Seems a safe bet. Nothing the police did or didn't do justifies torching and looting homes and businesses that belong to your neighbors. That greatly undermines support for any legitimate greivances the community might have, and a police force impotent against widespread rioting and destruction isn't a great argument for curtailing police power. Again, this is the first I've heard of it so I don't want to leap to premature conclusions, but on the surface it reminds me a lot of the L.A. riots after the Rodney King beating: Police (possibly) use excessive force against a criminal member of a disenfranchised community, the community demands justice, the police dismiss their demands, so the community responds with an orgy of self destruction that rapidly ceases to be about justice and descends into mass robbery and arson perpetrated against their own neighbors.

No good can come of this so, once again, I can only hope the harm is as limited as possible at this point and order soon restored. No matter how many times I see a wounded community inflict more self abuse on itself I'll never understand it. It doesn't improve community living standards or make police more patient or less forceful. It only lowers living standards by destroying huge swathes of homes and businesses, as well as discouraging shopping and investment. Meanwhile police are encouraged to instantly and ruthlessly clamp down on the first sign of potential trouble, with the full support of a nation in whose mind the images of smoldering city blocks remain fresh. Way to make the worst of a bad situation, folks. Staying inside until calm returns sounds like a good idea, and may the damage be minimal, unlikely as that appears.