Poll: 17% Of Americans Support Violent Action Against Police, Looting Of Businesses

About 17% of Americans say the nationwide violence, arson and looting is “fully justified,” according to a national poll released Tuesday.

Some Americans — about 38% — claim the actions by rioters are “partially justified”, while only 38% say they can’t support the violence in any capacity. However, over half of Americans (57%) say the anger behind the protests is warranted, the Monmouth University poll found.

The results of the poll also specify that only 28% of adults have experienced harassment by law enforcement and most Americans tend to be either “very satisfied” or “somewhat” satisfied with their local police forces. Roughly 7 in 10 people — regardless of race — spoke favorably about their hometown officers.

Results from race relations questions reveal that 76% of Americans believe the U.S. has a ethnic discrimination issue, and 53% say these issues have only been exacerbated since president Donald Trump took office. A majority of Americans seem to echo this negativity toward the president in job approval, as 53% of Americans do not approve of Trump’s performance on that front amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Protests following the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer by asphyxiation, have sparked numerous violent protests. Over 30 cities have experienced unrest in some form and 25 of those cities have imposed mandatory curfews, according to Newsweek.

The National Guard has been activated in Washington, D.C., and 15 other cities for a total of about 5,000 boots on the ground, per a statement obtained by Newsweek Sunday.