I'm just braindumping here but...
Optics this, optics that. It doesn't fucking matter. Throughout history, optics have never mattered. Power doesn't concede without a response. The very existence of these protests, this mass civil unrest, is an indication that no adequate democratic pressure valve exists in America. This is all the people have, because this is all that power has allowed them to have. I don't give a shit about property damage, capital doesn't supersede human life.
If you're concerned about the optics of the protestors, and not about the jackbooted stormtroopers shooting less lethal ammo and tear gas at them, then your brain is fucking tapioca and you should shut the fuck up. I don't know how to put it in a nicer way.
e: And make no mistake about it, it will get worse. Juneteenth in 2025 may go down as a truly infamous day in history if things go sideways. Pay attention.