Here’s a headline that’ll make you spit out your morning coffee: BLM rioters who set fire to an Atlanta Wendy’s get probation and a $500 fine. That’d be crazy, right? Well, it happened. Torch a fast-food joint, and all you get is a slap on the wrist and a bill that’s less than my monthly car payment. Ain’t justice grand?

This tale of flaming hamburgers and lenient judges begins on June 12, 2020. That was the day Rayshard Brooks, who had fallen asleep in the drive-thru of an Atlanta Wendy’s, got into a tussle with the police officer who responded to the scene. Brooks tried to grab the officer’s Taser, things escalated, and Brooks ended up shot and dead.

Now, I’m not here to debate the rights or wrongs of that situation. But what happened next? That’s something we can all agree was a total dumpster fire. Literally. Because in the wake of Brooks’s death, riots broke out and that Wendy’s was burned to the ground by arsonists.

Fast forward to today. The culprits, Chisom Kingston and Natalie White, have been sentenced. And boy, did they get a deal. Five years of probation, 150 hours of community service, and a $500 fine. That’s it. No jail time. No hefty fines. Just a gentle tap on the wrist and a “don’t do it again” from the judge.

And they’re not alone. According to The Guardian, almost 99 percent of charges brought against Black Lives Matter rioters in 2020 were dropped by local prosecutors. So, you can riot, loot, and torch a building, and chances are, you’ll walk away scot-free.

Does anyone else see a problem here? Since when did arson become a minor offense? And since when did it become okay to destroy someone else’s property because you’re angry? Last time I checked, that was called being a criminal.

But hey, what do I know? I’m just a guy who believes in law and order. A guy who thinks that if you do the crime, you should do the time. A guy who’s tired of seeing criminals get a free pass while hardworking Americans pay the price.

So here’s a thought: How about we stop coddling criminals and start holding them accountable for their actions? How about we stop letting rioters off the hook and start enforcing the law? Because until we do, we’re just fanning the flames of anarchy. And let me tell you, folks, that’s one fire we can’t afford to let burn.