Everyone will forgive me for repeating myself, but I thought of this while watching the London riots.
I came to the U.S. (Los Angeles) the winter before the Watts riots. My father, a passionate student of history, could not miss his chance, loaded me in the car, and drove to Watts to watch the riots. Buildings were burning, the national guard waited patiently in covered trucks, locals were running around with T.V.s etc.
My father drove slowly around, observing everything, then turned to me and said: "You see darling, this is the difference between a riot and a revolution. In a riot people take T.V.s. In a revolution, they take over the T.V. and radio stations, and the police stations. My first and most unforgettable history lesson.
When we got back home and my mother found out where we had been, there was hell to pay. Though I was glad my father took me. I never felt in any danger & as my father also said: "The only thing wrong with black people in the U.S. is that they are too nice."
Joanna