STATESIDE
As of this writing, a 29-year-old Las Vegas police officer
remains on life support. A rioter shot him in the head as he tried to secure the front of Circus Circus. In northern Nevada, Governor Steve Sisolak empowered the state’s National Guard in Reno. This is the last thing hundreds of millions of law-abiding citizens need after months of quarantine and lost jobs. Given that casinos nationwide are slowly reopening with limited gaming, hotels at half-capacity and few amenities, this is devastating. Will customers visit casino cities where violence and looting may have damaged infrastructure and created an unsafe environment? Along the California Coast, even chic Beverly Hills and
Santa Monica didn’t escape. Many California cities will face billions in destruction and theft that further damages the state’s economy. Tribal casinos will also suffer. Few national leaders have publicly condemned the violence other than an obligatory sentence or two. Their allies are numerous politicians and American media members who soft-pedal these stories and label this chaos “understandable.” Would they change their tunes if the looting and violence knocked on their front doors? Try visiting the covid-ridden and burned New York City
– a city I loved – these days. I live 110 miles away and can’t imagine my next visit. I’m angry…no, I’m beyond angry and could go on for
pages. Hundreds of millions of families, like mine, chased the American Dream. They spent lifetimes building something for themselves and their children’s futures. For millions, they will never recover from this carnage. I found this column from 2015. I wrote it after another
racially-charged police custody death led to the Baltimore riots, which followed the 2013 Ferguson, Missouri racial riots. I’ve edited some copy for relevancy. “Although most protesting has been peaceful, the indiscriminate burning and looting by teens and adults, yelling “no justice, no peace,” has cost hundreds of billions in property and business damage. Inadequate law enforcement responses have destroyed whatever future that Baltimore neighborhood’s thousands
of law-abiding citizens had to possibly own a small business or work in one. Some media, President Obama and what I consider sane people, called them “thugs.” Amazingly, multiple Baltimore officials, activists and media people labeled them “misguided and misdirected” youth needing understanding and opportunity. More than 100 were arrested and released without charges. Really? So, violent people who steal, bent on destruction, get a sociological pass? Ditch the political correctness and stop worrying about offending the perpetrators. Instead, show more concern for the victims. Civil unrest and riots cause psychological damage, property destruction and devaluation, job losses and injury. It always hurts the immediate area and regional economics. Who will invest to rebuild those risky, and even less risky, jurisdictions in the future if real estate values plummet? Will casino operators spend millions where they see uncertain futures and inadequate security from city leaders? If rioting occurs, could the mayhem spill over to nearby casinos with so much cash on site? Lawmakers must protect the lawful over the lawless. If
they demand appropriate justice, then maybe the equal reaction will be more peace.” Five years later, I feel the exact same way.
djumandji/Adobe Stock
MAY/JUNE 2020 11
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58
