George Floyd Riots.pdf - Brian

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RE: George Floyd Riots Date: 5/31/2020 To all public leaders (mayors, governors, presidents, the press, etc.) and the public: I am a white, educated, young, unprejudiced male. I share this for full transparency and to give context for my following opinions, should they be misinformed or less than comprehensive of the true state of racism in America. I am writing to you all to try to effectively appease the enraged public and cease the riots swiftly. The extent of the reactionary damage the angry public will cause and resulting tension and violence among your communities, law enforcement, and residents are contingent upon your willingness to listen to your constituents and take public action. I have made some recommendations for action at the end of this writing. For further clarification, every protest and riot taking place are in reaction to a string of recorded and released unlawful, unfair, racially driven murders that have taken place throughout the country in countless incidents. It pains me to witness both the original offenses and the violence resulting during riots while opposing sides disregard their fault and continue to blame each other. I do not want to write this letter but feel it is a public necessity. Cops are not above the law and should be held accountable for their actions just as vandalizers and looters should be held accountable for theirs. With more understanding and cooperation, people will calm down and we can learn to love each other. First of all, if you have not seen the 10 minute George Floyd video in its entirety, please do so using the following link: https://youtu.be/g8hGKB5QDhw. Until you see the entire video, you are missing the full context of why the public is so upset. This video is self-evident of the racial injustice resulting in the public outcry, but below are my interpretations of the absurdity of this event. George was (supposed to be) arrested based on allegations of using a counterfeit $20 bill. In the USA, we the people have a right to due process, are “innocent until proven guilty”, and should all be treated equal. Unfortunately, with the civil rights movement happening only a generation ago, we still see residual systemic racism resulting in the deaths of Black Americans for alleged crimes that are of far lesser gravity than the loss of life. George will never get a fair trial because he was murdered by one police officer while the other police officers refused to protect him and witnessed his murder. Assuming George did resist arrest, we witness that the four police officers were able to apprehend George and put him in handcuffs on the ground. Which begs the question of why, following his apprehension, did Derek Chauvin continue to pressure his knee and body weight onto George’s neck? Despite George pleading for his life and his ability to breathe AND several bystanders pleading for the police officers to intervene and save George’s life, Chauvin continued to put pressure on George’s neck until George becomes unresponsive and later died. And not one police officer intervened. This is not the police I want enforcing the law in my city. What happened to “protect and serve”? So yes, the public is angry. And they deserve to be. This is no lone incident, this was not a single offender, this was not a split-second decision, and worst of all, this was not some random racist person committing the crime. This was an intentional act by a man whose job is to enforce the law, not break it. This is a recorded murder of a Black American by a White police officer with several police officers allowing Chauvin’s excessive force. And to make matters worse, we do not see any hate crime or first- degree murder charges brought forward. We did not see an immediate arrest of Chauvin despite the clarity of his crime. We allowed our police to kill a Black man for resisting arrest after using a counterfeit bill (which he may not have even known he was using), but we took our time arresting the racist murderer recorded committing this crime because he is White and wore a blue uniform. People see the injustice and are creating the necessary commotion for me to make a public statement to you all to advising the actions necessary to end this battle. These peaceful protests have evolved into violent riots because many Americans with personal racist experiences gather after witnessing the broken system and deem a confrontation necessary. They blame all police officers and the entire justice system because this is an emotionally painful murder case that touches individuals deeply. And therefore, the violence ensues, so do not blame them, and do not respond with violence or threats of violence. Think about how any instance of anger you have felt in your personal life about something far less severe than a murder deriving from institutional racism, such as an instance of road rage or a rude comment. Their anger is understandable, and you as a leader must end the pain and suffering this racism has caused to millions of Americans, which in turn will end the riots. The unfortunate truth of the matter is that there are plenty of people on both sides taking advantage of the protests and riots. People take segments of a full video to twist the truth and support their position which leads to polarization of these two opposing sides. Additionally, I have seen online videos of white people looting and putting graffiti on walls in the middle of peaceful protests, all for their own self-gain, because they know they will not be caught for crime. People! please stop this nonsense. Someone – actually, many people – died by the hands of racism, and you are willing to compromise your self- respect for some nominal material gains in a world plagued by COVID-19 and legitimate racism? At least the crimes behind violence against police cars, courthouses, and