--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you loot or behave violently, you…" description: "\"When you loot or behave violently, you give grounds to those that try to justify illegal police abuse. You become the poster child for them to say, 'Se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/al-sharpton-2091_abuse_when-you-loot-or-behave-violently-you-gi_505457.png" --- # When you loot or behave violently, you give grounds to… ![“When you loot or behave violently, you give grounds to those that try to justify illegal police abuse. You become the poster child for them to say, 'See, we have no choice but to shoot and kill, or use a chokehold, because just look at the way they behave.'” quote by Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/al-sharpton-2091_abuse_when-you-loot-or-behave-violently-you-gi_505457.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/al-sharpton-2091_abuse_when-you-loot-or-behave-violently-you-gi_505457.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/al-sharpton-2091_abuse_when-you-loot-or-behave-violently-you-gi_505457.png) > “When you loot or behave violently, you give grounds to those that try to justify illegal police abuse. You become the poster child for them to say, 'See, we have no choice but to shoot and kill, or use a chokehold, because just look at the way they behave.'” [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Violent behavior fuels justification for police misconduct, creating a harmful cycle. **In simple terms:** Violence invites abuse. Key Takeaway Promote non‑violent actions to break the cycle. Themes justice violence police accountability Mood urgent concerned Type political activist When to use this quote - community policing - activism - public policy - media coverage Key Concepts social dynamics systemic bias Questions to Reflect On - What non‑violent alternatives exist? - How can communities reduce violent triggers? A Different Perspective Root causes of violence also need addressing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Become](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/become/) [Behave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behave/) [Behave Violently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behave-violently-4296473/) [Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/child/) [Choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choice/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [Illegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal/) [Illegal Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal-police-4296475/) [Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just/) [Justify](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify/) [Justify Illegal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justify-illegal-4296476/) [Look](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look/) [Loot Behave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loot-behave-4296474/) [Police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police/) [Police Abuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/police-abuse-1236436/) [Poster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poster/) [Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say/) [See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/see/) [Shoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoot/) [Them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/them/) [Those](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/those/) [Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try/) [Use](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/use/) [Violently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violently/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Each of these failures for me is a failure of communication, via a mode of communication that can be violent or meant to behave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-rankine/each-of-these-failures-for-me-is-a-failure-of-communication-via-a/) [Claudia Rankine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-rankine/) > [I've always had a natural fear of the police, or abuse of their power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-howard/i-ve-always-had-a-natural-fear-of-the-police-or-abuse-of-their-power/) [Terrence Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-howard/) > [“They hammered it with sometimes-guns, that violently assert the manchmal, this stuff, our everyday, against the always of the immer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/they-hammered-it-with-sometimes-guns-that-violently-assert-the/) [China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) > [I'd been hurt, and in response I had acted violently, destroying a little of myself each time I did so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/i-d-been-hurt-and-in-response-i-had-acted-violently-destroying-a/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [People defend nothing more violently than the pretenses they live by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-drury/people-defend-nothing-more-violently-than-the-pretenses-they-live-by/) [Allen Drury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-drury/) > [There is no longer a way out of our present situation except by forging a road toward our objective, violently and by force, over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gamal-abdel-nasser/there-is-no-longer-a-way-out-of-our-present-situation-except-by/) [Gamal Abdel Nasser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gamal-abdel-nasser/) > [The measures and acts which show us violently disposed towards the outer world can never stay without a violent reaction on ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/the-measures-and-acts-which-show-us-violently-disposed-towards-the/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [My motto now is either you love or you hate and you must do so violently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-motto-now-is-either-you-love-or-you-hate-and-you-must-do-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In nature things move violently to their place, and calmly in their place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/in-nature-things-move-violently-to-their-place-and-calmly-in-their/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“What you love too violently finishes by killing you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/what-you-love-too-violently-finishes-by-killing-you/) [Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/) > [“Things keep coming around and around in this world, it’s all crammed violently together, two parts of the same skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banana-yoshimoto/things-keep-coming-around-and-around-in-this-world-it-s-all-crammed/) [Banana Yoshimoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banana-yoshimoto/) > [“Accidents ambush the unsuspecting, often violently, just like love. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/accidents-ambush-the-unsuspecting-often-violently-just-like-love-it/) [Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/) > [“The Rabbit started violently, dropped the white kid gloves and the fan, and scurried away into the darkness as hard as he could go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/the-rabbit-started-violently-dropped-the-white-kid-gloves-and-the-fan/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [Should I act violently in defense of my religion, absolutely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reza-aslan/should-i-act-violently-in-defense-of-my-religion-absolutely/) [Reza Aslan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reza-aslan/) > [I feel like I have to move violently once a day, or I'll lose my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-driver/i-feel-like-i-have-to-move-violently-once-a-day-or-i-ll-lose-my-mind/) [Adam Driver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-driver/) ## More by Al Sharpton > [We blacks had problems in the '60s and we solved them by marching. We've still got problems - let's march.