The Northwest was rocked by two separate tragedies, one a natural disaster, the other a man made one. While the earthquake was devastating, it’s the aftershocks from the Mardi Gras riots that may leave the most lasting damage.

Buildings can be repaired and rebuilt, but there’s no easy fix for the trust that was shattered on Fat Tuesday night in Pioneer Square. A horrified television audience watched beating after merciless beating within shouting distance of riot gear outfitted police officers. They are images that will be impossible for most of us to forget.

The most vicious damage was caused by groups of kids who wandered through the crowd beating anyone in their way senseless. They would arbitrarily pounce on people and anyone who tried to help their victims. While some may say the beatings were racially motivated, it’s important to recognize that these weren’t actions by an entire community, they were actions by a few groups of thugs. Labeling these attacks simply as racial misses the bigger picture.

The rioters who attacked the police over the previous weekend bear much of the responsibility for last Tuesday’s tragedy. The police say they didn't move in because they were afraid of being attacked. They were afraid because over the weekend kids packed Pioneer Square to taunt, attack and challenge them.

Many of the people who jammed Pioneer Square Tuesday night came to see a police confrontation. Some even brought gas masks. The seeds for Tuesday’s street anarchy were sewn over the previous weekend. Those riots created a climate that encouraged others to take part in the mayhem. They did. Then, when the situation began to spin out of control, police were forced to deal with the possibility that the very people they were trying to help could turn on them.

That doesn’t excuse the police inaction, but it does point to a larger problem. A segment of our society doesn’t respect our police force and has found some measure of power in rebelling against authority, but that reality can’t drive policy. It will be a long rebuilding process.

Email responses to this column to Scott@Q13.com.