Pete Sandoval: I’ve been in riots, and you’re smarter to stay away from them
As a young man growing up in the ’60s, I was a member of the National Guard. My regular job was to drive a Goodwill Truck for minimum wage. As a Guard member, I got to attend the Watts riots, the People’s Park fiasco and the Hunter’s Point riots. I was also at floods and other acts of nature. At all of these events, I only wanted for them to be over so I could go home.
I had a lot of time to think about things that really matter, like family and my health and safety. Anything could go wrong when you deploy. Since I am now older and wiser, I have a bit of advice: Don’t attend anything that might turn into a riot. Sometimes you may even be injured by one of the “good guys.” Tempers run thin after a few hours and some events go on for days. So just stay home and throw soft objects at your TV.
Pete Sandoval, Modesto
This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 6:37 PM with the headline "Pete Sandoval: I’ve been in riots, and you’re smarter to stay away from them."