But then, as protesters made their way to a police station, ­locals pushed back against the mob. This caused marchers to disperse, as one neighborhood fought back against the outside agitators they believe ruin things for everyone.

Good for them.

These small heroics prove that not every person living in a neighborhood populated mainly by minorities wishes to burn it down. So when Chicago BLM organizer Ariel Atkins excused weekend lootings as “reparation,” a quieter but even more insistent voice responded, “Hell, no.”

The truth is that most people just want the same things: Jobs. Safety. Respect. Most people also know that the vast majority of ­police officers aren’t out to kill them. And for those not in the top 1 percent of this country’s earners, cops are the only ones standing between them and trouble.