If it’s actually a good faith conversation, and not just people justifying their bigotry, you can emphasize that the time to intervene to avoid that destruction has already passed. The unrest is just the release of tension that’s built up over time, and it’s not going to erupt according to the preferences of small business owners.

If folks are mad about the end of the process, the anger and destruction, they should be mad at the racism that sets the process into motion.