My next article was supposed to be a follow up to, Origin. But, as we all have learned this year, nothing ever goes according to plan.
A man named George Floyd was killed on May 25, 2020.
He was killed by a man, a police officer, kneeling on the back of his neck for more than seven minutes. What an utter shame this is. After speaking with family members (both active and retired law enforcement officers), there is no tactic or training given to police officers that instructs them to kneel on a person’s neck. What that officer did was wrong, and he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
Unfortunately, since this incident, Mr. Floyd’s death and the subsequent protests, have been hijacked by partisan politics and by riots that have occurred across the country. Furthermore, there have been attempts to justify these riots in the name of George Floyd. Let us not conflate what is good with what is bad. Do not call rioters and looters, “protesters”. They are not the same. Protesters are not breaking the law. Protesting is a protected first amendment right. Which means you get to say what you like, but you don’t get to do what you like. Someone stealing a TV is not a protester. That is a criminal. The destruction of private property, the destruction of public property, arson, looting, these are crimes - not protests. Do not conflate mindless violence with civil disobedience. To say that the people committing these crimes are just as good as those trying to enact positive change, is a disservice to our nation. You can hate the wrong committed by the police, and you can hate wrong committed by rioters & looters. Human beings are actually capable of doing both at the same time. It is a disservice to not be logical and clear about everything that is going on. And, it is a disservice to the country to speak without clarity of thought and presence.
The story being sold to you is that there is a systemic racist boogeyman out there and that America has not changed since 1968. What bullshit. This idea of systemic racism is illogical. Systemically racist societies do not elect black presidents, black governors, or black mayors. Does racism exist? YES. Does police brutality exist? YES. Police brutality is the issue we should be discussing. There have been white people that have died in police custody. There have been latino people that have died in police custody. Unfortunately, we do not know their names, as such cases have been deemed not worth reporting. This was one man in Minneapolis who killed another man. He was bad cop, and he deserves to be in jail. But, let’s remember that there are no more bad police officers than there are bad journalists, bad lawyers, and bad soldiers. The increased police presence in black neighborhoods is a direct consequence of the excessive violent crime that victimizes the people of those neighborhoods.
As minority myself, I have experienced racism personally. I have seen the hurt that racism yields. But, we should not be telling our young minorities that any hurdle, obstacle, or hardship they may face in life is because of racism. What a disservice that is. The police officer in Mr. Floyd’s case has been arrested. He has been brought up on murder and manslaughter charges. Yet, I hear people cry, “No justice, no peace.” Where is the lack of justice? There were 50 people shot in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, 28 people were shot the following Tuesday. A five year old girl was shot while standing with her family. Where is the justice for this little girl? Where are the protests for this little girl? If you want to enact change, protest peacefully. Do not yield. Organize meetings with elected representatives. Organize town hall meetings with councilmen and community board members. Collectively, we can discuss new protocols for law enforcement, or discuss establishing independent review committees for cases such as these. Don’t fall for the narrative.
And, while I think the idea of being “privileged” is a complete farce, to those of you that feel “privileged,” if you don’t want to be privileged, help the homeless. You don’t want be privileged? Donate money. You don’t want to be privileged? Then change how things work. Don’t sit on your comfy couch, and virtue signal by posting a black square on social media while changing nothing about your life. I have worked in the real estate industry for many years. I have worked for millionaires and I have worked for the poorest of the poor. It has been nothing short of a humbling experience. So, get out there and help those in need.
The failure of government to protect George Floyd, and the failure of government to protect private & public property has been nothing short of catastrophic. While I’m sure we are in for another sad week of riots and unyielding brutality across our country, I can only recommend that we try to find the human decency that we should have been united around, following the death of Mr. Floyd.