, according to LinkedIn.