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George Floyd's Death is a Tragedy, So is the Response

Exchanging One Form of Prejudice for Another

By Jason APublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Let’s get this straight. NOBODY thinks that what happed to George Floyd is not a tragedy. Nobody thinks that it is in any way acceptable. It was 100% a criminal act and deserves to the prosecuted to the full extent of the law. At the same time however, no reasonable person could ever think the response has been appropriate.

For the most part, when there is controversy, I tend to give the police the benefit of the doubt. Their underappreciated and underpaid service has earned that much. And, in most cases, when there is a controversial incident of any kind, the “evidence” is not clear cut and usually ends up getting interpreted though a lens of bias. In the incident of Floyd, that is not the case. All video footage and all eye witness stories show that this is a pretty clear cut case of homicide.

While 99.9% of police and law enforcement officers do their job right and are an asset to the communities they live in and patrol, there is that 0.01% out there that is a problem. Some simply abuse their power, others engage in criminal activity themselves and in the worst cases, they physically harm and kill others for no good reason. These bad apples ruin it for all the good ones. But, we do have to be cautious not to judge an entire group by a small element inside of its ranks. Judging everyone in blue, regardless of race or gender, is no better than judging any minority group simply based on race, gender, religion or any of the like. It is exchanging one form of prejudice for another.

The officers involved in this particular case should have been arrested on the spot as would be expected to be the case if the roles were reversed. The three who stood by and watched should have taken action to stop and arrest their co-worker. The fact that they didn’t makes them an accessory. Some people feel like if that had happened, much of this destructive response might have been avoided. Honestly, I’m not so sure.

There is a certain faction of people who use and abuse these situations to riot, steal, vandalize and cause all type of destruction in their communities. The truth is, not one of these people could give a crap about George Floyd. They just want to get their free flat screen TVs and Nike shoes and excuse there activities as a fight to seek justice. What does burning down local business that were in no way involved have to do with justice? What purpose does it serve to hurt a small business owner’s livelihood? This is what separates civilization from savagery.

In the 1960’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a beacon of light at a dark time. But, every protest he lead and every speech he gave was non-violent and peaceful. Contrast this with Malcolm X and it’s easy to understand why the first is much more respected and well regarded in history that the second not to mention having accomplished more.

Today, we have in entire industry built upon grievance and a desire to be victimized. What I mean is, it gives people an excuse to behave badly and gives the lousy leaders that are supposed to pass as civil right activists the chance to get on TV and work on building their band in some way. And there is no reason whatsoever this stuff needs to spread to other cities not involved in the original crime.

I feel for the family and friends of Floyd and others who were legitimate victims as opposed to those who falsely claim victimhood. But I also feel for those the violent response has hurt. We all have to do better.

activism
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About the Creator

Jason A

Writer, photographer and graphic design enthusiast with a professional background in journalism, poetry, e-books, model photography, portrait photography, arts education and more.

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