Getty Images)As the world remains transfixed by the rioting in London,
which, for many unfamiliar with the existing tensions there, came out
of nowhere, riots are something the United States knows all too well.
Prompted largely by racial inequality and poverty, when it comes to
those involving African-Americans, it's doubtful that riots, even some
of the most well-known, have produced tangible results.
Although awareness of the problems may have been temporarily spotlighted,
the lasting legacy of many has not been increased racial harmony or economic
opportunity. The important lesson to glean, however, from the riots noted here
, as well as the many others not mentioned, is that frustration lends itself to
violence and, to prevent such outbursts, it is necessary to take a proactive
stance against root causes such as poverty and racial inequality before the
inevitable occurs."
