I agree that (at the time this article was written) making a huge deal about looting was missing the point. Sometimes a relatively minor wrong has to be tolerated so that a bigger wrong can be addressed.

But still...two wrongs don't make a right, and there is a world of difference between saying "looting is a bad thing, so I hope it will stop" and saying "the police must stop these looters at all costs, using all necessary force!".