Quite so. During the riots of 1990 (an attempted coup in Trinidad and Tobago), 26 people died and a good part of Port of Spain was burned down.

In the last L.A. riot, the police refused to go inside the riot area.

Looting has consequences. There was a businessman whose shop was destroyed in the looting of 1990: he said, "Uncle, I owe the bank 7 million dollars." The insurance companies refused to pay up, they said that civil disorder was not covered. Government had to step in.