Waiting to Riot

I will never understand the concept of destroying the property of other people in my own community because of what happened in other communities, the nearest of which is over 2,000 miles away.  So, as I read the reports of looting and destruction in Berkeley, CA where the participants claim they are protesting events in Ferguson, MO and New York, NY, I will remain flummoxed.  I will also not buy any silly argument that if I were not a white male I would better understand the problem--sorry but I have reasons for angst and anger also, maybe not based on racial grouping, but reasons nonetheless, and I have devoted a large portion of my life to understanding political violence based on group dynamics.

For my two cents, if people are looking for an excuse to riot, they will find an excuse to riot.  So, the deeper question is not about what happened in Ferguson or in New York, but why are people waiting for an excuse to riot in Berkeley, CA?  When the demonstrators are even fighting with other demonstrators, supposedly there to demonstrate for the same reason, how are we supposed to view the event other than as people looking for an excuse to riot?  What is happening to the people in Berkeley and the surrounding communities to make young men and women want to riot?  Is what happened in Ferguson and New York what is happening in Berkeley?  Did someone get killed for breaking the law in Berkeley or did someone locally get killed because someone else locally did not like the friends, color, group affiliations they held?  Can I just go back to sleep today and wake up to realize all of these things are a really bad dream and not reality?