Former demographer-turned-pundit Joel Kotkin writes for Quillette about the interaction between the Covid-19 pandemic and the riots currently wrecking inner cities. In ways few have pointed out, the first is somewhat a parent to the second.
The disease hit the urban poor harder, African-Americans harder, the lockdown hit those in jobs only doable face-to-face harder. It is among these citizens that the unemployment is highest, the destruction of small businesses most prevalent, the sense of hopelessness most increased.
As Kotkin describes it, a situation developed ripe for some particularly egregious act to set off explosive reactions. The Minneapolis police obliged with an on-video death in custody. The reactions cascaded across the country.
If the experience of Detroit with the aftermath of their riots in the 1960s is any indicator, the cities so affected, especially the poorer sections, will be worse off for decades as a consequence. Hat tip to RealClearPolicy for the link.
