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American cities are burning, and once again Martin Luther King Jr.’s name is being invoked as a balm against violence. Protests erupting in 75 cities in the aftermath of George Floyd’s public execution in Minneapolis have varied from peaceful multiracial gatherings to sporadic violence that has included police officers brutalizing innocent bystanders, in one instance driving a cruiser into a crowd of demonstrators, and the looting of small and large downtown businesses.
