This is a story that has, sadly, become so commonplace over the past year that one tends to bleed into another, it would seem.

Protesters, rioting, unrest, and the rot of society, all converging in one area, intent on mayhem because they disagree with somebody’s politics.

While some may have been in Washington to peacefully object to the inauguration of Donald Trump, they were joined by far too many others who had no intentions of being peaceful.

Of those who descended on the capital, 217 were arrested on Friday for rioting and assaulting the police.

Interim D.C. Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters at a press conference on Friday that the department is certain the 400 to 500 people involved in one specific protest on 13th Street N.W. were “organized and intentional.” Demonstrators did not protest peacefully, he said. Instead, a “large percent” of the group was “armed with crowbars and hammers.”

“We are very certain those persons involved in the criminal acts earlier today came to our city with the intent,” Newsham added.

Along with damage to store fronts and automobiles, rioters threw rocks and whatever other objects they could. Six police officers in riot gear were taken to the hospital with injuries. Three of those were head wounds.

That is not ok.

There’s nothing wrong with picketing, chanting, or marching. When your goal becomes to cause as much damage to people and property as you can, then you’ve crossed a line and should be dealt with harshly.

The Women’s March will be on Saturday. It is expected to be relatively calm, although, very likely, annoying.

Annoying is fine. We can work around annoying.

We can’t work around the kind of mindless violence that was brought on Friday.