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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLest We Forget: This Civil Unrest Started with The Murder of a Black Man
A lot of people appear to have forgotten that, I think. They're talking about looting and rioting, but not about George Floyd, who was murdered by a white cop in Minneapolis.
Perhaps they don't want to think about the systemic racism that led to that. Perhaps they don't want to think about their own discomfort around people of color. Perhaps they don't want to ask themselves why they don't travel through some neighborhoods in their own city.
I don't know why people are forgetting that, but all of this activity in all of those cities began when a white cop put his knee on the neck of a black man and ended his life. That is why people are in the streets. That is why cities have curfews at night right now. That is why the cameras are showing images of people blocking freeways and assembling in the streets.
What is going on has an initial cause. We need to remember that and not let later actions take our minds off that. A white cop killed a black man over a fake $20 bill. Now, I don't know about you, but I probably wouldn't recognize a counterfeit $20 bill if I held one in my hand. If I gave one to a clerk, who told me it was bogus, I'd say, "Really? Here's another one." If the police were called, I'd tell them how that fake $20 came to be in my wallet. They wouldn't arrest me. They wouldn't cuff me. They wouldn't kill me. I am a white man. It is my privilege to be believed by cops. It is my privilege not to be murdered by them.
We need to remember the cause of all of this. We need to think about it and react to that cause. The rest is irrelevant, really.
Bucky
(54,014 posts)Violence has a way of changing the conversation. That's why the cops push so hard to derail demonstrations
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)Brainfodder
(6,423 posts)*Wunderkind is sarcastic replacement for SUPER ASSHOLE.
I'd rather folks get back to the virus and avoiding each other issue, PANDEMIC!
This circus is gross, I want to leave!
58Sunliner
(4,386 posts)"I am a white man. It is my privilege to be believed by cops. It is my privilege not to be murdered by them."
Hey guess what? I'm white, my brother is too, yet 2 cops beat him with billy clubs on our front lawn when I was six. He was 13. If you are not afraid, you are clueless. And this bullshit about understanding the looting and burning, is just that. BS. I guess you need to get your business looted, burned, your livelihood taken from you, your employees without a paycheck, to get a clue. The people impacted the most are one paycheck away from being homeless during a fucking pandemic. How about we loot and burn your house?? You ok with that too? Cause I guess you are not living in fear and are obviously unaffected, and have ZERO empathy for those that are.
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)Sounds like you're angry. OK.
LiberalArkie
(15,716 posts)And I still wonder about the fake $20 bill.
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)Yes, another black man killed by the cops. Too many have been killed. No question about that.
Yavin4
(35,441 posts)George Floyd was killed because we're afraid of Black people, and we've given the greenlight to cops to kill. Look at how hard it is for the state of MN to bring charges against all of the cops involved. It's been over a week, and the prosecutors are still deliberating.
If any group of citizens killed someone like that, they would be in jail right now, but not cops. That is the issue.
MineralMan
(146,317 posts)They don't.
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)Rally's that started off well and remained peaceful until late in the evening when a small number of individuals hijacked the protests and committed major vandalism and looting.. they broke into government buildings and banks smashing windows and started fires. They also smashed the windows of many businesses and looted them. Including some small businesses already struggling due to the covid-19 shutdown.
Large swaths of downtown Portland have smashed windows that have since mostly been covered with plywood and painted graffiti on a massive scale. There are burnt out cars, dumpsters, etc. Millions of dollars of damage.
The protest organizers who by all accounts did a great job with their peaceful rally's and protests did not want this vandalism and violence and did/do not condone it. Nor do the vast majority who took part in those protests.
The violent acts are what are the headlines and coverage focus because of a small handful of individuals who hijacked the protests and made it so with their actions.