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/we-blacks-had-problems-in-the-60s-and-we-solved-them-by-marching-we/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [When a mother or father is willing to pay smugglers and risk the lives of their own children by sending them on a dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/when-a-mother-or-father-is-willing-to-pay-smugglers-and-risk-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [My message to everyone: the next time you hear about migrant children near the border, just picture them as your own. Then think what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/my-message-to-everyone-the-next-time-you-hear-about-migrant-children/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [What’s wrong with denouncing white interlopers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/what-s-wrong-with-denouncing-white-interlopers/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Bill Clinton strikes me as the kind of guy who goes wherever the polls lead him, rather than leading the polls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/bill-clinton-strikes-me-as-the-kind-of-guy-who-goes-wherever-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I feel that it is our moral obligation to stand and to be courageous with these families, and particularly Cindy, that have become the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-feel-that-it-is-our-moral-obligation-to-stand-and-to-be-courageous/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [Getting Democrats organized is like herding cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/getting-democrats-organized-is-like-herding-cats/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I'm very cautious and very concerned about what I have initially seen, but I also believe we've got to organize like we have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-m-very-cautious-and-very-concerned-about-what-i-have-initially-seen/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I do believe the Democratic party has moved far to the right. I do believe that the party has a bunch of elephants running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-do-believe-the-democratic-party-has-moved-far-to-the-right-i-do/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I need to hear something about how he's going to bring people together in the spirit, hopefully, of Martin Luther King Jr., and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-need-to-hear-something-about-how-he-s-going-to-bring-people/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [The Democratic Party hasn't whipped anybody into a frenzy. The assumption is that the people that are marching and protesting and standing up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/the-democratic-party-hasn-t-whipped-anybody-into-a-frenzy-the/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [The resignation of Attorney General Eric Holder is met with both pride and disappointment by the Civil Rights community. We are proud that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/the-resignation-of-attorney-general-eric-holder-is-met-with-both/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [ It does not appear, nor is there any reason to believe that \[ Jeff Sessions\] will put policing reform front and center in the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/it-does-not-appear-nor-is-there-any-reason-to-believe-that-jeff/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I can call a march, and thousands come out, and I happen to have access to the White House at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-can-call-a-march-and-thousands-come-out-and-i-happen-to-have-access/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [I've learned how to measure what I say. Al Sharpton in 1986 was trying to be heard. I was a local guy and was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-ve-learned-how-to-measure-what-i-say-al-sharpton-in-1986-was-trying/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) [Explore all 186 Al Sharpton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) ## More Abuse quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Being nice is okay,but don't allow anybody to abuse it...try to fight for your self when you know your on the right way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-is-okay-but-don-t-allow-anybody-to-abuse-it-try-to-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Build a bridge over shame by teaching kids about sexual abuse. Give them a chance to run to us should they encounter it. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-byers-ruch/build-a-bridge-over-shame-by-teaching-kids-about-sexual-abuse-give/) [Carolyn Byers Ruch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-byers-ruch/) > [It is sure that those are most desirous of honour or glory who cry out loudest of its abuse and the vanity of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/it-is-sure-that-those-are-most-desirous-of-honour-or-glory-who-cry/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [“The sole reason I stand to open it up now is that lots of people who are in pain just like I was, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-dsouza/the-sole-reason-i-stand-to-open-it-up-now-is-that-lots-of-people-who/) [Patricia Dsouza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-dsouza/) > [Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information, there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atifete-jahjaga/democracy-must-be-built-through-open-societies-that-share-information/) [Atifete Jahjaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atifete-jahjaga/) > [I have a theory that all abuse, no matter what kind of abuse it is, is foremost an assault on the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-westover/i-have-a-theory-that-all-abuse-no-matter-what-kind-of-abuse-it-is-is/) [Tara Westover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-westover/) > [“Blaming therapy, social work and other caring professions for the confabulation of testimony of 'satanic ritual abuse' legitimated a programme of political and social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/blaming-therapy-social-work-and-other-caring-professions-for-the/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [Finally, the scariest thing about abuse of any shape or form, is, in my opinion, not the abuse itself, but that if it continues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/finally-the-scariest-thing-about-abuse-of-any-shape-or-form-is-in-my/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [“Research on organised abuse emphasises the diversity of organised abuse cases, and the ways in which serious forms of child maltreatment cluster in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salter/research-on-organised-abuse-emphasises-the-diversity-of-organised/) [Michael Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salter/) > [“Stand up for yourself. 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They will mirror your actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hadinet-tekie/words-are-free-it-does-not-mean-you-should-abuse-them-be-kind-with/) [Hadinet Tekie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hadinet-tekie/) > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) [Browse all 3,113 Abuse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abuse/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you loot or behave violently, you give grounds to those that try to justify illegal police abuse. 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