Ferguson Riots Victimize Business Owners

No matter what you think about the issue of police profiling or racism or police brutality, I don’t see how anyone could condone the rioting and looting that went on in the city of Ferguson, Missouri just after the announcement that a grand jury concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the part of the police officer who shot Michael Brown.

Despite our own President and other Progressive Liberals trying to convince small business owners that “You didn’t build that,” all small business owners know that it is completely up to us whether we choose to start or run a business in the first place, and also where to locate it.

Yes, I’m outraged that racism still exists in America.

Yes, I feel terrible for the parents of any 18-year old who is shot and killed.

And yes, I feel bad for the police officer who lost his career and any semblance of a normal life going forward because of this incident.

But there are already millions of people very publicly crusading on behalf of all of them.

So I ask the question…

What about the owners of the businesses that were looted, vandalized and even burned to the ground during the rioting in Ferguson on the night the grand jury’s decision was made public?

As financial expert and St. Louis area resident Bryan Binkholder informed me, “Sad fact…Many insurance companies DO NOT cover loss from Riots or Acts of War, so some of this may not be covered – contrary to the individuals that say, ‘That won’t affect them; they’ve got insurance.'”

As a loyal reader of this blog, you probably know first-hand how many business owners pour our life’s savings into our businesses, and then spend practically every waking hour working in them and on them.

We pay suppliers, we provide employment for those unwilling to provide as much value to society as us, we pay taxes, we provide valuable goods and services to our communities.

In other words…

We are the backbone of America.

And make no mistake about it: We choose where we want to locate our businesses. We DO “build that.”

So now that the Ferguson rioters had their night of fun…

What are the owners of the destroyed businesses going to do now?

Who in their right mind will choose to locate a business there anytime soon?

And how much are the people of Ferguson going to suffer because of the destruction of those businesses, and the message sent loud and clear to would-be future Ferguson business owners: “Pick somewhere else to locate your business.”

As you and I know all too well…

It’s tough enough to build and run a business, without the added threat they it will be destroyed by an angry mob during one night of madness, for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the business or its owner.

And now one final question remains…

Will government “emergency funds” be used to compensate the innocent victim business owners, and/or to help rebuild those Ferguson businesses that were destroyed?

Because if that happens, then a major stroke of irony will occur…

Government will actually help build a business.