Of course the riots are just a symptom. And of course a lot of people of in those riots are not there for the cause.

Would there be riots right now had Floyd not been killed? Have you even seen a riot started out of nothing? Just for fun?

I doesn't change the original point that if a politician's first goal is to stop the riots, it's only to cover a symptom while the real problem is not fixed. And it's a matter of time before everything starts over again.