About the Protests...

I’m frustrated.  We are having too many conversations.  We are not focused.  Can you hold two opposing thoughts at once?  Earlier this week the protest on the Northside went directly past my building.  I watched from the balcony, as the procession went on for over ten minutes.  It was more people than I thought.  I text my friends, should we go down? We stood on the outskirts… I still am not about to risk getting COVID.  We walked a block up with them, reached the main gathering area, and we all took a knee in solidarity.  It was peaceful and it was beautiful.  Mostly.  This is about the protestors…. 

As we walked around the crowd, fifty percent black people, fifty percent young white people.  Most holding signs in support, and chanting, ‘Black Lives Matter.’  Most seemed like college students, or recent graduates.   As we walked the crowd I realized a small portion of them were chanting… fucking pigs, fuck the police, etc. That anger toward cops is a product of youth… dig deeper.  

If you think the cops are the problem, you’re missing the point.  You are now the problem.  Of course, there are some cops that are part of the problem, but do not isolate racism.  We need to have a bigger conversation.  Who is the problem?  Would it be he politicians who don’t fund our public schools?  The employers who pay black employees less, or don’t hire them at all?  The people in our communities that move out when a black family moves in?  The politicians that we voted for that haven’t done enough for the black community? 

Who failed George Floyd?  Derek Chauvin had 17 complaints against him before killing George Floyd.  Seventeen.  He received two letters reprimanding him.  So, who’s responsible for the death of George Floyd?  Is it just Officer Chauvin?  Or is it everyone that looked the other way over the course of that officers 19-year career?  There are layers to this, but to paint in broad strokes with one color will not solve anything.  There was a whole system in place, meant to keep people like Derek Chauvin away from a badge and a gun…. His commanding officer, the chief of police, attorney general, and the list goes on.  The system is broken.   Officer Chauvin was just an asshole -the straw that broke the camel’s back.    

So, who failed George Floyd?  We all failed George Floyd.  This country, with its promise of equality, and justice for all.  I know the riots are upsetting.  I know that right now cops look like the bad guys.  I know we have all been locked away in our homes.  The economy is suffering.  Unemployment is at a high.  I get it.  It’s a weird time to live in this country, fuck it’s weird time to just be on Earth.  Eventually though, this will calm down, and there will be less chaos.  But I hope we continue this conversation, and I hope it begins to make people pay attention to who they vote for at the local and federal level.  I hope we all take the time to do our own research on what is happening in our country, and not just watch one news network.  I hope we start to hold ourselves accountable, and be mindful of the things we say and the way we treat each other.  Seeing all those people at the protest gave me hope, and despite everything going on in the world right now, I’m inclined to believe we’re all going to be ok.