between people are for a legitimate cause. This selfish looting must stop, and to everyone: the violence must cease. Creating further carnage will not bring George back or the countless other minorities who have died nor will it undo the years of pain from racism. We must stand together and peacefully enact the change. Let us find a solution and admit to the roles we have all played in perpetuating racism or contributing to violence to finally come back together as one community. I am with you all and pray for peace in these troubled times. We cannot point fingers. The truth of the matter is that the public is crying for racial justice louder, hoping for a better outcome than George’s crying for life. Police, please understand the passion and emotion these protesters have. It could have been their brother or sister who was killed last year. In a perfect world, they would not have to protest; but there is a problem of systemic racism that needs attention, so please have compassion for that truth. At least the material damages in riots may be replaced unlike the loss of life. As public leaders, the future is in your hands. You may sit idle on the sidelines, you may solicit resources from state militia to fight us, or you may stand with us, understanding there is a legitimate problem deserving of your attention and all our cooperation. Let us collaborate, not unlike the scientists are doing with the coronavirus vaccine development, to find a way to eliminate racism from this world. Please read the excerpt below to understand what you need to do and read some of my suggestions that follow for a starting point. Then, I implore you to organize a convention and listen to the public for more comprehensive and effective solutions. Together we can end all hatred on both sides. These protesters were peaceful a week ago. It is not as though they were desiring to wreak havoc in American cities before they felt oppressed again after another situation where a discriminatory system unjustly allowed a Black citizen to be killed after allegedly committing a misdemeanor. So do not disregard their anger, and definitely enact the change to end the systemic racism; bringing justice for the marginalized people of America and fixing the racist beliefs leading to inequality in institutions is the most effective way to end damaging riots. In a perfect world, riots would not be necessary to bring equality, but clearly our leaders’ inaction to acknowledge and end racism has directly led to the vandalism and violence that has ensued. The protesters just want to know that they are heard and understood. Walk with them. 1. Do not fight fire with fire. Understand these people’s intentions and goals and work towards fixing the system instead of fighting them. Using tear gas and rubber bullets will only further anger the protesters, entice greater violence in other cities and countries, and further polarize the two sides. Cooperation and rationality are the only way out of this mess. 2. Prosecute people who murder minorities with racist prejudices of committing hate crimes. Derek Chauvin committed far more than just manslaughter. 3. Arrest racist murderers immediately. George, a civilian who potentially committed a misdemeanor, was apprehended immediately. George did not receive any time for an investigation, nor did he receive a just punishment for his misdemeanor. However, immediately following the murder, the true threat to society Derek Chauvin walked free for several days demonstrating the institutional partiality. There is much speculation that had Derek been Black and George been White, an arrest would have been made sooner. 4. Have a zero-tolerance policy for racism in your police department. Simply removing all potentially prejudiced officers (who represent your police and enforce the law with significant power) is an investment with monetary and communal benefits. The benefits of preventing an act like this and the resulting public tension and millions of dollars’ worth of damages from public riots far exceeds the nominal cost of replacing some bad officers. 5. Train police officers (both current and to-be) about the consequences of excessive force. Also train them about racial equality and the history of police injustice towards minorities prevent racial discrimination in the justice system. 6. Enact a racism resistance education, similar to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), for elementary/middle school students to learn equality in the public education system. Maybe we can prevent our future generations from perpetuating any cultural or familial racial prejudices. 7. Be kind to each other and understand we are all human. We all want to be treated with love and fairness. Let us work together to solve this. Listen to your community and stop threatening and hurting each other. We all want to go home to see our families at the end of the day, which is exactly what was stripped from George Floyd. So police, please be patient and understanding; none of the emotional reactions this week are directed towards you as individuals but rather at the state of the system. And protestors, understand not everyone is against you; many police officers have no racial prejudice and simply want to keep you safe and help you get home safely, which is why they chose their occupation. Lastly, please share this message if you gained any perspective from this writing. I hope we can move past this soon and stop the chaos we are bringing upon ourselves. And I hope the racist American history can be left in the past as we build towards a future of equality. And I hope you will join in and advocate and act towards enacting change, because this is the best way out of this turmoil which will speak of your character for decades. It is as simple as a public statement or a peaceful walk you organize, but please acknowledge that Black Lives Also Matter to you. Respectfully, Brian