What does a Rioter look like?

The London riots have dominated the news recently. Like many, I’ve been pouring over the many stories coming out of London and appalled by the upsetting video of injured people being robbed in broad daylight by their fellow man.

So let me ask a question – in your mind what does a rioter look like?  If you lived in London and had to walk through the streets, what visual cues would you use to identify a possible threat?

Would you expect a man in a suit to be dangerous?

If a young person wearing a hoodie was walking towards you and your family – would you pull your kids closer?

Would your appearance cause the officer below to raise his shield, or lower it and say good evening?

A riot policeman stands guard in front of a burning building and burnt out car in South London - if you walked by him, would you instill trust or incite apprehension?

Looking at these images, I can’t help but notice that my mind is making immediate assumptions about people I do not know and have never met.  Wrong?  Perhaps.  A natural human response to a chaotic situation – yes.

Look at the below pictures – are we looking at innocent bystanders, looters, civilians protecting their property, or rioters?

Is this man a rioter or shopkeeper protecting his property?

Does the man in the above photo look like a rioter or store employee guarding his shop?  I make an assumption based off his appearance – his clothing, complexion, and stance lead me to my impression.  What is yours?

Did this man set the car on fire or is he the owner?  I he wearing the mask to protect himself from the fumes or to protect his identity from security cameras and police?  I made my decision in less than a second – so likely did you.

The caption I chose for this picture is “Young Men of Color Gathering During the London Riots” – if I only told you that, many would assume the worse.  But looking at this image – my caption is still 100% accurate yet their clothing clearly sends a different message.

Are these men assessing damage or looting?

I don’t pretend to know the answers or stories behind the pictures.  I do know however that over the last week many good and bad decisions have been made by law enforcement and private citizens based off first impressions.

My question to you – what are people’s first impressions of you?  Is it what you want?  And if not – what are you going to do to change this?